Roberto De Zerbi has big ambitions at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Italian had to come in as Spurs‘ third head coach of the 2025/26 season to rescue the club, escaping relegation to the Championship by the skin of their teeth with a final day victory over Everton to condemn rivals West Ham United to the second tier instead.

And no sooner had he achieved the miracle than he set about transforming the squad he had inherited to ensure that such a situation would never happen again in the white half of north London.

De Zerbi wants more signings at Spurs

REUTERS/Hollie Adams

Six new players have arrived in N17 – Martin Dubravka, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers and Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali on big-money deals.

De Zerbi is not done there and plans on adding to his attacking talent, with the head coach announcing a deal was close earlier this week.

He said: “In the transfer market when I want one player I become like a shark, No chance to say no!

“The transfer market, it’s not finished for sure, but we completed 60% of our project in the transfer market. Now we have another bomba!”

When asked if that “bomba” deal was close, he added: “I hope, but it’s not finished for sure.”

Big changes are being made at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Lewis family have put their money where their mouths are by backing the new man in the dugout, something they vowed to do in a rare statement just hours after the club escaped relegation.

Tottenham’s poor 2025/26 campaign could adversely work in their favour when it comes to the 2026/27 season. Finishing 17th means Spurs will only have domestic football to negotiate this coming season, with no European football on the cards.

While that brings with it its own drawbacks – fringe players perhaps not getting opportunities and being forced to move on, as seen with the exits of Will Lankshear, Luka Vuskovic and Alfie Devine, it can actually prove beneficial to De Zerbi and his squad, as Manchester United proved – eventually – in 2025/26.

United had failed to qualify for European football last season, having had a similarly bad campaign to Tottenham in 2024/25, finishing just above them in the table and losing to the Lilywhites in the UEFA Europa League final.

While it did not help Ruben Amorim, who would be sacked midway through the campaign, Michael Carrick certainly benefited and really got a tune out of his United players.

Spurs can learn from what Carrick did at United

via Reuters

Going out of the domestic cups early under Amorim and with nothing else to worry about, United focused all their efforts on the Premier League and they have been the best team in the calendar year of 2026 so far, with Carrick guiding the Red Devils to a third-placed finish, picking up 41 points, one more than champions Arsenal.

Many even questioned whether they might have been able to challenge the Gunners for the title had Carrick been there for the entire campaign, so good was their form.

United have set the example for Spurs to follow at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and with De Zerbi in place for the start of the campaign, if he can follow Carrick’s example Spurs may well be well placed to be one of the surprise packages of the season.

It’s every WWE wrestler’s dream to main event WrestleMania, and some have even ended their careers at the Show of Shows.

Shawn Michaels famously retired after losing to The Undertaker in a Streak vs Career match at WrestleMania XXVI in March 2010. The Heartbreak Kid had previously retired Ric Flair two years earlier on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

The dream of headlining ‘Mania often sees wrestlers push their bodies to the limit, and if given the opportunity, they look to ensure they don’t disappoint. For one WWE legend, they headed to the biggest wrestling event battling the fear of having a heart attack.

Health Scare Put WrestleMania Main Event at Risk

At WrestleMania 19, one of WWE’s greatest rivalries ended when Stone Cold Steve Austin met The Rock one last time. After putting together two iconic matches at the same event in 1999 and 2001, the pressure was on for them to steal the show once again.

That night had proven to be Stone Cold’s last as an active wrestler, and he announced his retirement not long afterwards. He knew it was his last hurrah, having dealt with injury issues following a broken neck suffered in 1997.

There were also issues backstage as The Texas Rattlesnake took issue with creative decisions and walked out after being pitched to lose to the ‘next big thing’ Brock Lesnar. But his concerns before his showdown with The Brahma Bull stemmed from discomfort and trouble while working out in the gym a day before ‘Mania.

Stone Cold wrote in his autobiography: “Damn, I think I’m dying. I’m getting off the elevator [the] night before WrestleMania XIX and my heart’s beating so hard it feels like it’s going to crack a rib and jump out of my chest.”

The WWE Hall of Famer knew something was wrong and tried to recharge with coffee and energy drinks to get through the troubling situation. He added: “I’ve been fatigued in matches before, totally out of gas and winded, but this is scaring the hell out of me. I’m sure I’m having a heart attack.”

The situation spiralled and after leaving his hotel door open, he spoke to a colleague who alerted medical personnel. Medics raced to his room and he was taken out of the hotel in front of fans and helped into an ambulance.

One of the most celebrated trilogies was at risk of no conclusion, but Stone Cold’s health was the main priority at that point. He said: “I’m thinking, Jesus, Stone Cold against The Rock at WrestleMania in Seattle. That’s tomorrow, for crying out loud. But I don’t think I’m going to be wrestling The Rock at WrestleMania. Right now, I’m a helluva lot more concerned about just stayin’ alive.”

The Texan became one of the most popular wrestlers in history during the Attitude Era and his gimmick included beer drinking. It wasn’t alcohol he regretted at that moment, though, as he “cursed drinking all those high-energy drinks and so much coffee every day.”

He added: “I rarely drank any water. I was just such a big bundle of nerves, with my health and everything else on my mind going into this match, plus my not wanting to stink the joint out. And now it’s all just caught up to me bang!”

Former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon headed to the hospital to check on him and eventually doctors managed to improve his heart rate and condition. There was no doubt in his mind that the show should go on, saying: “I want to do business with The Rock!”

During a documentary appearance several years later, Austin was still emotional about the situation, fighting back tears as he reasoned: “If I died, what better place to go than at ‘Mania in the middle of the ring with The Rock? You can’t plan a better death than that!”

Only Three People Knew Stone Cold Was Retiring

Stone Cold’s injury problems were well-documented during the latter stages of his career as an active WWE star. Now 60 years old, he fought through the pain barrier, but he knew his time was up ahead of his third match with The Rock.

The former six-time WWE Champion ensured that his decision was kept a secret and only three employees knew. He said on The Steve Austin Show in 2019: “I remember going to the building that day, and it was just a very emotional day because if anybody said anything to me, I would damn near start crying because I knew that this was my last match. This was me riding off into the sunset.

“Nobody else knew that. The Rock did. Jim Ross did. Vince did. But I think Jim Ross probably put a little extra mustard on his commentary on this in building me up and talking about me. Maybe Lawler knew… maybe Jim had told him.”

Stone Cold and The Rock put together another classic at WrestleMania and the Texan bowed out in defeat to The People’s Champion. He’d insisted in his autobiography that, despite his health scare, he wanted “to do it right” and have The Rock beat him “in the middle of the ring.”

That didn’t prove to be his final match, though, as he made a stunning return to the ring for the first time in 19 years at WrestleMania 38. He beat Kevin Owens in a No Holds Barred match, and, while he hasn’t competed again since, speculation is growing over a possible match at next year’s Show of Shows in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

UFC CEO Dana White has responded to the recent arrest of former fighter Anthony Smith, claiming it could “happen to anybody.”

Smith was arrested this week for allegations of felony domestic violence and threatening to kill his wife. According to reports, gun shots were heard prior to the former UFC fighter turning himself over to the police. He was granted a $500,000 bond and was ordered to have no contact with his wife, and now faces up to 20 years in prison depending on potential convictions.

Smith made his UFC debut back in 2016 and fought 24 times for the promotion. He had an overall MMA record of 39 wins and 22 defeats. His most famous night in the company came when he fought Jon Jones in 2019 for the UFC light heavyweight title, but he fell short on that occasion, losing via unanimous decision.

Smith last fought in the UFC in April, where he lost to Zhang Mingyang, before competing in Gamebred Bareknuckle later that month. While not competing, he has also worked as an analyst on UFC broadcasts.

Anthony Smith’s Wife Releases Statement

On Friday, Smith’s wife addressed the situation via social media and stated: “There’s not a lot I can say right now. I love Anthony with every ounce of my being. He is a good man, a great dad, and an incredible husband who loves us endlessly. Anyone that knows him can attest to that.

Anthony Smith has yet to publicly address the situation.

Dana White Reacts to Anthony Smith’s Arrest

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers

Following this incident, Dana White was asked about the arrest while in Serbia to promote the UFC Belgrade event and said: “Well, he’s one of those guys, too, that you don’t expect to see that happen, but, personal experience, it can happen to anybody.

White has had his own marital issues, as, in 2023, a video surfaced of the UFC president dancing with his wife in a club before things escalated, with her slapping him before he retaliated with multiple strikes of his own.

This is not the only recent UFC controversy either, as former lightweight contender Dustin Poirier was arrested at an airport last month for public intoxication, and while the incident is much less severe, questions will be raised over whether the UFC should do more for their current and former fighters.