Tottenham hold talks with manager who was red-carded against them after touchline melee

1 hour ago 41

Tottenham now find themselves holding talks with a manager who once saw red against Cristian Stellini’s Lilywhites.

Tottenham’s 25/26 struggles domestically showed no sign of easing off as they were beaten 3-0 at the hands of relegation rivals Nottingham Forest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs were hoping that their 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid on their home turf would have provided them with the spark they needed, but that was not the case as they fell to their 15th defeat of the season.

The Lilywhites now look like they could well be relegated, with just one point separating them from West Ham United in 18th place.

Remember when Roberto De Zerbi clashed with Tottenham’s Cristian Stellini?

Spurs are now scrambling for solutions as they aim to avoid the drop, with Igor Tudor’s time in the Tottenham dugout not looking likely to last much longer following his latest defeat.

It is understood that both Tudor and Spurs have agreed on a mutual parting of ways, with Tottenham now looking for a new managerial appointment, and their search has led them to former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi.

The Italian is no stranger to facing Tottenham and, on one occasion in 2023, he was even involved in a heated touchline exchange with Cristian Stellini.

Ahead of that clash, tensions boiled over during an altercation at the pre-match handshake, with De Zerbi pointing at Stellini before the situation escalated.

Speaking on De Zerbi’s character and approach, Stellini highlighted the Italian’s aggressive nature and strong personality. He said (DailyMail): “When he was a player, he was aggressive. I challenged him sometimes and he was really aggressive.

“He improved a lot. He has a great personality as a manager, and he arrived here in a new country and quickly he put his sign on his team. That is not easy for everyone and De Zerbi show also in England, in the Premier League, he is a great manager.

“For sure, his results were every time good results. He gave to his team good characteristics. He is very strong in the way he wants to play.”

Spurs hold talks with Roberto De Zerbi despite previous tensions

Ironically, Tottenham could now turn to De Zerbi to bail them out of trouble as they look to avoid the drop. Talks are understood to have taken place between De Zerbi and Spurs as they look to lure him to Hotspur Way.

Speaking about that altercation with Stellini back in 2023, De Zerbi insisted it was a personal matter, explaining his stance on respect and what led to the disagreement. At the time, it was thought that the Brighton boss was likely annoyed by Stellini’s pre-match comments saying ‘De Zerbi simply benefitted from Graham Potter’s great work at Brighton.’

De Zerbi said: “I am used always to respecting everyone inside of the pitch and outside of the pitch,” De Zerbi said, while declining to reveal the exact reason for his irritation with Stellini.

“I do not like it when people do not respect me, but there are normal situations in football. It is personal things, no? I always respect everyone, especially the coaches.

“And I can answer for myself, not for him. It was a personal situation and I told him what was my opinion, my idea.”

From his comments, Spurs can draw some solace as the Italian does not look like he has a problem with Tottenham, just Cristian Stellini.