Roberto De Zerbi has revealed his long-term ambition at Tottenham and has reacted to claims that he took the job now because of the lucrative contract Spurs offered him.
It was initially reported that De Zerbi was only open to joining Tottenham in the summer as long as the club was still in the Premier League, but the Italian had a change of heart and decided to walk away with seven games to go.
The new Spurs boss has signed a five-year contract with no relegation break clause, which caught many by surprise.
In fact, the Italian has promised he will remain in charge of Tottenham next season even if they are relegated, although he would be hoping it does not come to that.
Roberto De Zerbi insists money had nothing to do with the Tottenham move
De Zerbi has become the Premier League’s third-highest-paid manager after Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.
Some suspected that the size and lucrativeness of the contract offered by the Spurs is what changed the Italian’s mind regarding taking over right now, but he has now completely dismissed those suggestions.
When asked about claims that he accepted the Tottneham job for the money, De Zerbi responded (via Football.London): “No, you can find the right answer in my history, because I left a lot of money in my life, and the money never changed my focus on my work.
“For me, it’s not a problem, this situation for Tottenham. You have to have a longer vision. The focus is on this season, these seven games, to keep in the Premier League, and then we will see.”
De Zerbi wants to take Spurs to the top of the Premier League table
Tottenham have dropped into the relegation zone for the first time this season ahead of De Zerbi’s first game in charge at the Stadium of Light.
The 46-year-old insisted that while staying in the Premier League is the priority at the moment, he has set his sights on eventually taking the club to the summit of the standings.
He added: “In my plan, for sure, there is the idea to stay for a long time, to try to put Tottenham, I’m not speaking about the titles because it’s not the right moment now, but to put Tottenham to stay in the first position in the Premier League because there are all parts to reach that level.”