Exclusive: ‘I wanted the Tottenham job, but I wasn’t disappointed to see De Zerbi get it instead’
Former Tottenham midfielder and assistant manager Gus Poyet has given his thoughts on whether the Lilywhites have got it right by turning to Roberto De Zerbi amidst their current crisis.
After the appointment of Igor Tudor blew up in the faces of the Tottenham hierarchy, they decided to bring forward the appointment of a permanent manager rather than pursue another interim manager.
Johan Lange has claimed that De Zerbi was always Spurs’ top managerial target, and the Lilywhites have shown faith in the Italian by handing him a five-year deal.
The Italian did not have the start he would have hoped for to his Spurs career, as his side fell to a 1-0 loss to Sunderland, and he now has just six games to prevent the ultimate disaster.
Gus Poyet reveals thoughts on being snubbed by Tottenham
After Tudor’s sacking, Gus Poyet threw his hat in the ring for the Tottenham interim job, suggesting that he can keep the Lilywhites up, given his understanding of the club and his experience in the Premier League.
However, the Uruguayan believes that Spurs have made the right call by bringing in a pedigreed coach such as De Zerbi. We asked him whether he was disappointed not to get a call from Tottenham.
Speaking exclusively to SpursWeb via BR, Poyet said: “No, no, look, I get disappointed when I see that there is something very strange that I cannot understand on the name of the new coach. I think there are too many very good coaches who are not working, and everybody wants to work. The clubs, they have their own agenda, and specifically the characteristics of the people that they want.
“With regards to Roberto De Zerbi, I’m super relaxed, I think it’s a great appointment. I think he’s a top coach who is obviously in a difficult situation. I watched Tottenham live against Arsenal and against Forest, and they are in danger. The good news is that a few players are coming back now, which they need, and I think that by winning 2/3 games, they can be saved. It’s not dramatic, but it’s dangerous.
“I don’t like it when in certain places, I say, ‘I want to go to north of Europe,’ and they say to you, ‘You don’t know the league.’ I want to know the league, I need to get in. If I don’t get in, I will never know the league, you know? And then they name someone who doesn’t know the league. So that is disappointing, but when it’s a proper appointment…[Tottenham] was not even an opportunity, because I didn’t have a chat with them.
“There are opportunities where you talk to the club, and there are offers, and at the moment, I had one proper offer. I think I’m gonna get another one in the next few days, and 100 calls, but those are not opportunities. I’m already used to getting involved in something that it looks like it’s gonna finish with an offer, and at the end, they decide to go with somebody else…it’s football.”
Poyet says De Zerbi has a big opportunity at Spurs
The new Spurs boss’ long-term deal has raised some eyebrows, but De Zerbi has guaranteed he will be Tottenham boss next season even if the club go down.
Despite the Lilywhites’ current predicament, Poyet believes that the 46-year-old has a big opportunity to build something over the long term at Spurs.
When asked if he expects the De Zerbi appointment to also end in tears for Tottenham, the 58-year-old said: “I think it’s a great appointment. I always say that you cannot give too many opinions in the beginning. You need to wait. If he saves them, it’s the right appointment. For example, Igor Tudor, very respectful coach, very strong character with football experience, working in big teams like Juventus and Marseille…when he arrived, I thought, okay, interesting, different. And then he left without winning. So clearly it was wrong.
“I mean, I’m not criticising Igor, I’m saying it didn’t work for him, like me going to Betis. It didn’t work, and I did nothing wrong. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t work. But now, in terms of the long-term, I think it’s a great opportunity for Tottenham and Roberto De Zerbi.”
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