Mason Greenwood to Tottenham transfer truth as Roberto De Zerbi stance crystal clear

Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed an excellent start to the summer transfer window as Roberto De Zerbi lays the foundations to an exciting new era.

Tottenham Hotspur are not interested in signing Mason Greenwood from Olympique de Marseille, football.london understands. The 24-year-old forward has recently been linked with a move to the Premier League, but the Lilywhites have no intention of securing his signature.

Greenwood, whose contract at the Orange Velodrome expires in June 2029, featured 45 times across all competitions for the French giants last season, with 32 of which coming when Roberto De Zerbi was still in charge. Under the Italian, he scored 22 goals and provided eight assists.

In the remaining 13 games, the Manchester United academy graduate notched a further four goals and three assists. When De Zerbi was appointed as the permanent successor to Igor Tudor, just two months after leaving Marseille, the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust stated his arrival 'raises serious and far-reaching concerns'.

The 47-year-old had previously described Greenwood, who had charges against him – which included attempted rape and assault – dropped in February 2023, as a 'good guy' who paid a 'heavy price'. At the time, De Zerbi said: "I don't want to get involved in anyone's private life.

FOLLOW OUR TOTTENHAM FB PAGE! Latest Spurs news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page

"All I can see is that Mason seems a good lad; he paid in a strong way for what happened. He has probably here found the right environment for him, which gave him affection, and held out its hand to him.

"When I look at him as a person, I feel sad for what happened in his life, without getting into the details. Because the person I know here is very different to the one that has been described, especially in England."

The fan group issued a strongly worded statement, outlining the 'strength of feeling' among supporters. The Italian was still appointed as Tottenham's new head coach, signing a five-year contract.

In his first interview with club media, De Zerbi apologised for his comments. He said: "I have never wanted to downplay the issue of violence against women or violence against anyone more broadly.

"In my life, I have always stood up for who are more vulnerable, more fragile. I have consistently fought and taken a stand to be on the side of those who are more at risk.

"Those of you who know me well will know I'm not the type of person who makes compromises to win more games or to win an extra title. I apologise to those who I offended with this subject matter.

"I have a daughter, and I'm very sensitive to these things and always have been. I hope that over time, people will get to know me better and will understand that in that moment, I didn't mean to take a stance."

Then, speaking to reporters ahead of his first game in charge of Tottenham, De Zerbi said: "I was a bit sad and sorry it happened because I'm sorry if somebody took offence.

"I must repeat what I said. This topic is very close to me. I'm very sensitive about this topic because of the person I am and because I have a daughter.

"And so I must repeat what I said the other time. I have always been against - always - any type of violence, especially against women. But not only violence, even just sexist jokes or other sexist behaviours.

"I have a daughter, and I'm directly affected by it. I know who I am. I know the type of person I am, so I wasn't annoyed by the questions - I'm just sad about them."

Click here to read article