De Zerbi's 'ultra' roots and the Brescia connection at Spurs

What the report says

BBC Sport reports that Tottenham Hotspur’s current revival has a notable link to Brescia, the northern Italian city where manager Roberto de Zerbi and new club-record signing Sandro Tonali both developed their football identities. De Zerbi, now at Spurs, grew up supporting Brescia with his father Alfredo, a prominent figure among the club’s supporter groups, and has described himself as having been shaped by ultra culture from childhood.

The report traces De Zerbi’s connection to Stadio Mario Rigamonti, where he followed Brescia as a child, later played on loan in 2008, and first encountered coaching through youth football in the city. People who knew the family told BBC Sport and other cited sources that Alfredo’s passion for Brescia strongly influenced De Zerbi, whose ideas about loyalty, solidarity and working-class roots are presented as central to his managerial outlook.

Tonali’s role deepens the Spurs-Brescia thread. BBC Sport says the midfielder joined Brescia at age 12, debuted at 17, helped them win promotion to Serie A, and later moved to AC Milan. Tonali told the broadcaster he and De Zerbi have discussed their shared hometown club and its difficult situation.

That context matters because Brescia Calcio has been in severe financial trouble. BBC Sport reports the old club was excluded from professional football last summer and wound up by a court on Tuesday, while Union Brescia now represents the city at the same stadium. Brescia Calcio had been due about £3.5m from Tonali’s £100m Spurs transfer under Fifa solidarity rules, but the court ruling appears to have ended hopes of reviving the old entity through that payment.