Bobby Zamora says R. De Zerbi should be given time at Tottenham, and he thinks January is the point when the judgement gets fairer. Spurs are bottom of the Premier League after five games, with 0 points and only 0 goals, even after spending in excess of £400million on 10 players over the summer.

Zamora's case for patience

Zamora's view is simple enough. He told teamtalk.com: "I think he will be given until January at least. By then, I think they would have kicked on, and the way he wants to play and set up, the players will have got used to it and be getting results; ultimately I think they’ll be fine."

He backed that up with a comparison to Brighton, saying De Zerbi needed five or six games to settle there before the ideas started to click. Zamora also said Tottenham's current setup gives the manager more room than he would have had under Daniel Levy.

The pressure is real, though, and some voices are already going the other way. Darren Lewis said: "And listen, I’m experienced enough to say, I don’t think he lasts a season."

Zamora is closer to the other camp. He still sees a manager whose methods need time, and Tottenham's own start does not hide the scale of the job.

Tottenham's early numbers

The cleanest argument against patience is sitting in the table. Tottenham are 20th, with 0 points and 0 Premier League goals after five games. That is the sort of start that makes every discussion feel urgent, especially after a summer in which the club backed R. De Zerbi with spending above £400million on 10 players.

There has also been confusion around the league tally, with some reporting saying Spurs had two points and two goals. The standing data used here shows 0 points and 0 goals, and that is the version that matches the pressure around the club right now.

Zamora's January marker matters because it draws a line before the usual panic takes over. If Tottenham are still stuck in this spot by then, the talk around De Zerbi changes fast. If the squad settles before that, Zamora's view starts to look a lot more reasonable.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →