Roberto De Zerbi told his reputation is on the line if he takes Tottenham job

The former Brighton & Hove Albion boss is understood to be open to taking the vacant Tottenham job, having changed his previous stance about only taking charge of a team in the summer

Rio Ferdinand has warned Roberto De Zerbi that his reputation as a manager could be affected if he takes the Tottenham job. football.london understands the Italian was in advanced talks with Spurs on Monday, having been offered a lucrative deal to take charge immediately rather than wait until the summer.

It's understood they've progressed to the point of discussing the specifics of De Zerbi's backroom staff, given his reputation for operating with a substantial support team. However, despite being an admirer of the manager, Ferdinand questioned whether a move to north London would be the right step for him.

"I've always championed De Zerbi, I think he's a great manager," Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel. "He's a thinking manager, he's always looking for new, innovative ways to build his teams.

"This might be the perfect time to get him but are Spurs in the right situation for him? I’ve got to be honest, I wouldn't go to Spurs right now.

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"I just think it is a club that’s in such a bad way and there have been far too many managers that have failed there. That’s not the only thing because we can look at lots of clubs like that."

Ferdinand also questioned whether the club's hierarchy would support him, asking: "Are they going to be a hindrance to me behind the scenes? Are they going to ruin my reputation even more now? What's the situation here?

"At the moment I'd be more worried about the hierarchy, I’d be looking into that. Why has it gone so wrong for so many?

"Big names, new ones… Why has this place not been able to kick on? I don’t understand it because they've got it all sitting there.

"They call themselves a big club or wanting to be a big club, they’re bemused when they’re not mentioned in the big club bracket.

"But they don’t spend like a big club to attract the biggest players and then they wonder why they’re not in the top echelon of football clubs in that sense, when you look at them on the pitch and their output."

De Zerbi, known for developing young talent, would inherit a Spurs squad featuring Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert. Ferdinand was asked which of them would thrive under him.

"I actually couldn’t tell you, I couldn’t tell you," the Manchester United icon admitted. "I thought [Micky] van de Ven was going to be a top centre-half.

"Is it him or is it the lack of stability at the football club or the tactics, the way the team is being set up that's making him look bad? I don’t know.

"There are far too many players that are underachieving with their quality from what we’ve seen before."