Mauricio Pochettino’s name is reportedly being floated as a possible Roberto De Zerbi successor, with the Italian coming under increasing scrutiny after Tottenham’s rough start to the season. Spurs sit 20th in the table without a win from their opening five matches — three losses and two draws — despite a summer outlay of more than £300 million, and the pressure is compounded by back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the previous two campaigns, with survival only confirmed on the final day last term against Everton.
De Zerbi did steer the club clear of trouble last season, but this term’s struggles have already put him under the spotlight. TEAMtalk reported this week that the club has no intention of moving on from him and remains convinced he’s the right man to turn things around, though that hasn’t stopped speculation about alternatives. Danny Murphy predicted on talkSPORT that Pochettino would be back in the Premier League before the season ends, while the Mirror’s Darren Lewis argued Spurs would be wise to bring their former boss back to north London.
Tottenham’s attacking issues go beyond the manager, too. Despite the huge summer spend, the club never added a recognised centre-forward, and De Zerbi has made clear he doesn’t see Omar Marmoush as the solution. That’s left Dominic Solanke shouldering the goalscoring burden, even as his form has drawn criticism early on. Former Spurs chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that De Zerbi is likely frustrated the club didn’t land a top-class forward, noting Solanke — while historically well regarded — wouldn’t necessarily start for many other leading Premier League sides, yet Tottenham have no better alternative to turn to.
Brown believes a striker will be high on the agenda when January arrives, though he cautioned that finding the right profile mid-season won’t be straightforward. For now, De Zerbi remains at the helm, but how results unfold over the coming weeks could shape both the club’s season and the pressure building around his position.
