Dugarry Blasts De Zerbi's Tottenham Contract

Christophe Dugarry has questioned whether Roberto De Zerbi is the right man for Tottenham, and gone further still on the size of the contract handed to him.

The former Milan, Barcelona and Marseille Forward made the remarks to RMC Sport, as reported by Alfredo Pedullà.

"I have never really understood what his level actually is," Dugarry said. "They tell me he did well at Brighton, Sassuolo and other clubs, but for me he is still not an absolute guarantee for coaching the big teams."

He then turned to the length of the deal itself.

"He signed a five-year contract. What he has done is a genuine robbery, without even needing to wear a mask. It is incredible."

The timing does De Zerbi no favours. Tottenham have taken two points from four Premier League matches and are yet to score, a run now stretching beyond 400 minutes, with back-to-back goalless draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton. The Everton game ended with the home crowd booing the players off at full-time.

That record sits awkwardly against a summer outlay of roughly €350m, which is the real source of the scrutiny Rather than the contract's length.

Four games without a league goal buys very little patience anywhere, and Tottenham have changed manager more often than most clubs of their size.