Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a torrid start to the Premier League season and sit bottom of the table. This is despite a huge summer spend, to the tune of approximately £400million. It is their worst-ever start to a Premier League season after five games, beating their previous low of two points in 2008/09.
Spurs overhauled their team last summer with a host of Premier League players, including Jan Paul van Hecke, Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Savio for high fees, but they surprisingly remain winless after five games. Also, they were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Liverpool last month.
As a result, the pressure is mounting on Roberto De Zerbi. The 47-year-old was appointed earlier this year with the sole objective of saving Tottenham from an unthinkable relegation. He succeeded on the final day of last season and was backed heavily over the summer.
Alan Shearer makes Roberto De Zerbi sack prediction
After a three-week international break, Spurs resume their Premier League duties with a trip to Manchester United on Saturday. Manchester United have also struggled at the start of the season, picking up just one win from five games. Michael Carrick is a man under pressure as well heading into the big game at home.
Now, Alan Shearer has given his verdict on De Zerbi. He suspects the Italian tactician ‘will be sacked’ if Tottenham suffer a heavy defeat against Man United.
“De Zerbi did a great job, didn’t he, last year, in keeping them up in the style that he did and clearly, as part of that, he got the contract he wanted and he got them spending a fortune on players that he wanted and demanded because he had huge power and in a huge position of strength, but he needs to get results now,” Alan Shearer told Betfair (h/t Football 365).
“I guess he’ll be the first to tell you that he’ll need to get results and he needs to get them quickly. It really depends on the manner of the results as to what action the Spurs board might potentially take in the near future, as at the moment it’s not okay.
“No one wants to lose games, but I guess it’s the manner and how you lose them or your manner how you don’t win them, which is the standout.
“There have been little glimpses of improvement, and we will have to see what reaction they get at the weekend, but he’ll know, and everyone else knows that he needs a result. He can’t afford to play Man United and be beaten 2 or 3-0, that’s for sure.”
Former Liverpool boss identified as potential De Zerbi replacement
Recent reports suggest that former Liverpool boss Arne Slot has emerged on Tottenham’s radar as a potential replacement for De Zerbi.
The Dutchman has been without a job since Liverpool made the decision to part ways with him a season after winning the 2024-25 Premier League title. Although De Zerbi holds a long-term contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Slot’s name emerging out of nowhere shows that the North Londoners are keeping tabs on potential candidates if they decide to wield the axe on our gaffer.
Having taken charge of just 14 matches, a level of patience will be shown, but De Zerbi needs to oversee an upturn in form as quickly as possible.