{"id":237394,"date":"2026-04-08T05:15:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T05:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/08\/de-zerbi-will-love-him-the-new-klinsmann-could-fire-spurs-to-safety\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T05:15:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T05:15:12","slug":"de-zerbi-will-love-him-the-new-klinsmann-could-fire-spurs-to-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/08\/de-zerbi-will-love-him-the-new-klinsmann-could-fire-spurs-to-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"De Zerbi will love him: The new Klinsmann could fire Spurs to safety"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

It’s getting a little desperate at Tottenham Hotspur<\/a>, with even Roberto De Zerbi<\/a>‘s newly signed five-year deal unable to shake the fact that for all the talk of long-term plans, the Lilywhites have just seven games left to save their season.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Languishing just a point above the Premier League<\/a> drop zone, there are certainly echoes of the club’s dismal 1997\/98 campaign, which so nearly ended in relegation.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

1997\/98 – After 31 Games<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

\n

Position<\/p>\n<\/th>\n

\n

Points<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

13 – Wimbledon<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

37<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

14 – Newcastle<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

37<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

15 – Sheff Weds<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

37<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

16 – Spurs<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

34<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

17 – Everton<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

33<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

18 – Barnsley<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

31<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

19 – Bolton<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

30<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

20 – Palace<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

24<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

David Ginola was the marquee, Mohammed Kudus-style signing of that summer. Darren Anderton and Les Ferdinand, the notable injury absentees for the majority of the campaign, very much in the mould of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.<\/p>\n

A stellar squad on paper ultimately survived by a whisker that time around, with a similarly expensively assembled group again in danger of what would be an unthinkable drop into the second tier.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

That 1997\/98 season did boast a certain Jurgen Klinsmann to bail them out of trouble, but who will be De Zerbi’s saviour in the present day?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n When Klinsmann saved Spurs from relegation<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n

In an era when foreign imports were few and far between, that man Klinsmann was one of the Premier League’s first true foreign superstars, hitting 29 goals in all competitions during the 1994\/95 campaign, 20 of which came in the top-flight.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"jurgen-klinsmann-teddy-sheringham-tottenham-hotspur-academy-troy-parrott-dane-scarlett-postecoglou\"\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The talismanic German swiftly assumed hero status in north London, although following a dispute with then-owner Alan Sugar, his bags were packed that summer, returning to his homeland to join Bayern Munich.<\/p>\n

That looked to be the end of the story as far as his Spurs relationship was concerned, although desperate times called for desperate measures just over two years later, with Sugar putting past grievances behind him to bring Klinsmann back into the fold on a short-term deal in December 1997.<\/p>\n

To say the striker’s impact upon his return was immediate wouldn’t be quite correct, however, with the on-loan Sampdoria man netting just three goals heading into the final three league games of the campaign.<\/p>\n

By the end of May, he had scored nine times, however, proving particularly vital on that<\/em> outing away at Wimbledon, hitting four as Spurs came from behind to win 6-2 in the penultimate fixture of the season.<\/p>\n

With relegation rivals Bolton Wanderers having won that same day, a victory was essential, as the Lilywhites ultimately went on to finish 14th, and four points from safety.<\/p>\n

De Zerbi and co are facing similar knife-edge circumstances heading into this weekend’s trip to Sunderland, with a new Klinsmann-esque figure needing to emerge.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n Spurs’ new Klinsmann could be De Zerbi’s saviour<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n

Oh how a return for say Harry Kane would go down nicely at N17, but alas, De Zerbi will have to look internally to find his goalscoring solution, as the season approaches his final stretch.<\/p>\n

\n\"Tottenham\n <\/picture>\n

\n
\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\tDe Zerbi can bin Solanke by unleashing Spurs teenager who’s the new Kane
\n\t\t<\/a>
\n\t<\/h5>\n

Roberto De Zerbi could unearth his own version of Harry Kane by benching Dominic Solanke for this starlet.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

With Randal Kolo Muani scoring just one league goal all season, and Richarlison netting just 25 times across his four top-flight campaigns at Spurs, it might well fall to Dominic Solanke<\/a> to be this team’s saviour.<\/p>\n

Now, the Englishman has himself been a real disappointment since his club-record switch<\/a> from Bournemouth in 2024, with injury restricting him to 62 appearances since then, only 17 of which have come this season.<\/p>\n

That being said, even amid that limited involvement, the 28-year-old has still scored six times from just 939 minutes of action in 2025\/26, memorably scoring twice in his side’s comeback draw with Manchester City under Thomas Frank.<\/p>\n

His scorpion kick that day was an indicator of the type of quality that Solanke can possess when fit and firing, highlighting why Teddy Sheringham<\/a> previously likened his signing to that of Klinsmann’s addition of the past.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

\u201cThe signing of Solanke is a bit like when the club signed Jurgen Klinsmann to replace me. It was a big one, and I hope that it gives everyone a massive lift at the football club.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

A succession of managers have not seen that finishing prowess consistently enough over the last two years or so, but with it all coming down to just a seven-game run, De Zerbi will no doubt be pinning hopes on the former Cherries man.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Solanke\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Indeed, this is a player who has at least proven himself at Premier League level after netting 19 goals in his final campaign on the south coast.<\/p>\n

He very much fits the mould of the Joao Pedro-style striker that De Zerbi has worked with previously, acting as a real physical focal point, but also with the mobility and ability to drop deep and influence play.<\/p>\n

Solanke might not quite be Kane, but with eight assists in a Spurs shirt to date, he can be that link man through the middle, the attacking spearhead of the Italian’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.<\/p>\n

Of course, he hasn’t shown as yet that he can be relied upon across a full season, but across seven games, the ex-Chelsea and Liverpool man could be the difference-maker.<\/p>\n

\n
\n \"Dom-Solanke-Spurs\"\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Spurs need a hero, need a Klinsmann to beat the drop. Can Solanke be the man?<\/p>\n

\n\"dominic\n <\/picture>\n

\n
\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\tDe Zerbi already driving move to sign \u00a344m Solanke upgrade for Spurs
\n\t\t<\/a>
\n\t<\/h5>\n

Roberto De Zerbi has already identified the striker that he wants to sign for Tottenham Hotspur this summer.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s getting a little desperate at Tottenham Hotspur, with even Roberto De Zerbi‘s newly signed five-year deal unable to shake the fact that for all the talk of long-term plans, the Lilywhites have just seven games left to save their season. Languishing just a point above the Premier League drop zone, there are certainly echoes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":237395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6808],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-237394","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}