Tottenham Rules Out Mason Greenwood Transfer Amid De Zerbi Controversy

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 in France and England, Tottenham Hotspur are not interested in signing Mason Greenwood from Olympique de Marseille, football.london understands. The club have no intention of moving for the 24-year-old forward this summer, regardless of his past connection with their new head coach.

That stance is firm. And it matters.

Greenwood links shut down

Greenwood has rebuilt his career in Ligue 1 after leaving Manchester United, emerging as a key figure at Marseille. His contract at the Orange Vélodrome runs until June 2029, and last season he played 45 times in all competitions for the French side.

Thirty-two of those appearances came under De Zerbi, who oversaw a prolific spell. With the Italian in charge, Greenwood scored 22 goals and supplied eight assists, rediscovering the cutting edge that once made him one of England’s most talked-about young forwards. In the remaining 13 games after De Zerbi’s departure, he added four more goals and three assists.

That record, and their previous working relationship, inevitably sparked speculation the pair could reunite in north London. On paper, it looked like an obvious rumour: a manager who trusts the player, a club reshaping its attack, a forward entering his prime.

Tottenham have moved quickly to distance themselves from it.

The De Zerbi context

The Greenwood question has followed De Zerbi ever since his name first appeared on Spurs’ shortlist. When he was appointed as permanent successor to Igor Tudor, just two months after leaving Marseille, the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust issued a strongly worded statement. They said his arrival “raises serious and far-reaching concerns”, a clear reference to his previous public comments about Greenwood.

De Zerbi had described Greenwood, who had charges including attempted rape and assault dropped in February 2023, as a “good guy” who had paid a “heavy price”. At the time, he said he did not want to get involved in anyone’s private life and spoke about the environment Marseille had provided for the player.

Those remarks jarred with many Tottenham fans. The debate around Greenwood’s future in football is one of the most charged in the modern game, and Spurs supporters made it clear they expected the club to reflect their values as much as their ambitions.

The Italian was appointed anyway, signing a five-year contract. The tension around his earlier comments, though, did not disappear.

De Zerbi’s apology

In his first interview with club media, De Zerbi addressed the issue head-on. He apologised for his choice of words and tried to draw a clear line on where he stands.

“I have never wanted to downplay the issue of violence against women or violence against anyone more broadly,” he said. He spoke about always standing up for those who are “more vulnerable, more fragile” and insisted he has consistently taken a stand for people “more at risk”.

He stressed that he is not a coach who compromises his principles to win more games or “an extra title”, and apologised to those he had offended. He referenced his daughter, saying that made him “very sensitive to these things and always have been”, and expressed hope that, over time, people would come to understand that he had not intended to take a stance that minimised the seriousness of the subject.

Before his first game in charge, facing reporters again, he repeated the message. He said he was “sad and sorry” if anyone had taken offence, and underlined that the topic is “very close” to him because of who he is and because he has a daughter.

“I have always been against – always – any type of violence, especially against women,” he said, adding that his opposition extends to “even just sexist jokes or other sexist behaviours”. He finished by saying he knew the type of person he is, and that he was not annoyed by the questions, only saddened by them.

A clear line in the sand

Against that backdrop, Tottenham’s decision to rule out a move for Greenwood is not just a piece of transfer news. It is a statement about the direction of the club under De Zerbi and the boundaries that will shape this new era.

Spurs are building aggressively this summer, and the early stages of the window have underlined a club trying to match an ambitious coach with a squad capable of playing his intense, front-foot football. But there are some doors they will not open.

Greenwood’s future will be decided elsewhere. De Zerbi’s will be judged in north London, on the pitch and against the standards the club and its supporters have now so publicly set.