'I worked with Tottenham target Roberto De Zerbi - the first few weeks were horrendous'

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Tottenham could encounter 'carnage' if Roberto De Zerbi assumes control of the club's battle for Premier League survival. The north London outfit might be wise to consider the warnings of Brighton defender Lewis Dunk from when the Italian was still managing the Seagulls.

De Zerbi is poised to succeed Igor Tudor at Spurs following his departure. The club has entered advanced negotiations with the former Marseille manager and have tabled a substantial contract , although talks remain ongoing regarding De Zerbi's backroom staff.

Should the 46-year-old accept Tottenham's five-year proposal, he must make an immediate impact with a squad that hasn't secured a Premier League victory in 2026. However, De Zerbi's initial weeks at a new club can prove challenging, given the dramatic shift in his methods.

Speaking in 2023, Brighton player Dunk disclosed how demanding the adaptation period was when De Zerbi arrived on the south coast, following Graham Potter's departure. "If I am being honest, the first couple of weeks were horrendous..." Dunk told the Telegraph .

"I wouldn't say horrendous; they were baffling. The first meeting when he went in, I was so confused – who to look at, what to listen to, and you slowly pick up. Basically, don't listen to the manager, wait for the translator to speak, and you get there in the end.

"Training changed dramatically. We worked on a lot of different stuff and the first couple of weeks were a really hard transition.

"We were fourth in the league when Graham left and we were flying with him and it was a strange time for him to go and then Roberto came in and it was a carnage two weeks."

With merely seven fixtures left and Tottenham languishing in 17th position with West Ham trailing by a single point, De Zerbi will require a swift start at Hotspur Way. Failing to do so could spell catastrophe for the Lilywhites.

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However, if they can successfully navigate that spell, Spurs' players could benefit significantly should they experience a transformation similar to that of Dunk. "I see football in a completely different way, I picture it in a different way and that is the biggest thing," Dunk reflected on his experience.

" Football is not what I thought it was. Just how we play now. The idea of what I did before, I thought it made sense. But when you learn something completely different, you believe in it and this makes sense. You think 'why didn't I know this?' and 'why didn't I do this before?'

"The style of play, really. And when to release the ball. All our games now are about pressure, playing with opposition teams when they're pressing high and pressing low. When to pass the ball, the timing of that and the timing of movement. Before, I didn't really know about that. It's all about the finer details."

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