Tottenham is showing a clear change in the transfer market when they are ready to spend heavily to meet all the requirements of coach Roberto De Zerbi. After the breakthrough in the late season to stay in the league, the North London team is determined to build a squad according to the philosophy of the Italian strategist.
Unlike the cautious image in recent years, Spurs acted very decisively right from the beginning of the transfer window. Top targets were identified early and quickly arrived at Tottenham, instead of losing them like Morgan Gibbs-White or Eberechi Eze in the summer before.
By the beginning of July, Tottenham had completed 6 contracts including Jan Paul van Hecke, Martin Dubravka, Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali. The three deals Van Hecke, Fernandes and Tonali cost a total of about 237 million pounds, while the remaining 3 players joined on a free transfer but all owned significant salaries.
This is also a change in Spurs' transfer strategy. If in recent years the team has prioritized investing in young talents such as Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, Mathys Tel or Luka Vuskovic, this summer most new players have entered the ripe stage of their careers and are ready to contribute immediately.
That change reflects the absolute trust of the board of directors in De Zerbi. After helping Tottenham stay in the league despite no additions and facing a prolonged injury crisis, the Italian captain was given full authority to build the squad as he wishes.
De Zerbi's goal is to bring Tottenham back to the ball control style that made his name at Brighton. Last season, Spurs were in the bottom group of the Premier League in terms of ball deployment and creating long combinations leading to scoring opportunities. This makes upgrading the defense and midfield a top priority.
Van Hecke and Senesi are considered two of the best centre-backs in the Premier League last season. Both stand out for their ability to break through the opponent's defense system with through-the-line passes, a very important factor in De Zerbi's ball deployment philosophy.
Meanwhile, Mateus Fernandes brings superior ability to escape pressing and pass the ball. Despite playing for a team with a low ball possession rate, the Portuguese midfielder is still in the group of most effective passes when under pressure.
Sandro Tonali adds energy, tackling ability and ball development from midfield, while Andy Robertson brings experience and bravery of a player who has fought for many years at a high level with Liverpool.
However, the attack is still a big question mark for Tottenham. "The Spurs" only scored 48 goals in the Premier League last season, the lowest record since the 2008-2009 season. Besides, a series of key players such as Mohammed Kudus, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert are still struggling with injuries, causing De Zerbi to lack many attacking options.
According to many sources, Tottenham is still pursuing Marcus Rashford and Savinho to strengthen the two wings. This shows that the team has no intention of stopping shopping for the rest of the transfer window.
However, this heavy investment also comes with many risks. De Zerbi is famous as a personality coach and rarely sticks with long-term teams he has led. If the Italian strategist is not successful, Tottenham will face the problem of handling a squad with many expensive players built according to his requirements.
After many years of being criticized for lack of decisiveness in the transfer market, the North London team is placing full faith in De Zerbi with the hope of opening a new cycle of success.
