Roberto De Zerbi: Tottenham turn to combustible Italian - but is it a case of right coach, wrong time?

Roberto De Zerbi can deliver the football Tottenham fans crave. To dare is to do is a fitting description of the Italian’s philosophy. That counts for nothing, though, if he cannot save Spurs from relegation. This is the final roll of the dice. De Zerbi or bust.

Seven games to play and Spurs are one point above the drop. Igor Tudor was billed as a firefighter but only fanned the flames of a first top-flight relegation since 1977. De Zerbi's appointment - confirmed on Tuesday - is exciting, but is he the right coach at the wrong time?

The former Brighton boss at least brings Premier League experience and hopes of a brighter future. If he can keep Spurs up, it could be a turning point. The alternative is unthinkable. It is hard to envisage De Zerbi sticking around in the Championship.

Spurs have no margin for error but turn to a coach that embraces risk. De Zerbi's high-octane, possession-based style is non-negotiable and his past experiences suggest it is an approach that requires time. Spurs, clearly, do not have that luxury.

The Italian is walking into a far less-settled situation than he inherited at Brighton when taking over mid-season from Graham Potter in 2022 - but he still took time to pick up points on the south coast, failing to win any of his first five games.

His other mid-season appointments, both in Italy, began with even worse results.

At Palermo in 2016, he was sacked less than three months into the job, winning just once in 13 games, before taking Serie A newcomers Benevento down in 2017/18 after failing to win any of his first nine matches.

Spurs cannot afford a repeat scenario. De Zerbi's best return in seven games when taking over mid-season is eight points, which Opta's supercomputer predicts would be just enough to stay up.

De Zerbi has the potential to push Spurs back up the table if they do. He led Brighton to sixth in the Premier League, their highest top-flight finish, earning them qualification to Europe for the first time in their history.

Spurs have offered De Zerbi a five-year contract, a clear indication that they view him as a head coach for the long term - but his track record suggests that is not the case.

De Zerbi's longest spell in management was a three-year spell at Italian club Sassuolo where he took charge of 120 games.

He has not surpassed 90 games at another club as head coach and half of his eight managerial jobs have lasted no longer than 30 games.

Spurs managers never tend to sick around too long. De Zerbi is the third head coach appointment of the season, while Mauricio Pochettino was the last to stay for more than two seasons.