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Ex-Tottenham midfielder, Sandro, has identified where Roberto De Zerbi needs to focus if he wants to successfully rebuild Spurs after their worst Premier League season ever.
After only winning three games at home all season in the league and finishing just two points above the relegation zone in 17th, there will need to be an overhaul at Spurs if they are to improve vastly next season.
Sandro proposed that De Zerbi needs to build a solid defence around their star centre-back Micky van de Ven, hoping the dutchman will stay on for another season with rumours of Cristian Romero’s departure growing.
“Van de Ven needs to stay, he needs to be the captain for next season,” Sandro explained. “I think De Zerbi will build a strong squad and it will help Micky as well. He's so important for Tottenham.
“I hope he does stay and [De Zerbi can] build the team around him at the back and then around the midfielders.”
If Romero does decide to leave Spurs, then they will have to be on the market for a regular centre back partner for Van De Ven.
Sandro has picked out the man who he believes is perfect for that job and already has experience playing De Zerbi’s style of football.
“They are talking about Marcos Senesi, at Bournemouth,” the Brazilian said. “But I really like the defender from Brighton, Van Hecke.
“For me, Van Hecke is ready. He's ready to play because he played under De Zerbi and he showed that he can play in the moment, that he's mature, and we need players that are already mature.”
If De Zerbi can be prudent in this summer’s transfer window and brings in a player like Van Hecke, then Sandro is certain that Van De Ven can be just as good as Gabriel, who is widely agreed upon to be one of, if not the best, centre back in the league.
“He just needs the players, the squad to help him a little bit and, having a strong team around him.
Questions right down the spine of the team must be addressed
Sam Tabuteau
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Tottenham have a huge summer ahead of them after securing Premier League survival on the final day of the season.
Roberto De Zerbi has admitted that he wants to keep only “11 to 12” of the current players at the club next season as he looks to get Spurs challenging again for a top-four finish.
A squad overhaul is expected, with captain Cristian Romero weighing up his options, while Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson are close to completing free transfers to the north London club.
Spurs are desperate to put last season behind them, with Micky van de Ven describing the last 12 months as unacceptable.
But in order to do so, De Zerbi will need to be decisive in the transfer market as he remodels his squad after a difficult season.
Here, Standard Sport looks at three decisions De Zerbi must get right if he is to make Spurs competitive next season…
Luka Vuskovic
Getty
Can Vuskovic step in for Romero?
Luka Vuskovic has yet to make a competitive appearance for Spurs, but it appears as if his future will be one of the major talking points of the summer.
The 19-year-old Croatian centre-back is regarded as one of the brightest young talents in Europe and enjoyed a hugely impressive season on loan at Bundesliga side Hamburg.
It is felt that Vuskovic, who will play in this summer’s World Cup, is ready to come in and challenge for minutes at Spurs next season.
But Vuskovic has made no secret of his desire to play alongside his brother, Mario, at Hamburg, who returns from a drugs ban in November.
Along with growing interest in the player, there are complications surrounding Vuskovic’s future in north London.
Spurs will be in the market for defensive reinforcements should Romero leave the club this summer, and De Zerbi must decide whether he believes Vuskovic is ready to step in for the Argentine.
De Zerbi will hope that any decision on Vuskovic remains in his hands, but knows interest from the likes of Bayern Munich and Barcelona could tempt the teenager to leave permanently.
Antonin Kinsky
Getty
Can Kinsky become Spurs’ permanent No1?
A huge amount of credit must be given to Antonin Kinsky for the way in which he recovered from his nightmare performance against Atletico Madrid in March to steer Spurs to safety.
The Czech goalkeeper, standing in for the injured Guglielmo Vicario, played a pivotal role as Spurs picked up 11 points from their final six league games to avoid the embarrassment of relegation.
Crucial saves against Wolves and Leeds preserved precious points for Spurs, who avoided relegation by just two points, and there is now a question as to whether Kinsky is capable of becoming Spurs’ first choice keeper.
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With Vicario’s future uncertain amid interest from his native Italy, Spurs could be looking for a new No1 next season.
There is a longstanding interest in Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford, but De Zerbi has been impressed, if not surprised, by Kinsky’s renaissance and could look to focus resources elsewhere as he attempts to remodel his squad.
Xavi Simons could be sidelined until 2027
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Do Spurs need to invest in another creative midfielder?
Technical director Johan Lange got it wrong in the January transfer window when he insisted that Spurs did not need to be proactive in responding to a slew of injuries that decimated their squad.
In only managing to bring in Conor Gallagher and Brazilian teenager Souza, Spurs were left desperately short of options, particularly in attack, as their form plummeted after the turn of the year.
Spurs say they will be aggressive in the transfer market, and look set to wrap up deals for Senesi and Robertson.
However, it is in attack where De Zerbi needs to decide whether to wait on injured players or enter the market for reinforcements.
Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons are not expected to return to fitness until the new year after suffering anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.
There is no timeline in place either for when Dejan Kulusevski or Mohammed Kudus will be back to fitness.
Kulusevski has been out since May 2025 with a complicated patella injury, while Kudus suffered a setback in his recovery from a serious quad injury. Both players have been left out of their respective World Cup squads.
James Maddison played a small part in Spurs’ run-in as he stepped up his recovery from an ACL injury.
Spurs, though, will need to learn from the mistakes of January if they are to push on next season.
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At this week’s annual council meeting on Wednesday (28th), the leader of the new minority Conservative administration, Alessandro Georgiou, said he would refuse to sign a lease to the Premier League football club in order to preserve Whitewebbs “for the enjoyment of future generations”.
Planning permission for a new women’s and girls’ football academy had been granted last year by the outgoing Labour administration, with THFC proposing to build on a 16-hectare area of the park’s former golf course – with large fences surrounding it.
However, former council leader and Spurs fan Ergin Erbil failed to formally sign off on a 25-year lease of the park to THFC prior to this month’s election, when Labour lost their majority.
This gave the Conservatives an opportunity to block the plans, as they had vowed to do in their election manifesto.
Earlier this year, actor Dame Judi Dench backed the campaign against Spurs’ development at Whitewebbs, saying it was “essential” to “protect people’s access to nature”.
No party achieved an outright majority at the local election on Thursday, 7th May. However, with 31 councillors, the Conservatives had the most of any party, paving the way for them to form a minority administration at the full council meeting.
Labour came in second, with 27. The Green Party, making their first gains in the borough, won five seats.
The traditional centre-right party and rapidly growing left-wing Greens don’t agree on much, especially when it comes to social and economic policy.
Crucially, however, both groups campaigned to protect Enfield’s green spaces and have agreed to work together to prevent new development on the borough’s parks and Green Belt. This includes the training facilities planned for Whitewebbs Park.
It also includes plans by the Labour-led government to potentially build up to 21,000 homes on large areas of Green Belt land in Crews Hill and Chase Park, to the borough’s north. In one of his first actions as leader, Cllr Georgiou wrote to the government saying the council would be withdrawing its interest in the scheme.
The Eagles secured a maiden European crown on Wednesday - and it has implications for Chelsea and Spurs
Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau
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Crystal Palace lifted the Europa Conference League trophy on Wednesday with a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig.
The Eagles earned a first-ever European title in Germany, in what was manager Oliver Glasner’s final game at the helm after the Austrian had confirmed he would be leaving the club earlier in the season.
Jean-Philippe Mateta netted the only goal of the game as Palace replicated West Ham’s 2023 feat by clinching the trophy which they had been favourites to win from the outset.
The south Londoners’ triumph will have consequences for Chelsea and Tottenham, neither of whom qualified for European competition this term.
The Blues ended the campaign in 10th, just a point off Brighton and Hove Albion, who secured the only Conference League place for next season.
Parting gift: Oliver Glasner
PA
Spurs, meanwhile, just about kept themselves afloat, with their relegation run-in going down to the very final day.
A 1-0 win over Everton was enough to retain their top-flight status and earn a 17th-placed finish, at the expense of West Ham, who were relegated.
There will be nine English representatives on the continent next season, with Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool all in the Champions League.
Bournemouth and Sunderland join Palace in the Europa League having finished sixth and seventh respectively, while the Eagles will participate in Europe’s second-tier competition thanks to their Conference League victory.
Brighton will be the sole English club in the Conference League.
How does Crystal Palace’s Conference League win affect Chelsea and Tottenham?
With four teams playing in Europe on a Thursday , it means that the Premier League fixture schedule will look a bit different for some of the other sides not playing continental football next term.
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That includes Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea and Roberto De Zerbi’s Spurs.
Should a club play in Europe on a Thursday, they instantly cannot play their next league game on a Saturday, meaning they must be moved to a Sunday kick off slot, since they also cannot play on Fridays or Mondays.
It is also the case with Champions League competititors playing on a Tuesday or Wednesday, and they are not allowed to feature on Friday or Mondays either.
That will particularly impact Chelsea and Spurs, who are often selected for TV kick offs that depart from the traditional 3pm on a Saturday.
New boss: Xabi Alonso will take charge of Chelsea in the summer, with the club not in Europe
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Hence, if they are not facing a club with European competition, they are likely to face more matches on Friday and Monday nights from next season.
That could also be the case for Newcastle United, who, despite playing in the Champions League this year, will not return to the European stage after a poor league campaign.
In theory, Sky Sports, the leading Premier League broadcaster in the UK, is supposed to pick each team a maximum of five times on a Friday or Monday across a 32-game span.
However, this season, that was breached four times, with four clubs - not playing in Europe - all affected.
They were Everton, who had seven matches moved to a Monday evening, Man United on eight, West Ham with seven and Leeds on six, which prompted angry reactions from their respective fan groups.
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Roberto De Zerbi said he is only just getting started as Tottenham manager as he urged the club to avoid repeating the mistakes which left them in danger of relegation until the final day of the Premier League season.
Spurs were mired in a tense relegation dogfight with West Ham when De Zerbi signed as manager on a five-year deal with just seven matches left to be played.
He could not secure Tottenham’s top-flight status until the final day of the campaign, beating Everton 1-0 to condemn the Hammers to the drop.
Speaking the next day, De Zerbi called on the club to turn over a new leaf as they look to avoid getting caught up in another relegation scrap next season.
“We have no time. We have to organise the next season, we have to begin a stronger team.
“I am very happy and very proud of every one of us. What we did was incredible, but it is finished. Now we have to move on and to prepare the future of our club.
“I came in a difficult moment and I think it made us stronger. We can become better for sure - as a coach, as players, as a club, and we cannot make the same mistakes.”
He continued, saying he expects Tottenham to come back stronger next season as he revealed his recruitment priority heading into the summer transfer window.
“I love smart people, and the smart people learn from their mistakes. If this season was like this, it is because we made many mistakes. Sincerely, from the mistakes, we have to find the reason to improve, to work harder, and to understand the mistakes. Otherwise, we can’t compete.
“We have a great relationship with (sporting directors) Johan (Lange) and Vinai (Venkatesham), and the board, they have no doubt, but it is right. I came (to) plan a new project.
“From today we have to start to work. My target when I came was today. To arrive today (with Premier League safety).
“We are lucky to have a lot of good players, a lot of good guys, but I think we have to complete the squad in the best way, with the first level of players, the right behaviour of the players.
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Sport | Football
Lewis family promise change in apology letter to Tottenham fans after relegation battle
Spurs fan frustration has frequently been aimed at ENIC
George Sessions
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The Lewis family, majority owners of Tottenham, has vowed to rebuild trust with the club's supporters, committing to "meaningful change" after two consecutive seasons saw the team finish a disappointing 17th in the Premier League.
This pledge comes in the wake of a tumultuous campaign that saw Spurs narrowly avoid a catastrophic relegation by just two points, securing a 1-0 victory over Everton on the final day under Roberto De Zerbi.
The season was marked by instability, with the club cycling through three different head coaches.
Fan frustration has frequently been aimed at ENIC, the Lewis family's holding company, and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, amidst a year of profound upheaval.
A significant shift occurred in September when long-serving chairman Daniel Levy was asked to step down, following an extensive review commissioned by the Lewis family earlier in 2025. Levy had been the primary decision-maker at Spurs for nearly 25 years, despite ENIC's majority ownership.
Daniel Levy
PA
During a letter to Tottenham fans, the Lewis family acknowledged they were “bitterly disappointed” with recent seasons, accepted ultimate responsibility for the current situation, but promised a rebuild had started and investment would bring about “deep” change.
The Lewis family letter in full
“To the fans, as owners of 25 years, we have lived the highs and lows of Spurs with you,” a statement from the Lewis family read.
“Finishing 17th this and last season does not reflect the stature or potential of this football club. We are bitterly disappointed and share your frustration.
“You, and we, expect more than this. We know this must never happen again.
“Our approach to running the club is, and has been, to trust the experts to do that, while backing them to be successful.
“The problems we found were deeper than we realized and were allowed to build over the last few years.
“We know that has eroded trust and we have to win that back. As owners, we take ultimate responsibility for the situation in which the club finds itself.
“We also take responsibility for rebuilding Spurs. Our ambition is to recapture the spirit of the club and bring back the excitement, the fearlessness and the bold football we have always felt defined us.
“That means football comes first. The Board and Executive team have laid out their plans to meet this ambition.
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“This will require investment – in our teams, the academy, our backroom functions and more – and we are fully committed to this.
“We are not selling the club. We are all in. We are investing in it. You will see more of this in the coming months.
“We care deeply about Spurs. The rebuilding the club needs, and you deserve, has begun. The change required is deep. It will take time and commitment, but change is happening.
“We know that actions will speak louder than words.”
A Tottenham Hotspur fan holds a banner in protest of ENIC Group, co-owners of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 30, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
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Injuries have been an enormous factor in Tottenham’s last two seasons and a review into the medical side of the club has been launched by new performance director Dan Lewindon.
Lewindon is one of several appointments backed by the Lewis family over the last 12 months, with Rafi Moersen also set to join and start soon from City Football Group as director of football operations.
CEO Venkatesham was the first major hire by the Lewis family last April and even though the ex-Arsenal executive has endured a difficult first season at Tottenham, there is strong internal support for him, PA understands.
Venkatesham was forced to rebuild Spurs’ football department mid-season, but is now surrounded by several key figures.
“The club had some serious challenges that it needs to address on the football side. We know what those are. We are addressing them. We are fixing them,” Venkatesham told BBC Sport.
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Tottenham have reignited their interest in Savinho and are attempting to sign him this summer.
Standard Sport understands Spurs are back in for the Brazilian winger after coming close to reaching an agreement to sign him last summer, but the move never quite got over the line.
But now talks are taking place over reviving the move after Spurs survived relegation and Savinho fell further down the pecking order at City following the January arrival of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth. The fine form of Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki has also made minutes hard to come by.
Spurs pushed hard to sign Savinho last summer, but the Brazilian ultimately opted to stay in the northwest and signed a new contract in October which runs through summer 2031.
He spent this season on the fringes of Guardiola’s squad, starting just 14 matches and producing six goal contributions.
It was no great surprise, then, to see him left out of Brazil’s squad for this summer’s World Cup, with Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli and a 34-year-old Neymar among the wingers preferred.
And Savinho may now look to greener pastures as he tumbles down the Man City hierarchy. The expected appointment of Enzo Maresca as the club’s new manager provides a further unknown.
Considerable player turnover is expected at Tottenham this summer after the club remained under threat of relegation until the final day of the season.
Speaking after Spurs edged Everton at the weekend to secure their top-flight status, Roberto De Zerbi said he only considered 12 members of his squad good enough to stay next season.
.jpeg?width=1200&auto=webp&quality=75 "How Tottenham could line up for the first game of next Premier League season - London Evening Standard")
Transfer speculation already circulating Spurs days after Premier League survival was secured
Sam Tabuteau
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The dust has barely settled on Tottenham’s Premier League survival and attention has already turned towards next season.
Spurs are determined to move on from last season as quickly as possible, and Roberto De Zerbi has already called for wholesale changes to his playing squad.
The Spurs boss admitted after Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Everton that there were only between 11 or 12 players he wanted to keep at the club next season.
Non-executive chairman, Peter Charrington, then stated on Monday that the club would “invest across multiple transfer windows to rebuild, balance and strengthen” the squad, starting this summer.
Rumours have already started to circulate about who Spurs could try to sign in the coming months, with Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Manchester City pair Savinho and James Trafford all heavily linked.
Marcos Senesi is reportedly set to join on a free transfer
Getty
De Zerbi is keen to add experience to his squad and overhaul the leadership group which struggled with the pressures of a relegation battle.
Scotland skipper Robertson and Senesi have both captained Liverpool and Bournemouth, respectively, on multiple occasions.
The defensive pair, both available as free agents this summer, would also bring Premier League experience, having racked up a combined 447 top-flight appearances.
Reported interest in Senesi makes sense with the futures of centre-back duo Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven unclear.
Spurs have been in the market for a new goalkeeper for some time, with first choice shot-stopper Guglielmo Vicario heavily linked with a move back to Italy.
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The form of stand-in keeper Antonin Kinsky has complicated matters, with the Czech international recovering from a disaster Champions League debut to prove a key player during the run-in as Spurs secured Premier League survival on the final day of the season.
Still, Spurs have a longstanding interest in James Trafford, who has struggled for minutes at City.
James Trafford is of interest
Getty
The England keeper will be keen for regular minutes next season and Spurs could yet make a move for the 23-year-old.
Spurs have been much improved under De Zerbi. However, their struggles in attack have continued under the Italian, with an injury-hit frontline managing eight goals in De Zerbi’s seven games in charge.
De Zerbi will be mindful not to make sweeping changes in attack, with Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, Mohammed Kudus and Wilson Odobert all expected back from injury next season.
That said, Brazilian winger Savinho has been a key target for Spurs over the last 12 months and they could look to capitalise on a summer of change at City to bring the winger in on a cut-price deal, having balked at the £70million asking price last summer.
There is also a conversation to be had over whether Spurs make Joao Palhinha’s loan deal permanent.
Spurs hold on option to sign Joao Palhinha permanently
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De Zerbi is 100 per cent adamant he wants to keep Palhinha next season, while the Bayern Munich midfielder has said he would also like to stay in north London next term.
Spurs have a £25.8million option to sign Palhinha, who scored two crucial goals to help Spurs avoid relegation, on a permanent deal.
It is expected to be a busy of summer of incomings and outgoings at Spurs this summer.
So, here is how Standard Sport thinks Spurs could potentially line up on the first game of next season...
Potential Tottenham XI for next season: Trafford; Porro, Senesi, Van de Ven, Robertson; Bentancur, Palhinha, Maddison; Savinho, Solanke, Tel
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