Tottenham Hotspur's disastrous start to the 2026/27 season continued as they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Liverpool, suffering a 3-1 defeat at Anfield. Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring before Cody Gakpo doubled Liverpool's advantage early in the second half. Conor Gallagher finally ended Spurs' long goal drought against Premier League opposition, giving Roberto De Zerbi's side hope of a comeback, but Dominik Szoboszlai's spectacular stoppage-time strike sealed Liverpool's victory.
The result means Spurs have now endured another frustrating night, but while pressure on De Zerbi is understandably growing, Tottenham fans expecting a managerial change anytime soon have some bad news: the Italian is highly unlikely to be sacked in the immediate future.
Tottenham's Disastrous Start Under De Zerbi
It is difficult to argue that De Zerbi has enjoyed a positive beginning to life at Tottenham.
Spurs began their Premier League campaign with a 3-0 defeat to Brentford, before suffering another home loss against Newcastle United, going down 2-0. They then managed a goalless draw away at Nottingham Forest before producing another frustrating 0-0 draw against Everton.
That left Tottenham with just two points from their opening four Premier League games, without scoring a single league goal. Their 429-minute wait for a goal against elite opposition was finally ended by Gallagher at Anfield, although Spurs ultimately lost 3-1.
With such a disastrous start, it is understandable that some supporters are already questioning whether De Zerbi is the right man for the job.
However, there is one enormous reason why Tottenham are unlikely to pull the trigger.
De Zerbi Has a Five-Year Contract
Tottenham appointed De Zerbi on 31 March 2026, handing him a five-year contract that runs until June 2031. The club officially described the agreement as a long-term contract, while reports put his salary at around £8 million per year before bonuses, with potential earnings of approximately £12 million annually depending on performance.
That is a huge financial commitment.
Sacking a manager who still has almost five years remaining on such a lucrative contract could cost Tottenham a fortune in compensation. And the financial consequences would not end there.
Spurs have already invested heavily in building a squad specifically for De Zerbi.
Tottenham Have Invested Over £300 Million
The summer transfer window saw Tottenham spend more than £300 million on new players, with the club bringing in the likes of Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Savinho, Omar Marmoush and Mykhailo Mudryk.
That level of spending demonstrates how heavily Tottenham have backed their manager.
They did not simply appoint De Zerbi and leave him with an inherited squad. They have given him substantial resources to construct a team capable of playing his football.
Consequently, abandoning the entire project after just a handful of competitive matches would make little financial or sporting sense.
Tottenham have invested too much money, time and planning into De Zerbi's project to suddenly decide that it has failed after only a few months.
De Zerbi Isn't Going Anywhere — Yet
There is no denying that De Zerbi needs results quickly.
Tottenham's performances must improve, particularly in front of goal, and the pressure will inevitably become much greater if the poor results continue for an extended period.
However, the club's actions suggest that patience is likely to be the approach.
De Zerbi himself remains confident that the team will eventually click, insisting after the Liverpool defeat that Spurs will win plenty of games once everything comes together.
For at least the foreseeable future, therefore, Roberto De Zerbi is almost certainly staying in the Tottenham dugout.
Whether he can actually turn things around remains to be seen. But with a five-year contract, a heavily rebuilt squad and more than £300 million invested into his vision, Tottenham have every reason to give him time.
The question is no longer whether De Zerbi will be sacked tomorrow, it is whether he can finally make this expensive Tottenham project work.