James Maddison explains who needs a ‘lot of credit’ for Tottenham avoiding relegation

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It took them until the final day, but Tottenham Hotspur’s status as a Premier League club has been secured for another season.

Tottenham have matched an unwanted record after their 2025/26 campaign, but fans will take that over dropping down to the Championship for the first time.

Spurs’ record of never being relegated from the Premier League remains intact, and James Maddison has now highlighted how crucial Roberto De Zerbi has been to that.

Roberto De Zerbi saved Tottenham from relegation to Championship

De Zerbi arrived in North London last month and got off to a slow start, losing his first Premier League game 1-0 to Sunderland.

However, the former Brighton and Hove Albion boss then oversaw three wins, two draws and one defeat in the remainder of the run-in, which was enough to send West Ham United down on 39 points.

Now, as per the BBC, Maddison has detailed the manager’s passion and work rate since he arrived, which he thinks played a key role in the Lilywhites staying up.

He said: “He’s [De Zerbi] so passionate. He’s been living at the training ground with the guys, with his team.

“He’s there at 9pm with all his staff. They’ve got the tactics board up, there’s six of them, they’re just talking. It’s 9pm and we’ve already had four or five meetings on each game. He’s just obsessed with football.

“You feel the authenticity of someone who’s passionate for Tottenham – because I am, I love this club and I want this club to be successful so badly.

“Without that appointment, disaster could have maybe struck, but it didn’t and he takes a lot of credit for that because of the work he’s done behind the scenes and on the training pitch. I’m excited under this manager.”

Conor Gallagher’s verdict on Roberto De Zerbi

Spurs still have a long way to go to rebuild their team after finishing 17th in the Premier League two seasons in a row.

But like Maddison, Conor Gallagher has a new lease of life under Tottenham’s new manager.

The former Crystal Palace midfielder even went as far as to suggest De Zerbi saved his career.

Gallagher said: “He completely turned around the start of my Spurs career.

“From the first day or two, he had everyone under his wing. Everyone trusted him instantly. I can’t speak highly enough of him.”