LONDON — Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison on Tuesday praised Roberto De Zerbi as the type of attacking coach that suited his game and said he was “excited” by what lay ahead.
Italy’s De Zerbi took over from sacked interim boss Igor Tudor in March when Tottenham were winless in the Premier League in 2026.
He steered them to 17th place and survival with a tense 1-0 win over Everton on the last day of the season and has begun building a new squad with an aggressive summer of spending.
England international Maddison, who missed the majority of last season with a serious knee injury, said in Sydney he was pumped up for the next chapter.
“The manager is very clear, the goal is to be better, to play better football, to be passionate, to be proud to play for this club,” said Maddison, who is reportedly set to be named Spurs’ new captain.
“I’m still learning the way he plays. But as a player, he’s a coach you want to play for because he loves everything with the ball. He’s very attacking, and I’m really excited,” Maddison added according to AFP.
The club opened their pre-season tour with an entertaining 2-0 win over A-League champions Auckland FC in New Zealand on Sunday with goals from Dane Scarlett and Richarlison.
They will face Sydney FC on Wednesday then meet London rivals Chelsea in Sydney three days later.
“First game of the season, Brentford. It’s a big season for us under a new manager. We want to have a successful season,” added Maddison of their opening Premier League game on 22 August.
“We need to be better than the last couple of seasons. So, it’s kind of all just preparation leading to that first game.
“We’re just stepping up what we’ve been working on and creating the team, how we want to play and the style we want to play.”
De Zerbi’s big-money signings so far include midfielders Mateus Fernandes from West Ham and Sandro Tonali from Newcastle. He also raided his old club Brighton for centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke.
Full-back Andy Robertson, centre-back Marcos Senesi and goalkeeper Martin Dubravka have all arrived on free transfers as the squad takes on a new look.
