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Roberto De Zerbi feels his Tottenham journey will only be complete if he leads the club to a trophy, and to get there, he believes they must go after more "top players".

Spurs have been busy in the transfer market ahead of their first full season under De Zerbi, having narrowly avoided a humiliating drop from the Premier League in 2025-26.

They have spent over £230m to bring in Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke, while Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka have arrived on free transfers.

Marcus Rashford, Victor Osimhen, Cody Gakpo, Savinho and Folarin Balogun have all been linked with moves to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, after De Zerbi suggested a big attacking signing was close.

Having inherited a team that was hurtling towards relegation, De Zerbi has now shifted his expectations towards challenging for more silverware, one year on from Spurs' Europa League triumph under Ange Postecoglou.

"I like to think I deserve to be here, and I deserve to want top players, because now Tottenham deserves to build up a top team," De Zerbi told The Athletic.

"Now we have to bring in top players to become competitive. I don't know if we can win, but for sure, we have to be better than the last two seasons in the Premier League.

"I consider a trophy the end of the journey. I can't manage the end of the journey; I can manage the journey from the beginning until the end.

"And now is not the moment to think of a trophy. The trophy arrives if you, in this journey, have worked well, have been your best version, and the players have been able to play in the best way they can."

De Zerbi's Spurs reign began with a demoralising 1-0 defeat to Sunderland in April, but from that moment on, they picked up 11 points from their final six games of the season (W3 D2 L1).

"When I arrived, I saw the players after Sunderland in the dressing room. I didn't tell you in the press conference, but it was like this: everyone crying, lying down on the floor in the dressing room.

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Mateus Fernandes has revealed Roberto De Zerbi was the key to persuading him to join Tottenham, as he promised to be the midfielder's "second dad".

Fernandes sealed an £85m move from West Ham to Spurs earlier this summer, becoming the club's record signing – only for that mark to be beaten by Sandro Tonali's £100m transfer shortly afterwards.

He had previously been linked with a move to Manchester United, and the former Hammer has now revealed De Zerbi's role in coaxing him to Spurs.

"The desire of playing for a big club, winning games, to fight for the Premier League, for the first place," Fernandes told The Athletic, when asked how De Zerbi sold the move.

"The way he spoke with me and my family was very important to me.

"He was calling me every day, so I'm very happy to work with him, and hopefully we can do great things.

"It was more about [forming a] connection, because my dad and my mum don't speak English very well. It was more about feelings.

"He said he would take care of me, that he would be my second dad in England. I'm very happy to work with him."

The Portuguese midfielder has suffered back-to-back relegations with Southampton and West Ham but enjoyed a fine individual campaign with the latter in 2025-26.

He won more tackles (73) and duels (214) than any other West Ham player last season, while only Jarrod Bowen (53) created more chances than Fernandes' 42.

While he is expecting to be fighting at the other end of the Premier League this time around, Fernandes acknowledged he has learned a lot of lessons from his previous two seasons in England.

"This is football, this is life," he said. "You need to learn about everything.

"The first season, at Southampton, was the most difficult because I was living alone in another country. I didn't speak English, and I didn't have anybody there who spoke Portuguese or Spanish, so it was a little bit difficult.

"It was important to go to West Ham and prepare for the season well. These two seasons, I learned a lot off the pitch — take my time after games, do other things, and I'm much more ready now than two years ago.

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Roberto De Zerbi is going through a key moment at Tottenham. The coach is trying to convince Lucas Bergvall to stay with the club, although the young Swede has already expressed his intention to leave in this transfer window. Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest appear to be interested, but for now Bergvall remains on the preseason tour in Sydney, where he started in the 1-1 draw against Sydney FC, a match the Spurs won on penalties. With just 112 minutes in five Premier League appearances since the coach's arrival, the midfielder feels that his role has been reduced

The arrival of Mateus Fernandes for £85 million and Sandro Tonali for £100 million, both in the same position, further reduced Bergvall's chances. De Zerbi was clear: "I cannot guarantee any player in the world a place in the starting lineup. Tottenham has to build a strong squad, not just 11 players." The coach emphasized that modern soccer requires managing 21 or 22 top-level players to compete at the highest level, especially after the injuries that have affected the club in recent seasons

De Zerbi insists that Bergvall has the potential to become an elite player, but he also recognizes that he needs to improve his speed of movement and his understanding of the different roles in midfield. “If he doesn't want to stay, what can I do? Nothing," he said. The future of the Swede remains open: opt for patience in London or seek a new challenge in the Premier League. The decision will shape not only his career, but also the direction of Tottenham in this rebuilding phase

Tottenham Hotspur is going through a period of reconstruction after a season that left deep wounds. Micky van de Ven, the Dutch defender, described the 2025-26 season as "unacceptable" and stressful, but at the same time emphasized that there is now a "new ambition" within the locker room. The team finished in 17th place in the Premier League for the second consecutive year, securing their spot in the final matchday against Everton. This negative record had not been repeated since the three-season streak between 1912-13 and 1914-15.

The management responded with an unprecedented financial gamble with 237 million pounds invested in reinforcements. The most notable signing was Sandro Tonali, acquired for 100 million, followed by Mateus Fernandes (85 million) and Jan Paul van Hecke (52 million). Additionally, Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, and Martin Dúbravka arrived as free agents. Roberto De Zerbi, the Spurs' coach, assured that the market is not yet closed and that the goal is to add more offensive power to leave the fight for survival behind.

The team is in Australia for preseason, with a friendly match scheduled against Chelsea. The official Premier League debut will be on August 22, visiting Brentford, a match that will mark the beginning of a campaign in which Tottenham aims to prove that the million-dollar investment and new ambition can transform disappointment into hope. With a renewed squad and a clear message from their leaders, the Spurs aim to move from merely surviving to competing, convinced that the future can be different if they manage to consolidate the identity that has been so lacking in recent years.

Micky van de Ven expressed his delight over Tottenham's "new ambition" after labelling the 2025-26 season as "unacceptable".

Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League last term after avoiding relegation on the final day with victory over Everton.

Having also finished 17th the season prior, it was the first time Spurs finished as low in consecutive top-flight campaigns since a run of three between 1912-13 and 1914-15 (17th, 17th, 20th).

However, they have been very busy so far in the transfer window, spending a club-record £237m already.

They signed Sandro Tonali for a club-record £100m, while also bringing in Mateus Fernandes for £85m and Jan Paul van Hecke for £52m.

Spurs have also acquired Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka on free transfers, while Roberto De Zerbi revealed the club still want to sign more attacking players.

Van de Ven believes Spurs' ambition in the transfer market is exactly what the players needed to see ahead of an important season.

"It's really good that you can see the club has made some changes," the 25-year-old told BBC Sport.

"You can see the club has a new ambition. It's something that's really important for players who have been here for a long time.

"Last season was a stressful season, unacceptable from our side, so to leave all of that behind and go into the new season fresh means a lot."

Spurs are currently in Australia for their pre-season tour, where they will face rivals Chelsea in a friendly ahead of the new season.

De Zerbi's side begin their Premier League campaign away to Brentford on August 22, while their first home game comes a week later against Newcastle United.

Andy Robertson has welcomed the competition for places at Tottenham as he believes it will help them move up the Premier League table.

Having also finished 17th the season prior, it was the first time Spurs finished as low in consecutive top-flight campaigns since a run of three between 1912-13 and 1914-15 (17th, 17th, 20th).

Roberto De Zerbi's arrival helped turn Spurs' fortunes around at the end of 2025-26, while the club have been busy in the summer transfer window.

Spurs spent a club record £100m to bring in Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United, while they also signed Mateus Fernandes for £85m and Jan Paul van Hecke for £52m.

Robertson is one of three free transfers completed by the north London side, who also brought in Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka as free agents.

Robertson will have to battle Destiny Udogie, Souza and potentially Djed Spence for a starting position, but the Scotsman feels the competition for places is a good thing.

"You go to big clubs, and if you look at all big clubs, you don't have it easy in any position," said Robertson.

"The club, the manager, the people above are trying to create a squad where there's competition in every position.

"You don't stay at the top, and you don't play for big clubs if you're not ready to compete for positions, if you're not ready to fight for your positions, and that goes for everyone.

"For me, that's something I've been used to for the last nine years. It's something that I'll be used to until my career ends. It’s nothing new for me.

"The quality of players in this squad is very good. If we can just get more out of it, then, like the manager said, the last two seasons in the Premier League haven't been up to scratch for Tottenham.

"They've been down the wrong end of the table. I think everyone's determined to not make that happen this season. As long as everyone's pulling in the same direction, everyone's competing, then I think we've got a squad that can be a lot higher up than where they were."