With the help of the Tottenham Hotspur recruitment department, Roberto De Zerbi looks set to ‘build a new team’ from scratch this summer.
Tottenham could offload as many as five players this summer as Roberto De Zerbi looks to ‘build a new team’. Shortly after the Lilywhites avoided relegation from the Premier League, the Italian outlined his plans to immediately begin preparations for the new season.
Following the win over Everton, which secured a place in the English top flight next term, De Zerbi said: “From tonight, we have to start to organise and to build a new team. I think we have now to change too many players.
“We have 10, 11, 12 players good enough to stay. Good enough. Like players. Especially like people. And then we have to complete the squad with the first level of players.
“First level of players, because we suffered too much. I suffered a lot, but I think the fans, the club, the board, the players, they suffered too much. We are Tottenham, and we can’t suffer like this until the last second of the last game to stay up.”
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De Zerbi also claimed he wants to work with Johan Lange, Vinai Venkatesham, and the recruitment staff to build his ‘dream’ team. The 46-year-old added: “I will be stronger.
“I don’t want to decide alone because football is a group – sporting director, scouting, CEO – but my target now is finished to stay up. My target is to start the pre-season with the team I have in my dream.”
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So, with that being said, football.london has looked at the five Tottenham players who could be offloaded this summer.
Guglielmo Vicario
Antonin Kinsky has been superb since De Zerbi took the reins, so Vicario may struggle to force himself back into the starting lineup next season. The Italy international played through pain for much of the campaign before it was decided that he should undergo surgery for a hernia.
Despite his best efforts, Vicario rarely impressed, and Tottenham were dragged into a relegation battle. In his absence, Kinsky was given the chance to redeem himself following a disastrous display in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League last-16.
The Czech made some brilliant saves during the business end of the season, helping Spurs stay in the Premier League. Kinsky had been so good that De Zerbi even considered making him captain for the Everton clash on the final day of the season.
Radu Dragusin
Even though Dragusin missed the first half of the season due to injury, he’s demonstrated that he’s not at the level required for a club like Tottenham. If the Lilywhites want to compete on all fronts next term and qualify for the Champions League, the 24-year-old defender should be offloaded – unless, of course, he’s satisfied with playing an auxiliary role.
Ben Davies
Davies is one of two Tottenham players whose contracts are set to expire next month. The 32-year-old defender hasn’t featured in any capacity since he underwent surgery on a fractured left ankle at the start of the year.
Although De Zerbi would probably appreciate keeping Davies at the club, higher-ups at Hotspur Way can’t afford to be blinded by sentiment, especially after back-to-back relegation scraps. The Welshman could one day be a great addition to the backroom staff, but it’s far too early for him to hang up his boots.
Yves Bissouma
Bissouma also looks set to leave Tottenham when his contract expires next month. Tottenham signed the 29-year-old from Brighton for an initial £25m in June 2022, but he hasn’t had the desired impact in north London.
By offloading Bissouma, De Zerbi could add a player of his choice to an already respectable selection of holding midfielders. If De Zerbi wanted to keep the Mali international, like any other player, he would almost certainly ask for a long-term deal, which wouldn’t be a sensible piece of business for Spurs.
Richarlison
Richarlison could also be offloaded as part of a long-overdue rebuild at Tottenham. Although the 29-year-old striker has a good habit of chipping in with a goal now and then, he only has a year left on his contract, meaning Spurs must decide whether to stick or twist this summer.
