Toby Alderweireld has said that Tottenham Hotspur need to change how they operate in one major area after coming close to relegation.
After keeping the club up on the final day of the season, Roberto De Zerbi publicly announced that Spurs need to learn from their past mistakes.
The early signs suggest that the club have taken last season as a warning shot and realise the urgency of the required rebuild, with Tottenham already having completed the signings of Marcos Senesi and Andy Roberson.
A lot more work is left to be done in what could be an extremely busy summer for the Lilywhites, and a club legend has now sent a message to the Spurs leadership.
Toby Alderweireld urges Tottenham to back Roberto De Zerbi with time and experienced players
After two 17th-placed finishes, Alderweireld believes what his former club need more than anything over the coming period is stability.
The Belgian urged the Lilywhites to sign proven top-class experience this summer and to give De Zerbi the time he needs to build the team he wants.
When asked what Tottenham need to do after coming so close to disaster last season, Alderweireld said (via Football.London): “We need stability and the next few choices are going to be crucial. Proven players, not that they are 35 or 36-years-old but proven a little bit in the Premier League, and the club needs players with desire, and they must give time.
“De Zerbi, give him time, and get the fans back on your side by playing positive football, like a team that really wants to play for the badge. That feeling, because what you can say about the fans, the fans are the club, that’s it. You have to know this and how they supported the team in the last couple of weeks of the season was unbelievable.
“You need to use that. The players need to know ‘look, this is something special, this is not normal’ and if you get this, I think everything will work out. Everyone needs to work very hard to get back in that position, because one time, two times, third time you’re out, and it’s difficult to come back again.”
Alderweireld reveals if he ever dreams of becoming Spurs manager
Alderweireld has offered his help to Spurs if they want it in any capacity, and reports indicate that the Belgian and Ben Davies are being considered for executive roles at Tottenham this summer.
However, the former Spurs centre-back clarified that coaching or managing is not something that he is considering taking up.
When asked if he is open to pursuing a managerial career, he said: “I never want to be a manager because it’s like one day you’re the best and you win games, then you get sacked and then you get all over the world.
“I want something for the long term, so I can help and build on a bigger story, not like today, tomorrow, and then the next day is different. I don’t like this.
“So if something is coming and there’s opportunities…not to be arrogant, but a lot of things came on my path, but I said ‘no, no, no’ because I really want to find something that is ‘okay that’s what I want to do’. I’m waiting a little bit for that and I think you need a year to experience other things.
“Then when you go back into football, you go in fresh and you want to go back again. Because if I do something, people that know me know I do everything 100%. It demands a lot of time and effort, but I think I’m coming a little bit more back into football.”
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