Tottenham's Transfer Stance on Mason Greenwood Under De Zerbi

Tottenham’s new era under Roberto De Zerbi is gathering pace in the transfer market – but one name will not be part of it.

Despite fresh links from France and England, Tottenham Hotspur are not pursuing a move for Mason Greenwood from Olympique de Marseille, football.london understands. The club have no intention of bringing the 24-year-old forward back to the Premier League in their colours.

That stance is significant. Greenwood’s form in France has inevitably drawn attention. His contract at the Orange Velodrome runs until June 2029, and last season he played 45 times in all competitions for Marseille. Thirty-two of those appearances came under De Zerbi, before the Italian left the club.

The numbers under his new Spurs head coach are striking: 22 goals and eight assists with De Zerbi in the dugout. In the remaining 13 matches after his departure, Greenwood added another four goals and three assists, underlining a productive campaign in Ligue 1 and Europe.

On football terms alone, it is the profile many Premier League clubs spend all summer chasing: a versatile, goalscoring forward in his mid-twenties, tied down long-term but open to the right project. The links to north London were inevitable.

But Tottenham’s position is clear. The club will not move for Greenwood.

That clarity comes against a charged backdrop. When De Zerbi was confirmed as the permanent successor to Igor Tudor at Spurs, just two months after leaving Marseille, the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust publicly voiced its concerns over his previous comments about Greenwood. The fan group said his arrival “raises serious and far-reaching concerns”, a rare and pointed intervention on a managerial appointment.

Greenwood, a Manchester United academy graduate, had charges against him – including attempted rape and assault – dropped in February 2023. During his time in France, De Zerbi had described him as a “good guy” who had paid a “heavy price”.

“I don't want to get involved in anyone's private life,” De Zerbi said at the time. “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.”

Those words travelled quickly. By the time Tottenham moved for De Zerbi, the issue was no longer just about tactics, pressing triggers or his record at Brighton and Marseille. It was about values, reputation and the direction of the club under new leadership.

Spurs pressed ahead regardless, handing the 47-year-old a five-year contract. But De Zerbi walked into the job knowing he had to address the subject head-on.

In his first interview with the club’s media, he delivered a detailed apology for the way his comments had been received.

“I have never wanted to downplay the issue of violence against women or violence against anyone more broadly,” he said. “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.”

The questions did not stop there. Ahead of his first game in charge of Tottenham, De Zerbi was pressed again in front of the wider media. He did not try to brush it away.

“I was a bit sad and sorry it happened because I'm sorry if somebody took offence,” he said. “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.”

All of that forms the context to Tottenham’s current transfer stance. De Zerbi’s admiration for Greenwood as a footballer is on record, and the player’s output under him in Marseille backs it up. Yet as Spurs build around their new head coach, the club have chosen a different path.

The early weeks of the window have already shown an appetite to reshape the squad and sharpen the edges of a team that wants to compete at the top end of the Premier League. But on Greenwood, the door is closed.

The message is as much about who Tottenham want to be off the pitch as what they hope to become on it.