Interest is focused on the huge bonus that Roberto De Zerbi (47), who led Tottenham, which had been pushed to the brink, to survival will receive.
Tottenham, led by De Zerbi, beat Everton 1-0 in the final match of the 2025-2026 English Premier League (EPL) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on the 25th (Korea time), thanks to a winning goal by loan player João Palhinha (31).
With this victory, Tottenham secured 41 points (10 wins, 11 draws, 17 losses) and confirmed their Premier League survival, fending off the chase from West Ham United, who had 39 points.
Now it's time to be paid. In particular, De Zerbi, who successfully completed Tottenham's survival mission, is expected to receive an additional bonus. When De Zerbi joined Tottenham, he strongly demanded a long-term contract to secure tactical time while restructuring the squad.
In particular, British local media such as Goal reported that Tottenham's executives said before hiring De Zerbi they were willing to pay a massive bonus and a special signing fee if he ensured survival.
De Zerbi's survival bonus has not yet been officially confirmed. But on some social media platforms, it was estimated that the survival bonus De Zerbi included when signing a five-year contract with Tottenham could reach 5 million pounds (about 10.2 billion won).
This would be a kind of risk allowance for De Zerbi, since relegation while in charge of Tottenham could inflict a fatal blow to his reputation and future career opportunities.
If this is true, it is an enormous amount. That is because it would be comparable to the total annual salary received by the coaching staff who assisted former manager Thomas Frank (53), who was sacked during this season.
De Zerbi has led Tottenham for only seven matches. He recorded 3 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses, injecting 11 points in an emergency, but critics may say it is excessive to receive a bonus exceeding 10 billion won for just seven matches.
However, the amount is understandable if you consider the risk of Tottenham being relegated to the Championship. They could suffer losses on the order of 250 million pounds (about 510.4 billion won) due to a collapse in broadcasting rights fees and commercial rights.
OSEN=Reporter Kang Pil-joo