A forgotten former Tottenham Hotspur defender returned to Hotspur Way this week, and his connection with Roberto De Zerbi has come to light.Out of the seven players Spurs signed to replace Gareth Bale in 2013, the least expensive signing was Vlad Chiriches, who arrived from Steaua București for just £8.5m.The centre-back spent two years at White Hart Lane before leaving to join Napoli in 2015, and he never really managed to become a regular during his time in North London.Chiriches was often hailed for his exquisite quality on the ball and was even used as a right-back by Mauricio Pochettino in the 2014-15 season when Kyle Walker was out injured.Photo credit should read GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty ImagesVlad Chiriches meets former boss Roberto De Zerbi on Tottenham returnThe Romanian international announced his retirement from the game at the end of last season at the age of 36. He has now decided to pay his former club a visit, 11 years on from leaving Tottenham, and the defender caught up with Roberto De Zerbi.Vlad Chiriches recently earned his UEFA B License after attending the Coaching School in Coverciano. He announced: “An important first step in my journey as a coach! I am proud to have obtained the UEFA B License. Grateful for this experience, for the knowledge acquired and for everyone who was part of this process. Always ready to learn, evolve and improve. The journey has just begun.”Interestingly, it turns out that Chiriches and De Zerbi’s paths crossed, with the pair spending two years together at Sassuolo between 2019 and 2021. They also both played in the Romanian top division at the same time, Chiriches with Pandurii Târgu Jiu and De Zerbi with CFR Cluj in 2010-2012.The defender caught up with the now Tottenham head coach at Spurs’ training ground, and he wrote on Instagram: “A great week spent with one of the best managers in the game, back at a place I once called home. It was special to be back! “ View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vlad Chiriches (@vladchiriches)De Zerbi’s relationship with his former players shows he is one of the best man-managersWhile De Zerbi is most strongly associated with his brand of possession-based football and baiting the press, one can argue that his best strength is his man management.Almost every player who has worked with the Italian speaks glowingly of their relationship with the Tottenham boss. The fact that he still gives time to many of his former players such as Sandro and Chiriches shows the measure of the man and proves that he builds genuine bonds.When asked what De Zerbi could bring to Tottenham when he first joined last season, Sandro said: “We have good players. With Benevento, when I met him, we didn’t have top players, we some had ‘okay’ players and he turned them into good players. He can help with the level of our players and they will fall in love with him, no doubt.“I know football, I was at Brighton when I did my coaching internship with him and the players liked him. The players that we have will love to work with him. For me, it was a pleasure to learn from him at Brighton. I was there five months, he opened up the door for me and I was glad to have that chance – I watched every training session, every game and, wow, it was amazing.“I was his player before, his captain in Benevento and we spoke a lot about football, so to see him in the Premier League, I always liked the feeling and I wanted him to sign with Spurs, because I love Spurs. That moment is now. It’s a huge moment for us and I’m glad, because he’s the right one to suit our style. You will see in the games the passion that he has, everything he does you will understand because he really loves football.”READ MORE: James Maddison fitness update: De Zerbi doesn’t mind that he missed Tottenham trainingThe post Former Tottenham defender spotted at Hotspur Way after earning UEFA B coaching license appeared first on Spurs Web.