Paul Merson thinks Tottenham could snub Pochettino and go for 43-year-old boss now

By Shamanth Jayaram

Paul Merson thinks Tottenham Hotspur will go for Roberto De Zerbi over Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager if the Brighton boss has a good end to the season.

Spurs are set to be on the lookout for yet another manager this summer. Antonio Conte‘s time in North London looks like it will come to an end, and they need someone to get the fans excited again.

Pochettino‘s name has been all over the news lately, but Merson thinks De Zerbi could be the more preferred option, depending on Brighton’s results in the next two months.

Paul Merson thinks Tottenham could snub Pochettino and go for Roberto De Zerbi

Brighton appointed De Zerbi after Chelsea lured Graham Potter away from the Amex.

The Italian has done an incredible job so far, and if things go their way in the next few weeks, they could end up finishing in the top four and perhaps even win the FA Cup.

That would make De Zerbi a contender for the Manager of the Season award, and he’ll also quickly become a target for multiple top clubs. Merson thinks Tottenham will be one of them and Daniel Levy will be watching him closely from now until the end of the season.

The pundit wrote in his article on The Daily Star: “I consider Brighton to be major players in both the FA Cup and the race for Champions League football. That’s how highly I rate the work of Roberto De Zerbi.

“Tottenham will be watching the Italian in Brighton’s final stretch of the season, there is no doubt about it.

“They will want to see how he fares under pressure. If De Zerbi delivers between now and the end of May, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him offered the Tottenham job ahead of Mauricio Pochettino.”

TBR View:

Pochettino will definitely be a contender for the Tottenham job this summer if Conte walks away.

The Argentine led Spurs to a Champions League final and a second-place finish in the Premier League. No other manager since his departure has achieved that at Tottenham, and it’s no surprise at all that fans still adore him.

However, it has to be said that De Zerbi is a really exciting manager. The 43-year-old has worked wonders at Brighton, and there’s a huge chance they’ll qualify for Europe at this rate.

We agree with Merson, it won’t be a surprise at all if Tottenham offer De Zerbi the job over Pochettino this summer.