After a wave of speculation, Roberto De Zerbi has been officially appointed as the new manager of Tottenham Hotspur, and he is already laying the groundwork for his reign.
His primary objective is unequivocal: ensure Spurs remain in the Premier League.
At this stage of the season, with only seven matches remaining and 21 points up for grabs, nothing else carries weight. It doesn’t matter who he selects for the matches, his preferred tactics, or even the style of play—simply staying afloat in the league is the top priority.
Results are paramount until the season’s end
For now, the attacking flair associated with De Zerbi’s management can take a back seat. There’s no benefit in playing aggressively if it results in continued failure to clinch the vital three points.
With team morale at an all-time low and a troubling record of not having won a Premier League game in 2026, De Zerbi faces a significant challenge as he takes the helm at age 46.
His first match, against Brighton—his former club—will carry extra weight, especially as it marks his debut at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, before this, he must first navigate an away fixture against Sunderland.
Following the Brighton match, De Zerbi will face Wolves, Aston Villa, Leeds, Chelsea, and Everton. Spurs supporters will be eager to see their team secure safety long before they line up against the Toffees.
Looking ahead, De Zerbi appears to be planning for the future, with strong speculation surrounding a move for 28-year-old Juventus midfielder and Italian international, Manuel Locatelli.
According to Italian media sources, before De Zerbi signed a five-year contract with the North London club, he actively identified key transfer targets, including Locatelli, who still has a contract with Juventus until 2028.
In the ongoing 2025/26 season, Locatelli has been a prominent figure, starting 35 out of 37 matches and logging a total of 2,930 minutes, ranking him fifth in terms of playing time within the Juventus squad.
Exceptional all-round capabilities
While his pass accuracy of 88.9% may not be the highest, it is notable that Locatelli leads his team with the most total passes (2,628) and completed passes (2,323). His tally of 1,046 forward passes far surpasses that of his teammates, being at least 250 ahead of the next highest.
In one-on-one confrontations, only Kenan Yildiz’s 387 duels surpass Locatelli’s total of 318. Although his success rate of 60.4% in these situations trails behind Joao Mario’s 63.8% and Daniele Rugani’s 63.6%, both of these players have participated in far fewer duels, making it difficult to draw a direct comparison.
His impressive tally of 174 ball recoveries ranks only behind Michele di Gregorio’s 178, Pierre Kalulu’s 179, and Lloyd Kelly’s 183.
Given Locatelli’s all-around game, it’s clear why De Zerbi is keen to bring such a player to North London.
How does Locatelli stack up against Barella and Modric?
But how does he measure up against other standout midfielders in Serie A, like Nicolo Barella of Internazionale and Luka Modric from AC Milan?
Like Locatelli, Barella has been a regular fixture this season, starting 32 of 36 matches and accumulating 2,684 minutes on the pitch, placing him fourth among Inter’s players for total minutes.
Barella has achieved 1,805 total passes, the third-best in the squad, which is noticeably less than Locatelli’s figures. His pass completion rate of 85.5% is acceptable but not outstanding. Furthermore, Barella’s total of 273 duels, with a success rate of 51.3%, falls short of Locatelli’s standards. However, when it comes to ball recoveries, neither of Inter’s outfield players can measure up to Barella’s 174 recoveries, which matches Locatelli’s figure.
Despite Modric approaching 41 in September, he remains a crucial player for his team, taking part in the fourth highest number of one-on-ones (175) within the squad. His success rate of 54.9% is better than Barella’s but still not as high as Locatelli’s. The Croatian’s total ball recoveries stand at 173, just one fewer than his two compatriots.
Modric also displays remarkable longevity, having played 30 matches this season, a tally equalled only by goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who has started all of his. Luka has begun 28 games, just one shy of the outfield players with the most starts (Alexis Saelemaekers).
As might be expected, Modric’s 1,957 passes are the highest within the Milan squad, standing almost 500 passes ahead of the next best player, Strahinja Pavlovic (1,476).
His completion rate of 90.8% is commendable, with only Koni De Winter (91.6%) and Ardon Jashari (93.2%) scoring higher, albeit with a significantly lower volume of total passes.
Can Tottenham secure his signature?
When compared directly, Locatelli often outshines other top talents from Serie A; however, a potential hurdle for De Zerbi may lie in whether the Tottenham board will back his vision with the necessary financial resources.
Top-tier players usually command high transfer fees, and as recently highlighted by Ange Postecoglou, the club has historically shied away from pursuing the globe’s elite football talent for precisely that reason.
The key question remains: if the Italian manager successfully takes the club away from the relegation zone, can the board afford to hesitate once more?
Compiled by SportArena.au
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