‘My job is not to change the style of play’ – De Zerbi reacts to opening Spurs defeat
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In addition, Romero will be in a race against time to be fit for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with his Argentina side hoping to defend the title they won in 2022.
It is the first time Spurs have been in the bottom three this season, while they have still not won a Premier League game in 2026.
Romero sustains a knee injury against Sunderland
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De Zerbi took charge of his first game against Sunderland but, thanks to Nordi Mukiele’s second-half goal, Spurs were condemned to their 16th league defeat of the season as they remained two points from safety.
Spurs have had to deal with a vast number of injuries this season, with the likes of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dominic Solanke and Yves Bissouma all missing large parts of the campaign.
That has not helped their cause as they face the genuine prospect of Premier League relegation for the first time ever, and the first time being relegated from the English top-flight since the 1976/77 season under Keith Burkinshaw.
Former Brighton & Hove Albion boss De Zerbi has six more games to turn the club’s fortunes around and avoid dropping into the EFL Championship.
Next up they face the Italian’s former club at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday before travelling to bottom club Wolves.
They will conclude their season with a run of matches against Aston Villa (a), Leeds United (h), Chelsea (a) and Everton (h).