Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood has exclusively revealed why the club have transformed themselves from relegation fodder into top-four candidates on the wave of an incredible summer spree – and he insists Roberto De Zerbi is not done yet with more transfer business to come.
Successive 17th-placed finishes in the Premier League, the most recent seriously threatening the club’s near 50-year existence as a top-flight side, have shaken owners the Lewis family and ENIC into drastic transfer action.
After years of keeping a lid on their expenditure and signing players within their means, Tottenham Hotspur have this summer blown the lid off everything seen before in N17, and the club are now not just competing for the game’s top stars, but also beating big-spending rivals to their signatures.
Indeed, the £185m double deal for new midfield tandem – Mateus Fernandes (£85m from West Ham) and Sandro Tonali (£100m from Newcastle) – has seen Spurs shatter their transfer record not once, but twice already this summer.
Speaking exclusively to TEAMtalk, Sherwood thinks they will be a force to be reckoned with next season.
“Tottenham have opened things up now because of the Tonali signing, not because of the £100million, but because they’ve smashed the ceiling and their wage bill now. So it opens up a completely different level of player who will maybe consider Tottenham now, knowing that they are willing to spend,” Sherwood said in association with BetGoodwin.
As a result of their lavish spending, we asked the former Spurs boss where he sees them finishing the 2026/27 season.
He says, as “crazy” as it seems, he can see them competing for the Champions League places again next term.
“Tottenham can push for Champions League spots now. It sounds crazy saying that after the two seasons they’ve had, so it’ll be a huge jump.
“But De Zerbi knows full well that when he went in there and said, ‘Give me what I need,’ it looks like they’re doing that, and he’ll take us to where he believes we should be.”
Sherwood added: “When you’re the Tottenham manager, there is one objective: to finish in the top four. That’s a minimum requirement. For as long as I can remember, they will believe that they are on that path. I think with De Zerbi, he will believe that he’s got the tools and that he can produce that.”
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Having strengthened in defence and midfield, De Zerbi is next expected to focus on his attack.
Manchester City winger Savinho has been heavily linked with a move to north London, while the Italian may feel he wants to add another striker option to his forward line, with the north London side only managing 48 goals in their 38 Premier League games last season.
However, Sherwood believes the answer to their issues could already lie within.
“Do they need a striker? Well, perhaps he might kick-start Dominic Solan;e, you just don’t know. You’ve got Richarlison as well. Whatever people think about Richarlison, he scored 11 goals in a really poor Tottenham team and helped them stay in the Premier League.
“I’m not saying he’s the answer, but I was crying out for him to play because I’ve seen him do it in that environment for Everton before and keep them in the league. I think he was a player who really stood up. I do think he might be moved on now, though.
“If there’s another striker out there, I will trust De Zerbi to go out there and find him, and he might be someone from left field. He’s shown that he likes the Danny Welbeck’s – a big nine, someone that holds the ball up. João Pedro was at Brighton; it will be someone with credentials like that.
“Solanke might be the answer, though you don’t know…”
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Tottenham transfers: Departures are needed
Asked who else Spurs could sign, Sherwood reckons they will certainly feel they have enough creativity now now and may now have to think about one or two departures.
“It’s hard to think about who else Spurs should sign because you just don’t know who they’ve got coming back to fitness. The likes of Dejan Kulusevski, that’ll be a big plus when he’s back. James Maddison was obviously back at the back end of the season, and Mohammed Kudus will be fit again. It’ll be interesting to see what they do with a few of the others.
“I mean, he can’t keep everyone. He’s got a huge squad there now, so he’s going to have to get rid of some centre-halves. That’s what he’s going to need to do because he’s brought in a lot. I think they’ve got seven first-team centre-halves there; some players are going to have to leave.”
Sherwood concluded: “But the good thing is with Tottenham and their transfers is that one man is making the decision now, and that man is De Zerbi.
“He’s a footballing man, so I think it warms the hearts of Tottenham fans, where before they didn’t really know who was bringing in these players. But this guy is actually putting his hand up and saying, ‘Yeah, it’s my decision.’ So that’s really key.”
With regard to potential exits, one man expected to leave once his World Cup commitments are over is Cristian Romero.
To that end, sources provided an update on his situation on Friday, revealing the tempting price that Spurs have now settled on to sell the Argentina international.
Another star tipped to move on is Djed Spence, and we revealed earlier this week that an Italian giant currently leads the race ahead of rival interest from two Premier League sides.
That’s despite a well-connected journalist explaining why a move to Liverpool actually now makes complete sense for the 13-cap England star.