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Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham Hotspur have stumbled into the international break as the Premier League’s crisis club, and the numbers make grim reading for anyone still backing the Italian to turn things around. This is now the club’s worst start to a Premier League campaign after five games, a statistic damning enough on its own but doubly concerning coming off back-to-back 17th-place finishes.
Speaking after the weekend defeat, De Zerbi called on the “leaders” of his squad to step up, but the man in the dugout carries the real responsibility here.
Why De Zerbi deserves scrutiny at Spurs
Having kept the club up last season, De Zerbi was handed the keys to the kingdom at N17, backed heavily following an expensive summer of investment. Whether the ENIC hierarchy fully understood who they were dealing with remains a fair question, given the former Marseille man’s reputation as a combustible, explosive coach.
His prior career hardly screams stability. The 47-year-old fell out with Tony Bloom at Brighton over the club’s rigid transfer policy, and he also ran into a string of on-field and off-field issues during his time in France.
When results go his way, his attacking football is easy to admire. Right now, he looks like a figure adding fuel to the fire, already turning on his own players to some degree.
The reality is stark: De Zerbi has won just three Premier League games since replacing Igor Tudor. That record alone justifies Tottenham quietly assessing potential replacements.
Which notable managers are available right now?
It’s set to be a long few weeks without club action, with everything building toward a pivotal meeting against Michael Carrick’s Manchester United, the Englishman under his own pressure back at Old Trafford.
Former target Julian Nagelsmann is currently without a job after leaving Germany following the World Cup. The young coach has long been linked with a move to north London given his previous work with Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich.
He has never coached outside his homeland, though, which is why Eddie Howe might represent a safer option. The Englishman is also on the market after his surprise exit from Newcastle United this summer.
The former Bournemouth boss brought good times back to Tyneside, winning the Carabao Cup in 2025. Elsewhere, Premier League-winning coach Arne Slot remains available, having been tipped for the Spurs role before Ange Postecoglou’s appointment.
Both Thomas Frank and Antonio Conte sit among the high-profile managers currently out of work, though another man with Spurs ties might end up back in north London instead.
The meeting with Manchester United on 10 October is already being dubbed ‘El Sackico’, with the Red Devils enduring their own joint-worst start to a Premier League season.
| De Zerbi – Career Record | Games | Players Used |
|---|---|---|
| Spurs | 14 | 35 |
| Marseille | 69 | 49 |
| Brighton | 89 | 42 |
| Shakhtar | 30 | 29 |
| Sassuolo | 120 | 54 |
| Benevento | 29 | 39 |
| Palermo | 13 | 26 |
| Faggio | 90 | 48 |
| Darfo Boaria | 22 | 29 |
As exclusively reported by Football FanCast, Kieran McKenna is said to be open to talks with either club, with the Irishman reportedly ready to make his return to management.
Kieran McKenna’s Spurs connection
The 40-year-old left Ipswich Town following the club’s return to the Premier League, but the belief is that he’s simply biding his time while waiting for a top job elsewhere.
In Tottenham’s case, this would be an intriguing hire given McKenna’s prior connection to the club. The highly-rated coach rose through the ranks after injury cut short his own playing career.
Even at just 40, he’s arguably one of the best managers around, according to ex-Ipswich captain Sam Morsy, having done a remarkable job in his first managerial post at Portman Road.
“One of the best managers around.” – Sam Morsy on Kieran McKenna
As relayed by BBC Sport, McKenna has been influenced by Mauricio Pochettino in terms of managerial style, with the Argentine having been in charge of the senior Spurs team while McKenna worked in the youth set-up.
McKenna has been ‘influenced by Mauricio Pochettino’ – BBC Sport
Like Pochettino in his younger days, the out-of-work coach favours a front-foot, attacking style of play, having blown teams away in the EFL in recent years.
His recent struggles in the top flight might raise questions, but this is a figure Tottenham could build around for the long term, much like they did with Pochettino before him. There’s plenty to like about what he offers from the touchline.
De Zerbi feels like a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at any moment. Having McKenna, a man who watched Pochettino operate up close and knows Tottenham inside out, waiting in reserve would be a smart move.
The hope for Spurs is that Manchester United, another of McKenna’s former potential suitors, don’t get there first.
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