Credit: Imago

Daniel Davis

Tue 31 March 2026 19:10, UK

West Ham United must capitalise on uncertainty at Tottenham to stay in the Premier League.

Spurs have appointed Roberto De Zerbi as their new head coach on a five-year deal, with the Italian tasked with helping them to escape the drop into the Championship.

Ahead of the top-flight’s return after the international break, the Irons are just one point behind their London rivals with seven matches remaining, and have it all to do.

But while they have a vastly inferior goal difference in comparison to De Zerbi’s side, the Hammers will still fancy their chances of upsetting the odds at the end of the season.

West Ham will first take on Leeds in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, but the appointment of Spurs’ new boss may give them a much-needed spring in their step.

West Ham can benefit from Roberto De Zerbi track record

Both West Ham and Tottenham have no margin for error, but it is the former who boasts the better stability ahead of the make-or-break run-in, courtesy of Nuno Espirito Santo’s work.

De Zerbi will have very little time to stamp his authority on a squad low on confidence, and his track record of instilling his message into his players quickly is not good.

During his last stint working in the Premier League, he got off to a very slow start at Brighton & Hove Albion following his appointment back in September 2022.

The 46-year-old took just two points from his first five matches as his tactical demands took their toll, and a repeat of that slump would surely help West Ham climb out of the drop zone.

“If I am being honest, the first couple of weeks were horrendous,” Brighton defender Lewis Dunk told The Telegraph in 2023.

“I wouldn’t say horrendous. They were baffling. The first meeting, 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.”

De Zerbi ended up with a tally of eight points from his opening seven matches at Brighton, and West Ham will now be crossing their fingers for a similar outcome in North London.

De Zerbi’s record vs West Ham

The Irons have pitted themselves against De Zerbi on three occasions in the Premier League and have a mixed record, having won one, drawn one and lost the other.

The first meeting saw West Ham thumped 4-0 by Brighton at the Amex in April 2023, but the Hammers got their own back at the same ground the following season, winning 3-1.

In February 2024, both clubs played out a drab goalless draw at the London Stadium.

While West Ham and Tottenham will not play each other before the end of this campaign, Nuno’s charges will be keeping a very keen eye indeed on their rivals’ results.