Soccer
Roberto De Zerbi dealt early injury blow after taking Tottenham reins
New Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi has already been dealt an injury blow after midfielder Pape Sarr was unable to feature for Senegal in their friendly with Gambia.
De Zerbi was confirmed as Spurs head coach on Tuesday on a five-year deal, which does not contain a relegation release clause, the Press Association understands, despite the north London club being only one point above the Premier League bottom three.
With seven games left this season, De Zerbi has limited time to work with a team without a league win in 2026, but has immediately been affected by an ongoing injury crisis in N17.
Senegal midfielder Sarr joined up with his national team last week and featured in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Peru, but was left out of the squad to face Gambia on Tuesday due to a shoulder injury, according to Senegalese media.
Any potential injury to Sarr would be untimely for De Zerbi, who has already discovered a lengthy list of absentees at Tottenham’s Hotspur Way training ground, with Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus all previously sidelined or currently unavailable.
It adds to an already-complicated start to life at Spurs after De Zerbi’s appointment faced opposition from sections of the fanbase.
Three supporters’ groups produced ‘No to De Zerbi’ statements last Friday, owing to past comments about Marseille forward Mason Greenwood.
Former Manchester United forward Greenwood was charged in October 2022 with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm over allegations relating to a woman after images and videos were posted online.
The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023 owing to “a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light”, which meant there was “no realistic prospect of conviction”. Greenwood, who denied the charges, has since resumed his career and joined Marseille in 2024.
In November, De Zerbi described Greenwood as a “good guy”, who had paid a “heavy price” and added: “It saddens me what happened in his life, because I know a totally different person than the one who was described.”
Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust explained on Tuesday they had “serious and far-reaching concerns” with this appointment.
PA understands Spurs carefully considered and discussed the comments and sentiments around Greenwood with De Zerbi during negotiations.
Later on Tuesday, Spurs’ LGBTQI+ fan group Proud Lilywhites said: “Whilst we disagree with the managerial choice, in terms of culture and competence, we will continue to support the players without pretending to be comfortable with the appointment.
“Staying silent is not the answer. But choosing when and where to be vocal matters.
“Managers come and go. Executives come and go. Players come and go. Fans remain. We are the constant in this club.
“We will continue to represent the views of our members to the club, alongside the other supporter associations.
“This is not noise or reaction. It is a considered position and it is not going away.”
Spurs Reach added: “As a group of fans who care about inclusion, representation and how people are treated, this one doesn’t fully sit right with us, both culturally and in the bigger picture.
“That said, we’re Spurs through and through… our support for the club we love, the community and each other goes way beyond any one appointment.”
De Zerbi spoke publicly for the first time as Spurs boss on Wednesday evening as he delivered a brief message to supporters on the club’s website.
He said: “Hello to all the Tottenham fans. I’m very happy to stay here with you. For me, it’s an honour and (I’m) very proud to be your coach. I want to give my best. I want to stay for a long time in this big club. See you soon.”
