Tottenham's Summer Transfer Plans: De Zerbi's Next Move
Tottenham’s summer of heavy spending is not done yet. Not if Roberto De Zerbi has anything to do with it.
After a window that has already seen around £237million spent on six new arrivals, the Italian head coach has made it clear that another attacking signing is on the way – and soon.
De Zerbi the “shark” in the market
Tottenham have rebuilt aggressively under De Zerbi. Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke have all arrived for substantial fees, while Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka have joined on free transfers to deepen the squad.
Most clubs would call that a complete window. De Zerbi does not.
“In the transfer market, when I want one player, I become like a shark. No chance to say no,” he told football.london, outlining the relentlessness behind this overhaul.
He estimates that Spurs have completed “60 per cent” of their transfer “project” so far. The rest? That is where the “bomba” comes in.
“The transfer market, it's not finished for sure, but we completed 60 per cent of our project in the transfer market. Now we have another bomba,” he said, hinting strongly that a major attacking deal is close.
Pressed on how advanced talks are, De Zerbi admitted there are still details to finalise, but made no attempt to hide his hope that negotiations will be wrapped up quickly.
Savinho high on Spurs’ list
Attacking reinforcements are now the clear priority for Tottenham between now and the transfer deadline on September 1. The club want a winger and could yet move for another striker if the right opportunity appears.
Standard Sport understands that Manchester City winger Savinho is high on Spurs’ list of options. The Brazilian has informed City this week that he wants to leave in search of regular minutes, opening the door for interested clubs.
Savinho’s profile fits what De Zerbi wants. Direct, quick, and willing to attack the space behind defences, he was one of the names discussed when De Zerbi sat down with sporting director Johan Lange back in March to map out this window.
That planning is now playing out in real time.
Built from the full-backs out
For all the noise around a new forward, De Zerbi’s thinking starts somewhere else entirely: his full-backs.
“No two players are the same,” he said. “A winger can be a very wide winger, one able to come inside, a winger without a full-back, a winger able to play with the full-back.”
This is the crux of his recruitment. The winger must amplify what Tottenham already have on the flanks.
“We have four great full-backs at the moment, maybe the four most important full-backs in the world, because I think Pedro Porro is the best right-back in the world, with [Destiny] Udogie, Robertson, and Djed Spence can play right and left.
“Before bringing in a winger, we have to consider the full-back, because we start from the full-back, from the player we already have, no?”
That is the tactical lens through which the next signing will be judged. Not just goals and assists, but chemistry with Porro, Udogie, Robertson and Spence. The ability to stretch the pitch, to combine, to unlock those overlapping and underlapping runs that define De Zerbi’s attacking patterns.
Tottenham have spent big and moved fast this summer. The head coach is adamant the job is not finished. The question now is not whether another attacker arrives – but which one is trusted to light the fuse on his “bomba” of a frontline.
