02/04/2026

SPORTS THURSDAY | APR 2, 2026

30

De Zerbi gets Spurs job Former Brighton coach given five-year deal despite backlash from fans

Ű BY LUKE BAKER

R OBERTO DE ZERBI has been named as the new Tottenham boss on a five-year contract, tasked with saving them from a Premier League relegation despite a number of sup porters’ groups having urged Spurs not to appoint him. Tottenham parted ways with Igor Tudor “by mutual consent” on Sunday after a disastrous seven game spell that lasted just 44 days and left the north London club in dire straits, only one point and one place above West Ham in the Premier League relega tion zone and in real danger of dropping out of the top flight since 1977. They are winless in their last 13 Premier League

during his first season in charge – ultimately reaching the last 16 of the Europa League during the following campaign. That success saw him linked with managerial vacancies at giants such as Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool and Bayern Munich but his rela tionship with Brighton hierarchy completely broke down, leading to a mutual parting of ways at the end of the 2023/24 season. He then joined Marseille, finishing second in Ligue 1 in 2024/25 but leaving by mutual agreement in February 2026 after a Champions League exit in the league phase and a 5-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain domestically. – The Independent

COACH Hajime Moriyasu cautioned it was only a friendly, but Japan’s slice of history with a statement 1-0 win over England at Wembley shows they could go deep at the World Cup. Japan strolled through Asian qualifying to become the first team to seal their place at the finals in North America and beat Brazil 3-2 in a friendly at home in October. Yesterday they faced England, who like Brazil are among the favourites to win the showpiece this summer, and were full value for their victory. Kaoru Mitoma’s composed finish in the first half at Wembley condemned England to their first defeat by Asian nation. Moriyasu has said that Japan want to win the 2026 World Cup, and on this evidence that does not seem quite so outlandish. But Moriyasu struck a note of caution, especially with Thomas Tuchel’s England missing the influential trio Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka. “Coming to the World Cup, I know it will be a totally different team for England,” said the coach, whose side beat Scotland 1-0 on Saturday in Glasgow. “Also, for us, this game at the end of the day is just a friendly game, so we must keep that in mind as well.” Japan, Asia’s highest-ranked side at 18 in the world, are in a testing group with the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia. But they should have more than enough to make it through, as they attempt to go beyond the World Cup last 16 for the first time. At Qatar 2022, Samurai Blue beat Spain and Germany in the group phase, before losing on penalties to Croatia in the knockout rounds. They look well equipped to go further this time with a squad full of technically gifted players who ply their trade in Europe’s top leagues. Following the England victory, Moriyasu again said that winning the World Cup was the goal. Moriyasu has his side finely tuned and they know exactly what to expect from him, having been in charge since 2018. “I’m confident that we can win no matter who we face,“ he said. – AFP ‘Samurai Blue can go far’ previous two spells at Brighton and Marseille, and he has been immediately thrown into a relegation battle. “I am delighted to be joining this fantastic football club, which is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world,” said De Zerbi. “In all my discussions with the club’s lead ership, their ambition for the future has been clear – to build a team capable of reaching great achievements, and to do that playing a style of football that excites and inspires our supporters. I am here because I believe in that ambition and have signed a long-term contract to give everything to deliver it. “Our short-term priority is to climb the Premier League table, which will be the com plete focus until the final whistle of the last game of the season. I’m looking forward to get ting out on the training pitch and working with these players to achieve that.” De Zerbi developed a reputation for posses sion-based, attacking football while in charge of Benevento and Sassuolo in his homeland before a spell at Shakhtar Donetsk was cut short by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He joined Brighton and secured European football for the first time in the Seagulls’ history

games, their longest run without a top-flight success in 91 years and endured an embarrass ing 5-2 capitulation against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash before a futile second-leg success served as their only win under Tudor, who was a left field appointment when he replaced Thomas Frank in February. But the club has opted for ex-Brighton and Marseille coach De Zerbi, who left the Ligue 1 side in February. It was initially thought that the 46-year-old was only happy to join Spurs at the end of the season, once he knew their League status, but has had a change of heart and will become head coach immediately to try and steer them away from the drop. He has signed a long-term deal, with no relegation clause. A Tottenham statement said: “We are pleased to announce the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as our new men’s head coach on a long-term contract, subject to work per mit.” In a statement accompanying Tottenham’s announcement, De Zerbi insisted he is com mitted to the club’s “ambition for the future”. The Italian lasted less than two seasons in his

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Japan’s Ayumu Seko (top) vies with England Jarrod Bowen for the ball during a international friendly match at Wembley Stadium yesterday. – AFPPIC

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