De Zerbi urges Tottenham to end dismal Chelsea away record
Roberto De Zerbi has rejected the idea that his history with Brighton gives him a personal edge for Tottenham’s trip to Chelsea on Saturday, but he wants Spurs to use their dismal Stamford Bridge record as fuel.
De Zerbi targets a historic away problem
Tottenham have won only one of their 33 Premier League matches away to Chelsea, a record De Zerbi believes should sharpen his squad rather than weigh them down.
He said the players have enough quality to win at Stamford Bridge and urged them to turn that negative history into greater “motivation, mentality and energy”.
- BlueCo took control of Chelsea in May 2022.
- Graham Potter left Brighton for Chelsea, with De Zerbi succeeding him in September 2022.
- During De Zerbi’s two years at Brighton, Chelsea continued to recruit heavily from the south-coast club.
- Tottenham now head to Stamford Bridge seeking only their second Premier League victory there.
Brighton recruitment leaves De Zerbi unimpressed
Chelsea have spent more than £300m on 16 players and staff from Brighton since the takeover. The most significant deal was Moisés Caicedo’s £115m move, which set a British transfer-record fee at the time.
Marc Cucurella joined Chelsea for £63m, Robert Sánchez cost £25m, while recruitment figures Paul Winstanley and Sam Jewell also moved to Stamford Bridge.
Asked about Chelsea’s repeated business with Brighton, De Zerbi made clear he did not enjoy it. He pointed to the quality Brighton had developed, naming Caicedo, João Pedro, Danny Welbeck, Facundo Buonanotte, Valentin Barco, Sánchez and Levi Colwill.
However, the Italian accepted that selling to bigger clubs is part of Brighton’s model. He said clubs sometimes have to sell to keep progressing, while players can push for a move when a larger side comes calling.
Squad picture before Saturday
Pedro Porro, Andy Robertson and Omar Marmoush are available for Tottenham’s Chelsea test.
Lucas Bergvall and Destiny Udogie are sidelined with knee injuries, while Sávio remains absent because of a muscular problem. Rodrigo Bentancur will miss out through suspension.
James Maddison is still a doubt after scoring on his first start in almost 18 months against Coventry City on Monday. Dejan Kulusevski is also being checked after making his return in that match, 526 days after his previous appearance.
Key takeaways
- De Zerbi says the Chelsea fixture carries no special personal motivation despite the Brighton links.
- Tottenham’s one win in 33 Premier League trips to Stamford Bridge is the central psychological challenge.
- Porro, Robertson and Marmoush are fit, but Bentancur is suspended and three players remain injured.
- Maddison and Kulusevski will require late fitness decisions.
