Sporting beware: De Zerbi wants to keep Palhinha

Roberto de Zerbi, Tottenham's manager, expressed immense satisfaction with his team's performance, which secured their Premier League survival thanks to João Palhinha's goal against Everton. Speaking to the BBC, the Italian tactician highlighted the quality of his players.

"I am very happy with my players' performance. They showed they are good people and top players. We played possibly our best game since I arrived here," De Zerbi stated.

The Italian coach also took a swipe at Everton manager, David Moyes: "We played against an Everton team whose manager perhaps wanted to help keep West Ham in the Premier League, but I'm sorry he couldn't manage to do that."

De Zerbi also emphasized the importance of goal-scorer João Palhinha and his role in the team's future. The Portuguese international midfielder, it should be noted, is a key target for Sporting's midfield next season.

"João Palhinha is a great example. He's here on loan [from Bayern], but he's one of the first players to start here as we look to rebuild the squad for next season," he explained, stressing that planning for the new campaign began immediately after the match against the Toffees.

Finally, the Tottenham coach dedicated words of appreciation to the fans: "Before the game, the fans were outside the stadium and they were fantastic. We had to fight on the pitch to make them happy and proud of us. We need to show more of this spirit in the future."

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