De Zerbi: I want to immediately instill character, spirit, and courage at Tottenham; I'm no better than Frank or Tudor

Tottenham's new manager, Roberto De Zerbi, has spoken to the media for the first time. The Spurs find themselves in a dire situation, teetering on the brink of relegation, with just one point separating them from the drop zone and a winless streak stretching 13 Premier League matches. Their next challenge is a tough away fixture against Sunderland.

"I am proud and happy to be here. I must thank Vinay Venkatesham and Johan Lange (editor's note: the club's executive and sporting directors) for placing such immense trust in me. Now, we need to get to work and start earning points. I am confident in the quality of the players because, in the past, I was very close to bringing many of them to my previous teams.

I am no better than Thomas Frank or Igor Tudor; I simply try to bring my own style, myself, my character, my personality, and my strengths. The most important thing is to achieve our goal," De Zerbi began.

When asked if he was confident Tottenham would survive in the Premier League, the Italian responded: "Yes. I knew it even before I started working with them. I understood they are good people, and the fans should be pleased because all the players are good people and are suffering in this difficult situation. The mood on the pitch changes. Now, I am definitely more optimistic. Why did I come now? Because everything depends on the angle from which you view the situation. For me, this was a great opportunity because Tottenham is a very important club in the Premier League, and the Premier League is the best league in the world. I love the qualities of the players. We have many players suitable for my style, and the crucial factor was that there were 12 days until the first match, and for me, it was important to have not too much time, but more than a week. I thought it would be important to understand the problems."

De Zerbi also addressed the attacking problems and injuries, including Mohamed Kudus, who suffered a setback in his recovery: "Kudus was in my mind as a key player, especially for that position, but we have to look forward. We have many good attackers, but we need to help them and put them in the most suitable positions. I know Randal Kolo Muani isn't having a great season, but he's a good player. I know him, as well as Mathys Tel; I wanted him when I was at Marseille. Xavi Simons is a great talent, Richarlison and Dominic Solanke you know better than me, so we need to put them in the best position. Vicario isn't ready to play against Sunderland. I hope he'll be available next week. Rodrigo Bentancur is working with us, but not fully. But we have enough to fight and earn points."

"My coaching style consists of two parts: on one hand, the playing style, and on the other, character and personality. I want to bring organization both in possession and without the ball. What I want to achieve immediately is character, the right spirit, and the courage to play and attack, because the DNA of this club and team is to seek goals and score them. We have many good young players, as well as very important experienced players like Micky van de Ven. My goal is to help them play well and enjoy themselves with the ball," De Zerbi added.

"I believe it should be clear to everyone that my goal is to stay in the Premier League because I want to work in the Premier League, and I think I deserve that. But the main meaning of my work is more than just the league itself. In any case, if I sign my contract in April, I must be ready to stay, no matter what happens next season. I want to stay focused on Sunderland and the upcoming matches. The idea is to stay here for a long time, I don't know how many years. At Marseille, I had the same intention, but then you have to talk to the club, and when you have different views on football or other things, you have to leave the money and go.

I certainly don't want a player who doesn't want to stay. My contract is for five years. I want to express my opinion in the transfer market because I am a coach, but I want to see players happy to work at this club," the Italian concluded.