Tottenham target appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as relegation plans come into focus

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tottenham/UDg08Ohm/"]Spurs[/a] are fighting against the drop and have made a push to land [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-zerbi-roberto/pYizckpN/"]Roberto De Zerbi[/a] as their new head coach, with senior figures working extensively to convince the Italian to take charge. [/p][p]Sources indicate he has held reservations about the role in recent weeks, primarily due to the risk of relegation and the potential impact on his managerial record. [/p][p]It is understood that he initially made it clear that even a lucrative financial package would not sway him - yet the club remained persistent in their pursuit.[/p][p][b]As of Monday night, Tottenham were ready to offer De Zerbi a deal, banking on him to stabilise the team and steer them away from a slide towards the Championship. De Zerbi, in turn, has been thinking about how he would approach the role and who he would want on his backroom team.[/b][/p][embed guid="6e0ba15a-0f7e-4971-869e-e6054f11b825" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2038380000559108251" social-type="twitter" /][p]Solving the managerial situation would be a relief to the Spurs hierarchy, but they know it does not guarantee safety. So provisional thinking for a worst-case scenario is still going to be under consideration.[/p][p][b]Sources admit Tottenham’s top brass are having to think about the impact of relegation and the complex squad decisions that would follow. [/b][/p][p]A number of key players - including [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-de-ven-micky/rotN6HH8/"]Micky van de Ven[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/romero-cristian/jBZTWXMn/"]Cristian Romero[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vicario-guglielmo/0fdL3XXa/"]Guglielmo Vicario[/a] - have been linked with moves away.[/p][p]But Tottenham are determined to avoid losing all their top assets at cut-price fees, despite the financial pressure relegation would bring. It means other exit strategies would need to be explored.[/p][p][b]One option that could come under consideration is the use of loan deals for some high-profile players, allowing them to maintain top-level football elsewhere while remaining tied to Spurs. [/b][/p][p]The idea would be to reintegrate them should the club secure an immediate return to the Premier League.[/p][p]Figures such as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maddison-james/YwP0q0m8/"]James Maddison[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/simons-xavi/noo0L9zk/"]Xavi Simons[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kudus-mohammed/hzbcXxIG/"]Mohammed Kudus[/a] may require creative exit solutions, as they remain popular figures the club would not want to lose permanently.[/p][p]The situation underlines the delicate balancing act Tottenham face.[/p][p]With big decisions coming both on and off the pitch, Spurs will take one step at a time to ensure relegation does not become a reality they have to deal with.[/p][image alt="Dean Jones" id="0f685dd0-10a2-43d8-9966-361f00f7203c" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="cc1ae1fe-aaf8-4199-a89a-e0f4e93cffbe" original-width="1200" original-height="380" /]