Tottenham Hotspur’s big summer spending has not yet translated into results, and manager Roberto De Zerbi has admitted that finding the “right mentality” remains his biggest challenge after Spurs suffered a second consecutive defeat in the Premier League.
Tottenham suffered a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday, with Spurs fading in the second half after dominating large parts of the opening period. Despite spending around 380 million pounds in the summer transfer window, De Zerbi believes his side needs time to develop the balance and mentality required to compete at the top.
“There is no panic,” De Zerbi said after the defeat. “I know where we are going and what the plan is. I’m sorry for the fans for the result. We have to improve. We have to work hard on the pitch and find the connection between the players.”
The pressure surrounding Tottenham’s spending was impossible to ignore. Five of their eight summer signings started against Newcastle, including Omar Marmoush, who joined from Manchester City for 60 million pounds.
Sandro Tonali was the biggest statement signing of the summer, with Tottenham paying an initial 92.5 million pounds for the midfielder. However, the Italy international endured a difficult afternoon against his former club, with Newcastle fans booing his every touch.
There were glimpses of quality from Tottenham. Marmoush showed some bright touches on his debut, while Mathys Tel tested Luks Horncek with a powerful effort. Jan Paul van Hecke also came close with a header.
But Newcastle ultimately exposed the gap between Tottenham’s spending power and their progress on the pitch.
“It’s the biggest problem, it’s the biggest challenge and the biggest target is to find the right mentality,” De Zerbi said.
“You can’t find the right mentality in the transfer market. Football is a magical thing, you can change a lot of players and you can find the balance immediately or you need more time.”
De Zerbi insisted he was confident Tottenham would eventually find that balance, even if it takes time.
“I want to achieve this target as soon as possible but I am in no doubt that we will reach it,” he said.
The Tottenham boss also revealed that Richarlison and Kevin Danso had asked to leave the club this week after Spurs completed further signings, including Svio and Marmoush from Manchester City.
“I love Danso and Richarlison, they are great guys but if they want to leave they have to bring the economic solution to the club and they can go and we find other players,” De Zerbi said.
Tonali remains under the spotlight following his big-money arrival. The midfielder was substituted shortly after Newcastle opened the scoring, with the away fans celebrating his departure.
De Zerbi, however, backed the midfielder and his other new signings to improve as Tottenham continue their rebuild.
“Sandro is a crucial player that is not in the right, the best condition yet,” De Zerbi said. “But I love my players more today than if we had won. Because together we are rebuilding the club.”
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