Roberto De Zerbi was initially hesitant about taking the reins at Tottenham Hotspur before the end of the season, as he wanted to wait until the summer before deciding his next move. However, the North London club boss convinced him to join immediately and try to save them from relegation.

The Italian tactician has seven games to maintain Tottenham’s top-flight status, starting with a trip to Sunderland on April 12. Spurs’ idea to hand De Zerbi a bumper five-year deal is that they think he will help them avoid the drop to the Championship. There is already plenty of talk about how De Zerbi will get the best out of the existing squad that he has inherited from Igor Tudor.

The Lilywhites’ current quandary comes down to many factors, but perhaps none quite as important as their injury list. James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Dejan Kulusevski are the key players who are currently on the sidelines. However, Bentancur is edging closer to his return from injury, and it will be the boost that the new Tottenham boss so desperately needs.

Football London journalist Alasdair Gold feels Rodrigo Bentancur could perform well in De Zerbi’s possession-based system. Technically...