Roberto De Zerbi reveals how long he wants to stay at Tottenham after turbulent CV

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Roberto De Zerbi has now opened up on whether he sees his future at Tottenham Hotspur in the long term, following his relatively short spells at his previous clubs.

Tottenham Hotspur are firmly convinced that Roberto De Zerbi is the right manager for them both now and in the future.

Spurs find themselves in a relegation scrap and had the option of turning to proven survival specialists such as Sean Dyche, but instead went the extra mile to secure the services of the former Brighton boss, who is not typically known for relegation battles.

Negotiations were far from straightforward with the Italian, but Tottenham ultimately managed to convince De Zerbi to make the move to north London, despite his initial preference to wait until the summer window.

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi addresses long-term Spurs future

Tottenham will now hope that their efforts are greatly rewarded this term as they aim to avoid the drop under the tutelage of their new boss.

Eyebrows were raised when it was reported that De Zerbi put pen to paper on a five-year deal, given his track record at clubs he has managed.

The former Brighton manager has rarely gone beyond a second year, raising questions about whether he will see out his Spurs contract.

Speaking to football.london, De Zerbi has now addressed those concerns by outlining his desire to build something long-term, while explaining the reasons behind his previous departures.

He said: “I stayed three years in Sassuolo and then I left from Ukraine when the war started. In Brighton I left for different problems and in Marseille maybe the same.

“I would like to stay four or five, for a long time. I don’t know how many years but in Marseille like this because in Marseille my idea was to stay for a long time.

“Then you have to speak with the club and when you have a different view of football or other things you have to leave money and you have to leave.

“But in my plan for sure there is the idea to stay for a long time, to try to put Tottenham, I’m not speaking about the titles because it’s not the right moment now, but to put Tottenham to stay in the first position in the Premier League because there are all parts to reach that level.”

Spurs clarity over Roberto De Zerbi contract stance

Whether De Zerbi remains in north London for five years remains to be seen, but Spurs will be glad there is no relegation clause inserted in the Italian’s deal.

There were rumours that a clause that would have allowed De Zerbi to walk away from Tottenham should they go down was being discussed as part of the agreement.

However, Spurs do not have such a clause, and De Zerbi has confirmed that, regardless of the club’s league position, he will remain.

Speaking on his commitment, he said: “I signed a five-year contract because for me, it is a big challenge. I will be the coach of Tottenham next season, no matter what.”