Italian De Zerbi wins first ever Premier League Manager of the Month Award at Tottenham

Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi has been named Premier League Manager of the Month for the first time after steering Tottenham Hotspur to three consecutive victories.

The achievement might’ve seemed unlikely following a dismal start to the season that saw them fail to win any of the opening six rounds, scraping three draws and as many defeats.

However, things picked up considerably in October with a string of successes against Coventry City, away to Chelsea, and hosting Crystal Palace.

It proved enough to secure the Italian his Premier League Manager of the Month award, which was presented at Tottenham’s training ground today.

“I am happy, I want to say thanks to my players, to my club, because it’s not my credit, but when you are a coach, you work with many people and it’s right to say thank you,” De Zerbi told the official Tottenham Hotspur website.

“The first five games in this season were not good enough, but from the Manchester United game, we changed everything, the quality of the play, quality of the performance, and for this reaction I am very proud.”

De Zerbi cited the 2-0 victory away to Chelsea as the best performance of the campaign so far, although he admired the “character” of the side to earn a 1-1 draw away to Manchester United when down to 10 men.

Italy international Sandro Tonali provided the assist for Dominik Solanke’s header in added time at Old Trafford.

“I am happy because we have a great squad, great players, and we can improve a lot,” he added.

De Zerbi had never won the Premier League Manager of the Month Award, even in his previous role at Brighton and Hove Albion, and becomes the first Tottenham coach to do so since Ange Postecoglou in 2023.