Tottenham were bottom of the Premier League and winless after five games, despite spending in excess of £300 million over the summer. CEO Vinai Venkatesham has reaffirmed his confidence in Roberto De Zerbi and the reshaped squad, but the harder question is whether the club has a coherent, accountable plan behind that backing. His comments at a Fan Advisory Board meeting, recorded in the published minutes, provide some criteria for judging it. They also underline that confidence is not the same thing as proof of progress.
A stated recruitment model, not just a tally of arrivals
The summer involved approximately 35 first-team transactions, including signings, departures and contract renewals. Tottenham made 10 new signings, with the club saying its aim was to build around quality, character and physical robustness, combining Premier League experience with younger players who could develop at the club.
That is at least a recruitment brief, rather than a collection of names and fees. The minutes also framed Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro’s contract renewals as evidence of senior players’ belief in the club’s direction, with the broader objective of creating a squad capable of competing at the level supporters expect.
But broad criteria only become meaningful when the club can show how they shaped decisions and improved the team. Tottenham’s recruitment strategy under De Zerbi is therefore about more than whether the summer’s arrivals look convincing individually: it is whether the whole group fits a defined plan.
Backing the coach also means answering for the operation
Venkatesham expressed confidence in De Zerbi, the players brought in and the changes made behind the scenes. He said he was encouraged by aspects of the underlying performances since the opening-day defeat by Brentford, while acknowledging that extensive changes on and off the pitch could take time to take effect.
That is a case for patience, not a verdict that the rebuild is working. Spurs had already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Liverpool in September, while the minutes recognised the disappointment of the points total and the frustration carried over from the previous campaign. Supporters had backed the team home and away, the club said, but it also acknowledged that belief has to be earned through results.
Injuries were accumulating and players were adapting after a disrupted pre-season. The club said it had made significant changes across its medical, physical-preparation and performance departments, alongside improvements to the training centre. Those decisions sit within the wider football operation; responsibility cannot be placed on the head coach alone. The questions around recruitment responsibility at Spurs matter because backing De Zerbi also puts the club’s decision-makers on the hook for the conditions and squad they provide.
Financial limits make another reset harder
Venkatesham described financial regulation as a genuine constraint. Tottenham had not recorded a profit since 2019, while investment in men’s-team wages and transfer fees was increasing costs. Successive 17th-place finishes and the absence of European revenue this season had also affected the club’s revenue position.
The minutes said Tottenham monitored itself against Premier League rules allowing squad costs of up to 85% of revenue. UEFA’s framework was described as tighter: a 70% squad-cost limit alongside a three-year profitability test. Growing commercial income, including from concerts and other stadium events, was presented as a way to create more room for football investment, with football remaining the club’s priority.
The scale is plain enough: more than £300 million spent, roughly 35 first-team transactions and no league win after five games. Those figures do not prove the recruitment was wrong, but they leave little room for another expensive round of guesswork.
Venkatesham has backed De Zerbi and said the squad was strengthened. Now the club has to demonstrate that its stated priorities produce a team that can compete, while managing its finances without relying on repeated overhauls. Tottenham’s plans for De Zerbi’s future will be judged less by declarations of confidence than by results and the next decisions made across the football operation.