Sandro urges Tottenham to back De Zerbi like Arsenal backed Arteta and warns of summer exits

Former Tottenham midfielder Sandro has urged the club to back Roberto De Zerbi with the same patience and investment Arsenal showed Mikel Arteta, warning that a failure to do so would squander a rare opportunity to rebuild — and predicting that Richarlison and Cristian Romero could both depart this summer.

De Zerbi arrived at Spurs late in the season and immediately steadied the ship, collecting 11 points from the club’s final six Premier League fixtures to secure survival at West Ham’s expense. That run preserved Tottenham’s top-flight status and protected an estimated £250 million in potential lost revenue, giving the 46-year-old Italian considerable influence over the club’s direction heading into the summer.

Sandro, who played under De Zerbi at Italian club Benevento and later did coaching work experience under him at Brighton, says the appointment signals a “massive change” in philosophy — but only if the board commits fully. “It will be a massive change, because now we have the idea of the philosophy,” Sandro said. “Football has changed, because people just want to be successful, but Tottenham have always played attacking football and we need to have someone that has the same idea.”

The Brazilian drew a direct parallel with Arsenal’s early Arteta years, when the Spaniard faced sustained criticism before sporting director Edu held firm and rebuilt the squad around his methods. “In the beginning of Arteta managing Arsenal, everybody was criticising him — ‘Arteta should leave, Arteta should leave’ — but Edu kept him,” Sandro said. “Edu said he needed to buy the players that Arteta needed, that the players in the squad were not for Arteta’s style. And look at the transition Arsenal have done.”

Sandro acknowledged that De Zerbi’s brand of football will need to be tempered for the Premier League’s demands. “You can’t be more attacking than Guardiola, it’s impossible, but it’s very clever. We need to be balanced — attacking and direct, but ready to defend when we need to.”

Despite the challenges, Sandro expressed confidence in the long-term project. “I’m telling you now, Tottenham are going to be a success in two to three years’ time,” he said. The former midfielder also indicated that Spurs will need attacking reinforcements in the summer window, with Richarlison and Romero among those he believes could leave the club.