Tottenham's £237m Rebuild: De Zerbi's Pursuit of the Next Star
Tottenham’s £237m rebuild is not finished yet. Roberto De Zerbi has made that clear – and he sounds like a man hunting his next prize.
De Zerbi the “shark” in the market
Spurs have already torn into this window with rare aggression. Around £237million has gone on six signings: Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes to reshape the midfield, Jan Paul van Hecke to strengthen the back line, and a trio of free transfers in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka to deepen the squad.
For most clubs, that would be a full summer. De Zerbi insists it is only part of the plan.
“In the transfer market, when I want one player, I become like a shark. No chance to say no,” he told football.london, laying out his approach with typical bluntness.
He estimates Tottenham have completed “60 per cent” of their project. The remaining 40 per cent, he hinted, includes what he called “another bomba” – a major attacking signing he expects to land before the window closes.
The pressure is on the club to deliver that explosion.
Savinho on the radar
Standard Sport understands that Manchester City winger Savinho is among the leading names on Tottenham’s list. The Brazilian has reportedly told City he wants to leave to play regular first-team football, and Spurs are watching closely.
De Zerbi stopped short of confirming a specific target, but he did admit talks are advanced over a new forward. When asked if a deal was close, he said there were still details to finalise, though he hopes negotiations will be wrapped up soon.
Time is tight. The window shuts on September 1, and Tottenham want at least one winger – and possibly another striker – in before the deadline.
Savinho appeals for obvious reasons. He is direct, quick, and likes to dart in behind defences. Those are traits De Zerbi values, but the Italian’s thinking is more nuanced than simply signing any wide forward with pace.
Building around the full-backs
For De Zerbi, the winger must fit the structure of a team built from the flanks inwards.
“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.”
That last detail is crucial. He believes Spurs’ full-backs are not just good – they are foundational.
“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.”
That is a bold claim, but it explains his logic. The next winger must amplify those strengths, not clash with them.
“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?” he added.
This is not just about adding firepower. It is about fine-tuning a system in which the wide defenders are central to everything.
One more “bomba” to come
Tottenham’s rebuild has already been headline-grabbing. Tonali in midfield, Robertson at left-back, Porro and Udogie flying on the flanks – the pieces are falling into place around De Zerbi’s vision.
Yet he keeps circling back to that missing attacker, the one he describes with the language of a predator.
The spending spree is not over. The project, by his own calculation, is only just past halfway.
If the “shark” gets his way before September 1, the next signing will not just complete a window. It could define the way this Tottenham side attacks for years.
