De Zerbi has a “£100m future” star at Spurs alongside Vuskovic.

Tottenham Hotspur and Roberto De Zerbi’s focus over the next seven days is to avoid relegation from the Premier League in the next two games.

Spurs play Chelsea and Everton in the final two games of the top-flight campaign and battle West Ham United to avoid relegation to the Championship.

The Lilywhites have won two and drawn two in De Zerbi’s first five games in charge of the team, which shows that he has found something in the current group that is struggling under Igor Tudor and Thomas Frank.

While there is still a chance of Spurs being relegated to the Championship for the first time in the Premier League era, there will be plans and discussions taking place behind the scenes about what the future holds for North London.

De Zerbi has signed a long-term contract until the end of June 2031 and has not joined the club as a temporary appointment to guide the team into danger.

Why Spurs will be better next season

As long as they avoid relegation, Spurs will be better next season than they have been in the past two years fighting at the bottom of the Premier League.

Pundit Jay Bothroyd tipped them to finish in the top six in the 2026/27 campaign, and it’s easy to see why, as De Zerbi has never finished lower than 11th as a manager in a full season since 2018.

The Italian finished second with Marseille in the 2024/25 campaign and led Brighton to a sixth-place finish in the 2022/23 season, showing he can adapt to new clubs and new countries to achieve success.

On top of that, De Zerbi is set to welcome midfielder Luka Vuskovic back to Spurs in the summer after his loan spell with Hamburg in the Bundesliga, and the defender could play a major role in the club’s development on the pitch.

The Croatian has caught the eye of Germany’s top flight with his dominance in duels and his ability to provide a goal threat in midfield.

He made more clearances and won a higher percentage of his aerial possession than any defender in the current Spurs squad, suggesting he will improve De Zerbi’s options at the back.

A future Spurs star as exciting as Luka Vuskovic

Vuskovic, however, is not the only exciting young player in the squad whose development could play a role in Tottenham’s Premier League success next season.

Archie Gray is 20 years older than Vuskovic, and has made 80 appearances for Tottenham and 51 in the Premier League, having played 52 games for Leeds before moving to North London.

Only four players aged 20 or under have played more minutes in the Premier League this season than Spurs’ ever-changing talent, which shows just how far he is from his peers.

Scout Ben Mattinson once described him as a “future £100m” midfielder during his time at Leeds, and De Zerbi has already captured the 20-year-old’s potential in North London.

Gray has shown signs of his potential in the Premier League this season, with two goals and two assists in 23 games, but he is incredibly young and has a lot to learn, just like Vuskovic.

De Zerbi’s record suggests Spurs will push on and improve next season if they avoid relegation, and he has two future stars in Vuskovic and Gray who can play prominent roles to get the team back to where they should be.

After two seasons of learning the hard way in a difficult environment, Gray could finally blossom for Spurs as a midfielder in the middle of next season if De Zerbi can get the team firing, which is why he is as exciting as Vuskovic in North London.