Roberto de Zerbi's Tottenham Rebuild: A Cold Message
Roberto de Zerbi is rebuilding Tottenham with a cold edge and a clear message: help me now, or go.
The Italian has already overseen a £237m overhaul after Spurs escaped relegation on the final day last season. Big names have arrived, established figures are heading for the exit, and nobody is being given guarantees. Not even those he wants to keep.
De Zerbi’s challenge to Spence
Djed Spence sits right in the middle of that tension.
The 25-year-old England defender, tied to a long-term deal and linked with Inter Milan and Everton, has been told in blunt terms what his manager expects.
"I would like you to stay if you want to stay. If you don't want to stay, if you want to leave, then you have to leave," De Zerbi said, repeating the same line he delivered to Lucas Bergvall, another in-demand talent.
Spence started 23 of his 30 Premier League games last season as Spurs limped to 17th for the second year running. That kind of involvement would usually secure a player’s status. This summer, it only guarantees a conversation.
Because his position is now occupied by a man De Zerbi calls "the best in the world" at right-back: Pedro Porro, Spain’s World Cup winner. The message is ruthless. Spence is important in the plan, but he is no longer untouchable.
Tottenham’s spending backs that up. De Zerbi has demanded competition everywhere. Spence must decide if he wants to fight for his place in north London or take a fresh start elsewhere.
Romero, loyalty and the exit door
The same hard line applies to the captain.
Cristian Romero is among those expected to leave, despite the bond he has built with the club and the armband on his arm. His decision to fly back to Argentina while injured before the final game of the season drew heavy criticism, even though he returned to play.
De Zerbi refused to join in the pile-on.
He described Romero’s conduct during his time in charge as "unbelievable behaviour" and insisted the defender should not be attacked for that earlier choice. At the same time, he did not pretend Romero’s future lies at Tottenham. It is, he admitted, "his will" to go.
The Italian lifted the curtain slightly on the brutal honesty of his early weeks in the job.
"At the beginning of my time in April I had, I don't know, one million individual meetings. And the players told me if they are (staying) here (or not)," he explained.
His response was as sharp as his football.
"I said: 'Yes, help me to stay up, and then I help you to leave. If you don't help me to stay up, you stay underwater with me.'
The deal was simple: keep Tottenham in the Premier League and you earn your move. Fail, and you share the consequences.
Vicario out, new spine in
Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is another likely casualty of the reset. He has lost his place to Antonin Kinsky and is expected to depart, a reminder that reputations mean little in De Zerbi’s new order.
The recruitment drive has been relentless.
Spurs smashed their transfer record twice in two days earlier this month. First came Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85m, then Sandro Tonali from Newcastle for £100m. Jan Paul van Hecke arrived from Brighton in a £52m deal, while Marcos Senesi, Andrew Robertson and Martin Dubravka joined on free transfers to add experience and depth.
That is a new core, a new dressing room hierarchy, and a squad that suddenly looks far more like De Zerbi’s than the one that staggered over the line last season.
And he is not done.
One more ‘bomba’
Speaking in Sydney, De Zerbi made it clear there is still a spark missing at the top end of the pitch.
"The transfer market is not finished for sure, but we have completed 60% of our project. Now we have another 'bomba'," he said, hinting at at least one more major attacking arrival.
Pressed on whether that meant a winger or a striker, he didn’t narrow it down.
"Attackers."
He does not believe in fallback options.
"I don't love working with plan A, plan B, plan C. It is plan A, full stop, because all players are not the same. We have to increase the number of goals."
Savinho of Manchester City is among the forwards in advanced talks over a move to north London, with another unnamed attacking target also being pursued. De Zerbi has described himself as a "shark" in this window, circling until he gets what he wants.
Tottenham have already changed their squad, their wage bill and their ambitions in one ferocious summer. The real question now is who chooses to swim with the shark – and who decides it is safer to get out of the water.
