The Tottenham Hotspur head coach has been speaking about his special meal with the powers-that-be and his Swedish attacking star
Roberto De Zerbi splashed the cash on a slap-up Italian meal for Tottenham's owners and hopes they will respond in kind with one more big transfer before deadline day.
The Spurs boss took out members of the Lewis family, who have helped fund a massive transfer push this summer, along with club CEO Vinai Venkatesham, sporting director Johan Lange and his translator Enrico Venturelli for the meal on Thursday night just days before the transfer window comes to close.
It has been a busy window for Tottenham who have signed eight players so far with £382million committed in fees and potential add-ons with Manchester City duo Omar Marmoush and Savio the latest additions this week to bolster the front line.
It has been a huge rebuild for Spurs with more than £200million coming into the club through sales with captain Cristian Romero, Djed Spence and young talent Luka Vuskovic among those heading out the door.
De Zerbi, who described himself as a "shark" when he sets sights on a player he wants to sign, wants the club to bring in one more player to complete his set even if this transfer window has already been beyond his wildest expectations.
"I didn't expect a transfer window like we have done. I think we can do one player more and in one specific position, but yesterday we went for dinner with the owner, with Vinai, Johan and Enrico. We spoke about this. We have all of us on the same page and there is a very good connection," he said.
FOLLOW OUR TOTTENHAM FB PAGE! Latest Spurs news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
After a week in which some reports have suggested De Zerbi was unhappy with the lengths he and his players had to travel on their summer tour to New Zealand and Australia, he made it clear that the slap-up meal showed how happy he is.
"It was an Italian restaurant and I paid, just so you don’t write about a problem between me and the club for the pre-season in Australia because it’s not true!" said the 47-year-old. "We went to an Italian restaurant and it went very well.
"It’s a normal relationship. We went before the Chelsea game last season with Vinai and Johan, and it’s a part of our job to organise and make the last plans in the last days of the transfer market, to speak about the condition of the players and the transfers we can do in the next three or four days. Nothing more but there is seriously a great relationship with all of them."
De Zerbi maintains that he is so happy with the business Spurs have been doing that it's the first time in his career that he hasn't been pushing the powers-that-be constantly for more.
"I’m not pushing… really it’s the first time I didn’t push to complete the squad. They pushed to build the top players. Johan Lange was brilliant in terms of ideas to make solutions," he said. "Also, Vinai, I remember when we closed [Sandro] Tonali and he made a video call to me when I was on holiday and he had a big smile, very happy.
"It’s not my business the transfer market. I work for Tottenham to make Tottenham better than the last two seasons. The last two seasons is not Roberto wants the players. No Roberto works for Tottenham and he wants the board like the staff like the players the best thing we can do."
While De Zerbi admitted that one of his attackers might depart before the transfer window closes, he offered a positive update on Dejan Kulusevski who has been out for 15 months with a complicated knee injury.
The 26-year-old is being phased back into training with the group. football.london understands Kulusevski is being treated carefully and cautiously by staff with no pressure on him from anyone when it comes to a timeline but there is positivity around him after his long road back.
De Zerbi must name his final Premier League squad list when the window closes next week and he would love the Swede to be in it.
"Odobert is injured for a long time. Before February, March, he is not available, and then maybe one of these [attacking] players can leave before the end of the window. I think we have not too many players," he said. "And also if you consider last season, not for Tottenham, the Premier League … all clubs suffered many injuries, no? And we have Kudus after six months injured.
"I will be very very happy to see Kulusevski in [the squad list]. I want to put Kulusevski on the list because he is working very well, very hard. He’s a good guy and he’s a different player. Xavi Simons … before March, April, he’s not ready. So I think we need players; this number of players."
He added on the Swede: "If [Kulusevski] feels good like now [he'll be in the squad list], he’s improving day by day. It’s great watching him during the season and also because he deserves it because he suffered too much for his career for his age, for his level of human. I’m not speaking of him as a player but as a human. He deserves to stay in the list."