Tottenham Fucked Up - De Zerbi is Floundering but Sacking Him Would Be Their Most Expensive Error Yet

Tottenham And De Zerbi...What Should They Do?

So far this season, it's not looking much better for fans of Tottenham Hotspur.

After back-to-back 17th place finishes and narrowly escaping relegation on the final day of the 2025/26 season, optimism that the North London side had turned a corner was high during the summer. With a transfer window consisting of over £300 million worth of new signings, including the £93 million signing of Sandro Tonali, £85 million addition of Mateus Fernandes in midfield and the double signing of two forwards - Savinho and Omar Marmoush from Manchester City.

And with Roberto De Zerbi in the dugout, who had brought new hope back to N17 towards the end of last season, the expectations were that Spurs were set to challenge within the top six places in the league again. However, that has been far from the case so far this season.

Same Old Tottenham Hotspur..?

The first international break of the season has come after the first five fixtures of the new Premier League season, and Tottenham find themselves exactly where they wouldn't want, or expect, themselves to be... right at the foot of the table in 20th place.

After five matches, Spurs are one of three sides, alongside Fulham and AFC Bournemouth, who are awaiting their first win of the season, with Spurs on two points after two 0-0 draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton.

The first match of the season saw De Zerbi's side thrashed at the Gtech Community Stadium to a rampant Brentford 3-0, before being beaten 0-2 in their first home match of the campaign to Newcastle United.

Then came two consecutive 0-0 draws, as Tottenham failed to score in their first four league matches for the first time in the club's history. However, they would eventually find the net not once, but twice in their fifth match of the season as they hosted Aston Villa at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, they still ended the match empty handed, as the visitors ran out as 2-3 victors.

Full-time. pic.twitter.com/zuTzrP9kuV

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 19, 2026

After heavy investment in the summer transfer window, pressure is already growing on De Zerbi after a shocking start to the season, which has also seen a round four exit in the Carabao Cup after a 3-1 defeat at Anfield to Andoni Iraola's Liverpool.

After narrowly escaping an unprecidented relegation from the Premier League last season, early signs suggest the current season could be another struggle for Tottenham fans, as their side struggles to find the net in front of goal and struggles to keep them out at the other end.

What Is Going On With De Zerbi?

The Italian's arrival at Tottenham back in March was seen as something of a coup. The North Londoners were in disarray, with the sacking of Thomas Frank and arrival of Igor Tudor on an interim basis did little to improve Spurs' situation as they remained firmly in the relegation fight.

De Zerbi arrived at Spurs with the club desperate, and as a result they reportedly agreed to make the Italian the highest paid manager/head coach in the Premier League, with De Zerbi estimated to be earning an annual salary at the North London side of around £12-£15 million.

As a result, if Spurs' form following the international break does not improve and the board of directors at the club decides to make the decision to remove the Italian from his position, it would take a heavy compensation fee to do so, with one recent estimate from former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson putting the termination cost at around £10m, based on an assumed 12-month termination payment.

On top of that, signing a replacement for the Head Coach could cost upwards of another £10 million, but the cost of replacing De Zerbi could be more than just finanical.

The Italian is undoubtably a strong coach, shown in his impressive work previously in the Premier League with Brighton & Hove Albion, where he guided the Seagulls to 6th place in the Premier League and on to European football for the first time in the history of the club.

And the Italian clearly had a positive impact upon arriving in North London towards the end of the previous campaign, as in the six Premier League games under De Zerbi in the 2025/26 season, Tottenham collected a total of 11 points from a possible 18 - a return that seemed strongly unlikely given their previous form under Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor prior to his appointment. Including wins against Wolves and Aston Villa, Tottenham's first league victories in 2026, and a final day win over Everton which was enough to secure survival on the final day.

🚨🚨| OFFICIAL: Tottenham Hotspur survive relegation and will stay in the Premier League for another season. pic.twitter.com/dw7uRQiJjQ

— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) May 24, 2026

Whilst the start to the sason has been nothing like what anyone connected with Tottenham would have hoped for, the smart decision no doubt would be to hold confidence in De Zerbi, both from a sporting and financial standpoint.

What's Next For Tottenham?

As Spurs look to get their season up and running on the right track, the international break will perhaps come as welcome to the North London side as they still search for a first league win.

Following the break, Spurs return with a match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, who themselves have had a challenging start to the season with pressure already building on Michael Carrick after a defeat to ten-player Manchester City, a defeat in the Carabao Cup to Brighton and a late draw at Craven Cottage.

A home match against newly promoted Coventry City takes place after, who have also struggled on their return to the top flight, despite finding their first win of the season away at Nottingham Forest. And two matches against sides also struggling for form could give Spurs the chance to earn their first three points and really kick-start their season.

However if they don't, then panic could start occuring around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and pressure could really begin to mount on De Zerbi.