Tottenham have already handed Roberto De Zerbi a lofty summer transfer task

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With relegation a distinct possibility for Tottenham Hotspur, the club has now handed Roberto De Zerbi a significant off-field task amid the risk of losing key players.

Tottenham Hotspur find themselves in a precarious position this season, with relegation a very real possibility as they now sit firmly in the bottom three.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
16	Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest	32	8	9	15	32	44	-12	33
17	West HamWest Ham	32	8	8	16	40	57	-17	32
18	TottenhamTottenham	32	7	9	16	40	51	-11	30
19	BurnleyBurnley	32	4	8	20	33	63	-30	20
20	WolvesWolves	32	3	8	21	24	58	-34	17

Should the Lilywhites drop down to the Championship, a mass exodus of key players is highly likely, with several already being linked with moves to clubs across Europe and the Premier League.

Cristian Romero has been linked with Atletico Madrid, Micky van de Ven is on the radar of Liverpool, while Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall are wanted by sides in the Premier League.

Tottenham face player exit fears as Roberto De Zerbi tasked with keeping Cristian Romero

Football Insider report that Tottenham are hoping new boss Roberto De Zerbi will be able to convince their star players to remain in north London as they aim to rebuild again this summer.

It is explained that this is one of the tasks being given to him as Tottenham manager, with the club not wanting to risk losing their core spine ahead of next season.

Reporting on the situation, Pete O’Rourke outlined Tottenham’s concerns over potential departures and how much will depend on De Zerbi’s ability to persuade players to stay.

He said: “With Tottenham at the moment, you just do not know what they are going to be able to do. Obviously, bringing in Roberto De Zerbi, they will see if he can help persuade maybe some players who have been considering their futures to stay at the club.

“A lot of them will have their eyes on moves away to play at the highest level in the Champions League and I am sure there will be clubs circling.

“Tottenham hope the manager can sell the long-term vision and convince them to be part of his plans, but a lot will depend on whether they are still in the Premier League.”

Spurs face crucial run as De Zerbi looks to secure survival

Tottenham started their relegation fight under Roberto De Zerbi with a bitter defeat against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, which handed West Ham the chance to leapfrog them into 17th.

Ironically, De Zerbi’s first home game in charge of Spurs comes against his old club Brighton and Hove Albion next weekend, before the Lilywhites take on bottom-of-the-table Wolves.

If Spurs have any hope of remaining in the Premier League come the summer, those ‘better performances’ will have to translate into at least two or three wins from the next six games.

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