Tottenham Hotspur turned to Roberto De Zerbi in March 2026 to rescue them from an unthinkable relegation from the Premier League.The Tottenham hierarchy saw De Zerbi as their man for the long-term having replaced interim boss Igor Tudor. He signed a five-year contract, worth a reported £12 million a year, with allegedly no relegation clause.Ultimately, three wins from his first seven games in charge, along with two draws, was enough to pip West Ham United to survival.Here, we take a look at the unfulfilled promise of his playing career, through to his increasingly impressive time as a coach, plus his style of play and how he likes to coach.Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / InstagramThe ‘little genius’: Roberto De Zerbi’s playing career explainedAn attacking midfielder, De Zerbi joined his neighbourhood team, Mompiano, as a boy where he caught the eye of scouts from AC Milan.At the Rossoneri, he earned the nickname, “little genius”. He was tipped to go onto big things.Instead, he was loaned out to multiple Serie C clubs (Monza, Padova – twice, Como, Avellino and Lecco). He left AC Milan without ever making an appearance for them.His next move was Foggia and that proved a crucial one for the next chunk of his career.Playing under Pasquale Marino, they achieved promotion to Serie C1. Marino moved to Arezzo and De Zerbi followed for the 2004-05 season.He then once again followed his coach to Catania for 2005-06, where they won promotion to Serie A for the first time in 23 years.De Zerbi’s next move was Napoli. This was not the Napoli known today. Instead, they were in Serie B, on the way back up the divisions having been declared bankrupt in 2004 and having to start over.Coming up against Juventus, who had been relegated owed to the infamous Calciopoli, where referee appointments and actions were manipulated, Napoli finished second.First-team opportunities were hard to come by in Serie A. That saw more loan adventures. This time to hometown club, Brescia, as well as Avellino.Leaving Napoli permanently, De Zerbi went abroad for the first time to play for CFR Cluj, before returning home to end his playing career with Trento in Serie D.The curtain came down on De Zerbi, the player with 299 games and 60 goals to his name. But the story was just starting for De Zerbi, the coach.Into Europe and beyond: Roberto De Zerbi’s coaching career from Italy to TottenhamObtaining a UEFA B coaching license, De Zerbi’s first gig was with Darfo Boario, however, they were relegated from Serie D.He started to make his mark in his next move, when rejoining Foggia in 2014. At the club where he made his breakthrough as a player, he led them to the play-offs, only to lose in the final in the 2015-16 season. He left a few months later in August, though wasn’t out of work for long.After Palermo had sacked Davide Ballardini, they turned to De Zerbi. It was his first taste of Serie A as a coach. It was also wildly unsuccessful. They won just one game in 13. He was out of work again by November.A fresh opportunity followed at Benevento the year after, who were smarting after losing their opening nine league games in Serie A. De Zerbi oversaw a hugely impressive style of play, winning much praise. It was not enough, however, to save them from the drop.Where most fans may have begun to heard his name as a coach, however, is his time with Sassuolo from 2018. hearAfter narrowly missing out on European qualification in 2021, De Zerbi decided it was time for a change.That led him overseas for the first time, to a short-lived spell with Shakhtar Donetsk.They were still on course for the title at the time of the league’s suspension following Russia’s invasion.Taking a little time to plot his next move, he made his Premier League bow with Brighton. Replacing Graham Potter, he led them to European football for the first time.A mutual termination followed the season after, following a less successful campaign.Before joining Tottenham Hotspur, his most recent role was with Marseille in France, where, once again, he enjoyed a very successful first season. They finished second, behind PSG.Once more, though, the second was a little trickier, leading to a parting of the ways in February 2026.Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / InstagramThe best football in the world? Roberto De Zerbi’s style of play explainedDe Zerbi favours attacking football. There’s a fluidity in his approach to formations. He’s used 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3. At Marseille, a back three increasingly factored into his thinking.The aim is to set traps and bait the press. The goalkeeper steps up as an additional outfield player. Centre-backs bring the ball out. Midfielders drop deep. Wingers stay wide.Once the opposing team takes the bait, it’s go time. With spaces opened up, his teams attack with pace and purpose. It’s progressive and attractive to watch.It earned him rave reviews across the Premier League during his time with Brighton.Pep Guardiola remarked that he was “changing many things in the English football. He’s producing wonderful football”.Wolves coach, Julien Lopetegui claimed Brighton were playing some of the best football in the world – right before De Zerbi’s team demolished them 6-0.Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, called Brighton a “joy to watch”.De Zerbi himself has been more modest, attributing his style to learning from the likes of Guardiola and Marcelo Bielsa. He was also eager to push the praise onto his players.Prepare for passion at Tottenham: Roberto De Zerbi’s personalityThe best way to describe Roberto De Zerbi on the touchline is passionate.That manifests in both good and bad ways: full-time scenes like Tottenham saw when sealing survival in his first season, that’s good.Two red cards in the space of three months? Not so good. That’s exactly what happened in his first season in charge with Brighton, though. The second came against Tottenham.He lives every kick of the football, though, and carries that passion into his coaching.Sticking to his principles, De Zerbi demands high standards from his players. That is especially the case in training.Despite this, he still does forge good relationships with his players. He has a track record of being hands-on as a coach.He considers staying true to himself the most important thing – as a manager and in his life.“I believe in this value; I want to be always clear and honest. I want to be myself in every situation; when we win, when we lose, when we are in a good time, when we are in a bad time,” he said, while at Brighton.Roberto De Zerbi’s personal information and family lifeRoberto De Zerbi was born on 6 June 1979 in Brescia, Italy. Standing 1.75m tall, he is married to Elisa and has two children. He did joke once, though, that his wife said he puts more effort into courting transfer targets than he ever did her.The post Who is Roberto De Zerbi? The story behind Tottenham’s head coach, once known as ‘little genius’ appeared first on Spurs Web.