Roberto De Zerbi has been appointed Tottenham's new head coach and while it sent shockwaves through the Premier League – its no more relevant than in East London where the Hammers sit just one point behind their rivals. The 46-year-old Italian, fresh from a spell at Marseille, signed a five-year deal with no relegation clause and was immediately tasked with the most urgent job in north London: keeping Spurs in the top flight for the first time since 1978.
With just seven games remaining and Tottenham sitting 17th on 30 points, the move has turned a straightforward scrap for survival into something far more unpredictable – and far more dangerous for the Hammers. Over the last couple of years as West Ham has attempted to move on from the David Moyes era, De Zerbi's name has come up several times as a manager of interest. Sources have confirmed there were conversations; however, no one knows how far those conversations actually went.
De Zerbi’s teams are built on control and attacking flair, not the gritty, low-block pragmatism usually required in a relegation dogfight. Early results at Brighton were patchy; his “horrendous” omen is that it took him several months to get his ideas across. With only seven games left, Spurs do not have that luxury.
West Ham, currently 18th and one point behind their north London neighbors, have been battling for survival all season under manager Nuno Espírito Santo. They sit above Burnley and Wolves (who are all but down), but the gap to safety is razor-thin. The clubs are not scheduled to meet again this season – West Ham already claimed a dramatic 2-1 derby win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in January – so the impact is indirect, but no less significant.
Remaining fixtures for the London rivals include:
Tottenham: Sunderland (A), Brighton (H), Wolves (A), Aston Villa (A), Leeds (H), Chelsea (A), Everton (H)
West Ham: Wolves (H), Palace (A), Everton (H), Brentford (A), Arsenal (H), Newcastle (A), Leeds (H)
If De Zerbi can organize Spurs quickly, their squad depth and home form could see them leapfrog West Ham and Forest. Conversely, if the transition is bumpy – as many predict – Spurs could drop points against teams they would normally beat, handing the Hammers breathing space. De Zerbi inherits a Spurs squad that has looked disjointed and defensively fragile. His insistence on playing out from the back and pressing high could either transform their attack or expose them further in a must-win environment.
For West Ham, the psychological boost of seeing their direct rivals in chaos has evaporated. Instead, the narrative has flipped: Spurs now have a manager with proven Premier League pedigree and a long-term vision. That £10m bonus clause means De Zerbi will fight tooth and nail – no parachute payment safety net. With Burnley and Wolves effectively cut adrift, the real fight is for 17th and 18th. Leeds (15th, 33 pts) and Nottingham Forest (around 16th) are the other main protagonists. One slip-up from West Ham in their next three winnable fixtures could be fatal – especially if De Zerbi sparks even a modest revival at Spurs.
West Ham will be watching Spurs’ next outing (at Sunderland on April 12) with a mixture of dread and quiet hope. If the Italian needs the same bedding-in period he had at Brighton, the Hammers might just steal enough points to survive. If he hits the ground running, the relegation battle could be decided by who blinks first in the final straight.