Roberto De Zerbi embraces Tottenham's ambitious Premier League target

Venkatesham's declaration attracted mockery from rival supporters, given Tottenham's struggles in recent seasons. However, De Zerbi welcomed the confidence shown by the club's leadership, insisting he was hungry to play a part in delivering such success.

The north London outfit have not lifted the English league title since 1961 and narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of last season. They have also finished 17th in the standings in each of the previous two campaigns.

"It was great to hear what Vinai said. I think the first thing for the people to stay in this club, to work in this club is to be ambitious, but to be ambitious you have to show," De Zerbi said.

"And you have to show the right mentality every day, game by game because just with the words is not enough.

"What Vinai, the Lewis family, Johan Lange, what they are doing is something special because in the last two seasons, I think you can see they are changing a lot of things in this club.

"And for me as a coach, for my staff, for the players, we have to show to the best self to stay in this club."

Tottenham currently occupy ninth place, 12 points adrift of leaders Arsenal, having gradually recovered from a disappointing opening to the season.

Despite spending heavily during the transfer window, including the recruitment of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, De Zerbi's team went without a league victory across their first six outings.

A draw away to Manchester United proved to be the starting point of their revival, with subsequent wins against Coventry, Chelsea and Crystal Palace helping them climb away from the relegation places.

They will now look to maintain their progress when they travel to face Leeds on Saturday. 

READ MORE: Thierno Barry fires Everton into fifth with Coventry double