Early summer optimism has faded into familiar murmurings of apprehension among some Tottenham fans as the new season looms and another transfer deadline appears on the horizon.
Spurs remain short of reinforcements in the forward department but there is a quiet confidence inside the club that they can deliver up to three new strikers to satisfy Roberto De Zerbi and have a season free of the angst of the past two.
Daily Mail Sport brings you the story of Tottenham’s summer and the latest from the Spurs camp ahead of their season-opening clash at Brentford on Saturday tea-time.
Roberto De Zerbi has had plenty of time on the training ground to build on the positive start he made at Tottenham last season
On the front line
Omar Marmoush and Savinho have been clear and solid targets for some time and talks appear to be advancing with Manchester City for the attacking pair.
Cody Gakpo is another, seen primarily by Spurs as a wide player rather than a centre forward, although any move for him is unlikely to develop until Liverpool have made signings of their own.
None are prolific goalscorers, although Marmoush was operating at a rate close to a goal a game for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga season when City signed him in January 2025. In the Premier League, the Egyptian has 10 in 37 appearances. Savinho only two in 53. Gakpo, 32 in 127.
But they would all come from the top of the table. Gakpo, 27, was a champion in 2025. Savinho, 22, has spent two years at an elite environment at City, and has scope to improve. It’s a similar story with Marmoush, 27.
Adding that Premier League experience, winning mentality and leadership has been a central theme of the Spurs recruitment drive. If they can deliver these three that will be nine signings, all of whom were playing in the Premier League last season and all senior internationals. That would be a major summer overhaul unlike anything Spurs have attempted in a long time.
There is no interest at present in Nicolas Jackson or Folarin Balogun.
Spurs are trying to bring in Man City’s Omar Mamoush to give them more goal threat
Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo is another player Tottenham are interested in
De Zerbi’s summer vibes
It is worth remembering the progress already made under De Zerbi before the transfer window even started. Eleven points from seven games and reviving players who looked spent under Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor.
None more so than Antonin Kinsky, who will start the season as No 1 goalkeeper. By the time they beat Everton to guarantee survival, Spurs were no longer performing like a relegation side.
Micky van de Ven who seemed disillusioned and looking for an exit six months ago saw enough he liked to refocus and sign a new deal, although he picked up an injury in pre-season and is a doubt for the opener at Brentford.
Amid the scenes of post-Everton relief, De Zerbi was spotted in conversation with Pedro Porro and owners Vivienne Lewis and Nick Beucher, stressing the need to extend the right back’s contract before the World Cup. It seemed like an inspired move when they did just that, because Porro was outstanding for Spain, returning as a world champion.
The guard of honour that marked his return included all the players, first-team staff, academy and training ground staff and was symbolic of the new unity valued and nurtured by De Zerbi.
World Cup winner Pedro Porro is given a hero’s welcome by Tottenham fans during pre-season
Forging new bonds
The mood has been upbeat and positive according to insiders with De Zerbi given time and space to work as compensation for a pre-season tour on the other side of the world, in New Zealand and Australia.
Spurs rejected lucrative offers to play prestigious friendlies in Europe. Of the last three pre-season games, two were at the training ground and one at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, enabling De Zerbi to lock himself away for hours with his staff in preparation mode.
The Spurs boss has also reshuffled and strengthened his coaching team. Among the incomers are Andrew Crofts from Brighton and Agostino Tibaudi, who worked with him at various former clubs.
The first team have been based in The Lodge, the hotel accommodation at the training ground, while renovations have been taking place elsewhere on site, which has by chance helped generate closer bonds among the new group of players.
Twenty-five legends were invited to watch training last week and ate lunch with the players and coaching staff. De Zerbi hosted a table which included Glenn Hoddle, Steve Perryman and Gary Mabbutt. Archie Gray spent time with Pat Jennings listening to the former Spurs keeper recall clashes with his dad Frank and uncle Eddie, and Mikey Moore talked Rangers with Jermain Defoe.
The mood in training has been upbeat and positive according to insiders with De Zerbi given time and space to work
Gary Mabbutt (pictured meeting new signing Andy Robertson) was one of the Spurs legends invited to a lunch with the current team and playing staff last week
Foundation stones
Early recruitment forged the base of the team, which is the right way around. Andy Robertson, Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka arrived and Kinsky, Porro, Van de Ven and Ben Davies signed new deals.
These together with Conor Gallagher, who signed in January, and Gray, who has captained the side in pre-season, can be expected to form the basis of the back seven or eight.
There is uncertainty around players such as Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr, but this bedrock of the team has spent most of the summer working with De Zerbi. They have shaped up in pre-season with Gallagher operating as an industrious No 10 in a 4-2-3-1 shape. They look stronger and more aggressive at the back, albeit not watertight.
Conor Gallagher has been operating as an industrious No 10 in a 4-2-3-1 shape in pre-season
Buy high now, sell low later
The most radical change in the first summer window without Daniel Levy at the controls concerned the courage of their convictions. Spurs moved decisively for targets. They paid asking prices without hedging around too much pretending there were alternatives, despite leaving themselves more vulnerable to low-ball offers on those they wanted out.
There has been criticism. Some thought they could have held out for bigger fees on Cristian Romero (£34.2million) or Djed Spence (£30million) but the key was to move them on. Selling Spence on the back of a decent World Cup made sense. He was never anything but back-up for Spurs.
Interest would have faded and his value would have fallen had he started the season kicking his heels on the bench and De Zerbi would have had an unhappy player around his squad. And Romero had become a dissenting figure who had to go.
It’s true Spurs might have got more if they had played hard-ball over Guglielmo Vicario, who has joined Juventus on loan without an obligation to buy for £8.5million, but the Italian is a popular figure who has served them well.
Again, it is a more grown-up attitude from the club to enable a move to happen that suits all parties and not squeeze the deal for maximum profit.
Tottenham defender Cristian Romero had become a dissenting figure who had to go
Resisting a repeat of 2022
Antonio Conte was at the helm in the summer of 2022. Italian, like De Zerbi, his dream was to have all signings in for the start of pre-season so he could spend six weeks fine-tuning his strategy.
Just like this year, six came in early but they could not shift unwanted senior players. The market fizzled out, Conte grumbled and went into the season in a bad mood.
This year, the clear-out has been more efficient. Not only the established first-teamers – Tottenham have banked some big fees for youngsters and fringe players, with clauses galore for sell-on fees and buy-back options.
They could earn up to £20million on Will Lankshear and Ashley Phillips if they are successful at Middlesbrough and the add-ons come into play.
One they might live to regret is teenage centre-half Luka Vuskovic, who was sold to Brighton for £50million without playing a competitive game for Spurs after a successful season at Hamburg. Some good judges think Vuskovic is destined for the very top. It will be intriguing to see his progress in the Premier League this season.
Will Lankshear has made a bright start to life at Middlesbrough – he and Ashley Phillips could bank Spurs as much as £20million
Bee ready for Saturday?
Injuries niggle away and Dominic Solanke’s continued absence for much of pre-season after missing so much of last season with an ankle problem is a particular concern.
That plus the lack of signings up front leaves De Zerbi considering a front three for the opener against Brentford no stronger than the end of last season. Spence and Mathys Tel flanked Richarlison for the last game against Everton. As it stands, two of those look likely to start again, probably with Moore on the right.
Richarlison has three in six pre-season matches though, and by the deadline things could look different. Teenage winger Moore is primed for a loan move to Cologne if and when new forwards arrive.
James Maddison played 45 minutes in Sunday’s behind-closed-doors fixture against Hoffenheim. Fernandes played for 90 minutes and should be available. Mohammed Kudus is back training with the team, although Dejan Kulusevski will take longer on account of the delicacy of his longer absence.
