Roberto De Zerbi has delivered his first public comments as the new Tottenham Hotspur manager, saying he wants to stay at the “big club” for a “long time.”
De Zerbi was confirmed as the new Spurs head coach on Tuesday on a five-year deal, with his first priority lifting the side out of a relegation battle.
On Wednesday — alongside a first picture of the Italian in Tottenham colours — he spoke as the new boss for the first time.
“Hello to all the Tottenham fans. I’m very happy to stay here with you,” he said.
“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.”
The Spurs players on international duty are scheduled to return to training at Hotspur Way on Friday and De Zerbi will have just over a week to work with his squad ahead of taking charge in his first game at Sunderland on April 12.
De Zerbi has an immediate battle on his hands, with just seven games to go and Spurs sitting 17th in the Premier League table — just one point above the bottom three.
On Wednesday, he was dealt another blow to an already injury-ravaged squad as midfielder Pape Sarr was left out of Senegal‘s game against Gambia due to a shoulder problem, according to Senegalese media.
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Sarr will join a long list of Spurs players already on the treatment table, including Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus.
