Tottenham Hotspur have spent more than £320m in transfer fees this window and started the season with a defeat. Their head coach spent Saturday evening in west London explaining why none of it has clicked.
Roberto De Zerbi was blunt after the 5:30pm kick-off at the Gtech Community Stadium. Goals from Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt and Michael Kayode all came inside the opening 49 minutes, and the Italian did not hide behind the calendar.
“I think we are not a team yet, for a lot of reasons.”
“We could fight stronger than we did today. We lost too many duels, we made too many mistakes.”
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A club-record signing to headline the rebuild
The centrepiece of Tottenham’s summer is Sandro Tonali, the 26-year-old Italy midfielder signed from Newcastle United on 6 July for an initial £92.5m, with a further £7.5m tied to add-ons. The £100m potential fee is a club record and almost double the £55m Newcastle paid AC Milan for him three summers earlier.
Tonali said he made his mind up in a single conversation with the head coach.
“I spoke to the head coach for close to two hours about the club, the fans, the stadium and our football. It was like magic because I knew immediately that I had to sign for Tottenham.”
De Zerbi has known the player since Tonali came through the academy at the coach’s hometown club, Brescia.
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“Sandro is a special player and a great signing for our club. I have followed him for a long time, as he came through the youth system at my hometown club, Brescia, and I’m so happy to be working with him now.”
Savinho takes the total past £320m
Tonali is one of seven arrivals. Days before the Brentford trip, Tottenham prised Brazil winger Savinho out of Manchester City for £85m, pushing the summer bill past $400m by Fox Sports’ count. The 22-year-old, whose deal was confirmed on Tuesday 25 August, was joined this window by Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85m, Jan-Paul van Hecke from Brighton for £52m, and free signings Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka.
That volume is why De Zerbi keeps returning to the same word: time. Several of his signings, including Tonali, were on international duty deep into the summer and reported late.
“We are not in the right point in physical condition for a lot of reasons.”
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“You become a team with the players; they find the connection between them, they find the spirit, they find the soul. It’s a process.”
The comeback story inside the record signing
Tonali’s move is also the next chapter in one of the more unusual player stories in recent European football. In October 2023, the Italian was handed a 10-month ban by the Italian football federation for placing bets on football matches, including games involving his own teams. He returned to competitive action for Newcastle in late August 2024 and started every Premier League game he was available for last season before Tottenham moved.
The 2026 summer transfer window closes at 7pm BST on Tuesday 1 September. Before then, Tottenham host Championship side Charlton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, then face Newcastle in the Premier League at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.
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