Tottenham narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League last season and only secured their top flight status with a win over Everton on the final day. Roberto De Zerbi took charge with seven games left and somehow kept Spurs up, and this summer’s spending has already got fans checking Premier League odds before a ball has even been kicked.
That scare has clearly shaped how the club have gone about their business since the season ended, and the delayed start to the new campaign, pushed back to August 22 to accommodate the World Cup, has given De Zerbi extra time to bed in his new arrivals.
Tottenham have spent close to £237m since the transfer window opened, more than any other Premier League club, and the incoming list covers almost every position on the pitch. The updated squad has left fans loudly confident, or maybe slightly delusional, that Spurs will secure a top-four finish, with many over-ambitious fans predicting a Premier League title win.
In this article, we look at how De Zerbi has reshaped his squad position by position, and whether the optimism around Tottenham this summer is justified given what came before.
A midfield overhaul
Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes were signed to fix a problem that crippled Spurs last season, when James Maddison’s anterior cruciate ligament injury left the midfield short of control and creativity for most of the campaign.
Tonali, signed from Newcastle for £100 million, brings composure and passing range from his time at Newcastle United, while Fernandes was one of West Ham United’s more productive performers despite their relegation. Between them, Spurs have committed £185m to two players who are both still in their twenties.
Familiar faces at the back
Jan Paul van Hecke followed De Zerbi from Brighton and Hove Albion in a £52m deal, giving the manager a centre back who already understands his methods from their time together on the south coast. He also arrives already familiar with Micky van de Ven, having lined up alongside him for the Netherlands at this summer’s World Cup, including a start together in a 5-1 win over Sweden.
Marcos Senesi arrived on a free transfer after four seasons with Bournemouth, where he made 128 appearances across all competitions. Both defenders add Premier League experience to a backline that lost captain Cristian Romero to an injury that ended his season last term.
Value on free transfers
Martin Dubravka joined from Burnley to provide senior goalkeeping cover, with Guglielmo Vicario expected to leave this summer, much to the delight of many supporters who had to endure him concede 50 goals across the season.
Scotland captain Andy Robertson’s arrival from Liverpool gives Spurs a left back with Premier League and Champions League winning experience, all without a transfer fee attached. After close to a decade at Anfield, Robertson lost his place to Milos Kerkez before making the move to north London in search of regular football ahead of the World Cup. Neither deal cost Tottenham a transfer fee, yet both bring a level of experience the squad badly lacked during last season’s injury crisis.
Loud confidence, or getting ahead of themselves
Spurs’ football odds for a top four finish have shortened since the business was completed, but a club still waiting on its first league title since 1961 has promised big things before.
De Zerbi has at least stopped Tottenham’s rebuild reading as chaos. Pre-season form should tell the club plenty about whether this summer’s spending translates into results that match it, and whether the confidence around the club right now turns out to be well-founded or simply premature.
