Tottenham Rejects Mason Greenwood Transfer Amid 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 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 back to the Premier League, regardless of his form in Ligue 1.
Greenwood links shut down
Greenwood, under contract at the Orange Vélodrome until June 2029, is coming off a prolific season in France. He played 45 times in all competitions for Marseille, 32 of those appearances coming while De Zerbi was still in charge.
With the Italian on the touchline, Greenwood produced 22 goals and eight assists, numbers that inevitably drew attention from England. In the remaining 13 games after De Zerbi’s departure, the former Manchester United forward added another four goals and three assists to his tally.
On the pitch, his rehabilitation has been framed around output and opportunity. Off it, the picture has been far more charged.
Greenwood had charges against him – including attempted rape and assault – dropped in February 2023. His move to Marseille, and De Zerbi’s handling of him there, has followed the Englishman into north London.
De Zerbi’s past comments and Spurs fan backlash
During his time in France, De Zerbi publicly described Greenwood as a “good guy” who had paid a “heavy price”. He stressed he did not want to get involved in Greenwood’s private life, focusing instead on the player he saw day to day.
“All I can see is that Mason seems a good lad; he paid in a strong way for what happened,” De Zerbi said at the time. He spoke of a player who had “probably here found the right environment for him, which gave him affection, and held out its hand to him,” and added that the person he knew in Marseille felt “very different to the one that has been described, especially in England.”
Those remarks did not go unnoticed when Tottenham moved to appoint him as permanent successor to Igor Tudor. The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust issued a strongly worded statement, saying his arrival “raises serious and far-reaching concerns” and underlining the strength of feeling among sections of the fanbase on issues of violence against women and the club’s stance.
Despite that backlash, Spurs pressed ahead. De Zerbi signed a five-year contract and walked into his first day in north London with both a tactical revolution and a reputational question to manage.
De Zerbi’s apology and stance
Facing club media in his first interview, De Zerbi directly addressed his previous comments.
“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.”
He was clear that footballing calculations would not override his principles.
“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,” he added. “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 theme continued when he spoke to reporters ahead of his first game in charge of Spurs. He admitted he felt “a bit sad and sorry” about the controversy, stressing again how personal the subject is to him.
“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,” he said. “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.”
A clear line in the sand
Against that backdrop, the firm stance on Greenwood is telling. Tottenham’s refusal to pursue a deal cuts through the speculation and draws a clear line between De Zerbi’s admiration for the player’s on-field qualities and the club’s wider considerations.
Spurs have moved quickly and decisively in this window, shaping a squad to match De Zerbi’s aggressive, high-tempo football. Greenwood, despite the goals and the history with the new head coach, will not be part of that project.
The new era at Tottenham will be built around De Zerbi’s ideas. Not around Mason Greenwood.
