Roberto De Zerbi has confessed that he has grown to love one senior Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, who has played a much more prominent role so far this season than many may have expected.
The biggest conundrum for the Spurs boss in the first month of the campaign has been regarding the number 10 role.
James Maddison is still working his way up to full fitness, while Dejan Kulusevski and Xavi Simons remain unavailable due to injury.
| Injured player | Injury | Potential Return |
| Wilson Odobert | Knee | November 2026 |
| Xavi Simons | Knee | 2027 |
| Mykhailo Mudryk | Ankle | November 2026 |
| Dejan Kulusevski | Fitness | Unknown |
| Pedro Porro | Hamstring | Unknown |
The Tottenham boss has used Mateus Fernandes in the number 10 role on several occasions this season, but the Portuguese star is yet to set the world alight in the advanced role.
Roberto De Zerbi admits he is a big fan of Tottenham’s Conor Gallagher
Conor Gallagher has been getting plenty of game time over recent weeks due to Spurs’ injury issues, and the Tottenham boss admitted that he is a big fan of the former Chelsea man.
He insisted that the England international can always be relied upon to run and fight, praising the midfielder’s mentality.
De Zerbi told Football.London about Gallagher: “Even if he doesn’t play every game, I love him. He’s generous, he’s a smart player, he has the right mentality.
“Then there are other things in football, the characteristics. You have to understand before the game – because after the game it’s easier – what is the best characteristic you need for that game. When Conor has not played, it’s because I needed different characteristics just for that.”
When asked if Gallagher is underrated, the Italian said: “For me, no, he’s not underrated. Maybe for other coaches or other people. For me, no. I think when I came last season, Conor didn’t play until my arrival. When I came, he played every game. We had less competition in the squad. But I love him. He’s my player. I know he’s a reliable player. When I call him, he’s always ready to fight, to run.”
De Zerbi is delighted to have Sandro Tonali at Spurs
The most expensive of Tottenham’s 10 summer signings, Sandro Tonali, has been coming under a lot of criticism in the early weeks of the season.
However, De Zerbi insisted that the Italy international is working hard and is confident that we will see the best of him once he gets used to the new environment.
When asked about the club’s record signing, the Spurs boss said: “He’s a good guy, he’s working very hard and I’m happy to have Sandro. We are lucky to have Sandro with us. The adaptation has been not so fast but it can happen, also in Milan in the first season, ok he was younger, but it is not so easy to change city, to change everything for the players. Sometimes the adaptation is immediate, sometimes you need more time. I think also Tonali against Everton played well.
“He can play in both situations [as a six or eight] because his physical characteristics are to play box-to-box but he started his career as a playmaker. He’s good enough with the ball, he’s good enough without the ball. He’s a complete midfielder, like Bergvall, like Mateus Fernandes. They are very close, not as characteristics, but these three players all have characteristics of the modern midfielder.”