Former Brighton midfielder Adam Lallana has insisted that he has "no doubt" that Roberto De Zerbi will be able to lead Tottenham to safety this season.
De Zerbi was announced as the new Spurs head coach on Thursday after Igor Tudor departed the club by mutual consent following a disastrous 44-day spell in north London.
The Italian has signed a multi-year contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a view to elevating the team back to their former heights but he must first stave off relegation with just seven Premier League games remaining.
Spurs currently sit just one point above 18th-placed West Ham, and they haven't secured a league win since the start of the year.
Despite their precarious predicament, when asked whether Spurs would be able to avoid relegation this season, Lallana - who played under De Zerbi at Brighton - insisted he is fully confident that the 46-year-old has what it takes.
"Definitely." Lallana said on talkSPORT. "Not even a doubt in my mind.
"I just think they're very, very fortunate. I'm actually slightly jealous. I was speaking to a player at Spurs who was picking my brains about him.
"I just know they're going to be in for a rollercoaster, but a great one."
- Adam Lallana on Roberto De Zerbi at Spurs
De Zerbi arrived at Brighton in September 2023 after longtime manager Graham Potter had departed the club to take over at Chelsea.
A difficult start to his time on the south coast led to questions surrounding his suitability to manage in the Premier League but Brighton rebounded impressively during the campaign and ultimately finished sixth to qualify for Europe for the first time in their history.
This time De Zerbi will need to have an immediate impact upon arrival in order to retain Spurs' top-flight status but Lallana insisted his motivational skills will be sufficient.
He continued: ""Roberto's an extremely smart man. He'll know he's not got time to play a certain way, a certain style.
"He won't be snobbish to not understand that. He knows he's got to go in there and motivate a group of men.
"Luckily for Roberto, he might not know that but he's one of the most inspirational managers and people there is, in my opinion.
"After five minutes of him speaking in our first meeting when he joined Brighton, I was on board."
De Zerbi will make his return to English football when Tottenham travel to the Stadium of Light to take on Sunderland on 12 April.
