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“We closed one page and we opened another page today,” said Roberto, in an exclusive interview with SPURSPLAY presenter and Spurs fan, Ben Haines, at Hotspur Way on Monday.

Here’s what Roberto had to say…

Ben: Roberto, you've been here 56 days now - does this feel like day one?

Roberto: “We closed one page and we opened another page today, because we have no time, we have to organise the next season, we have to build a stronger team, but I'm very happy and very proud of what every one of us did. It was incredible, I think, but it's finished. Now we have to move on and to prepare the future of our club.”

What have you learned about this club in the short time you've been here?

Roberto: “I feel a great connection with this club, maybe because I came in a very tough moment. We went through a difficult period, and I think we became stronger. I think we can keep in our heads what was the situation last season and to become better, for sure - become better as a coach, as players, as a club. We can't make the same mistakes, otherwise we can't improve, we can't become better.”

It's maybe been 24 hours since the scenes yesterday. Did you feel the love from the fans at the end, when you have that moment on the pitch and they're all singing? Did you feel that connection?

Roberto: “By the beginning, I felt the connection with the players, with the club, but also with the fans. They need passionate people and they need maybe people who believe to stay up. I believed to stay up at the beginning in my time. I was surprised about the negative thoughts in that period, because I was focused on the qualities of the players. At the end, if you work well, if you believe in yourself, if you try to put the players in the right condition to play, I think the results are normally to achieve.”

You definitely felt that belief start to come through, and you certainly saw it with the players. I wondered if there were any moments along the way that stood out for you in the seven games as the most important moments?

Roberto: “I think, sincerely, the dinner, the day of the dinner together, because you build a relationship in the training ground, on the pitch. After the training ground, the pitch, the football, there is a people, there is a man, there is a relationship with the players and maybe in that situation, they knew better myself, I knew better them, and I think it was an important day. But to achieve the target is day by day. It's day by day. You can't lose energy, you can't lose training, and the reaction we showed after the defeat in Sunderland or in Chelsea is the same - I think the reaction was good.”

Was there anything on the pitch or was there a game that you felt was definitive, deciding for us?

Roberto: “Again, Brighton, we played a great game. We deserved to win, absolutely, and the other game, the other crucial game was Villa Park. We played well, we won against a great team. They showed the right spirit, the right passion, the right attitude. Also the confidence of the players was different, completely different than three weeks before in Sunderland, for example. At the end of that game, I saw the players on the floor crying. What is this situation? I said, ‘no’. I have a great memory about these seven games.”

Do you feel we'll be stronger next season?

Roberto: “No, for sure. For sure. I love smart people. The smart people learn from the mistakes. If this season was like this, it's because we made many mistakes and sincerely, from the mistakes, you have to find the reason to improve, to work harder and to understand the mistakes. Otherwise, you can't compete.”

You said at the beginning you had to limit your messaging in terms of the things that players would take on board. Are you excited to share your philosophy and what you want to bring to this team on the training field with more time?

Roberto: “Yes, but at the end, I think I gave a lot of details and ideas. I was not so strong because I thought maybe to go too strong is like losing energy because you can win the with the style, but first of all, you need the spirit, the attitude, the behaviour. The next season, I'm ready to go stronger."

Tell me what comes now in terms of recruitment. How soon do you look at what you want player-wise in the summer? And do you feel the club are there to support you in that?

Roberto: “Listen, we have a great relationship with Johan and Vinai and the whole board. I have no doubt, but it's right because I came to start a new plan, a new project, and the plan was not in Sunderland. It was after Everton, staying in the Premier League. My target was very clear at the beginning. I gave all my best. I pushed to arrive at today. From today, we have to start to work. Look, my target when I came was today, to arrive today, after the last game and planning the next Premier League. I'm sure we have not to change too many players. It's not right. It's not right because we are lucky to have a lot of good players, a lot of good guys. I think we have to complete the squad in the best way, with the first level of players, with the right behaviour of the players, because now the qualities of the players are important, but more important is the spirit, the mentality of these players - and now the job starts."

Do you have a priority in terms of the work you would like to do with the players?

Roberto: “I want to improve the quality of the play, for sure. I want to improve build-up because normally you are focused on the last 30 metres, but you can improve the last 30 metres if you play better in the first 70 metres. In build-up, we have to improve in the ball possession, we have to improve in the control of the game, for sure in the finishing, the last pass, the assists, a lot of things. We have time now to organise the improvement of the play.”

What will summer look like for you?

Roberto: “I'm looking forward to build a new team. I'm looking forward to call these players, to speak with them and to introduce the new season and to speak with the new players we have to bring. We are lucky to stay here and we have to compete in the best way we can.”

You mentioned yesterday that it felt like being underwater for 55 days. How does the air feel now?

Roberto: “I think it was the best day in football and I'm not so young, because when you win a trophy or when you win a league, yes, it’s a very, very nice moment, but when you stay up, it's better. It's more intense as a moment.”

We felt the energy of the fans, and we felt everyone come together. Now we're all going to be apart for a little while. Do you have a message for the fans?

Roberto: “No, just to say thanks, because yesterday when we arrived with the bus it was an incredible emotion and if we stay up it's also their credit.”

The defender will join as a Lilywhite upon the opening of the summer transfer window and has signed a long-term contract with the club.

Spending the last two seasons in Germany with VfL Wolfsburg, Cailtin has racked up an impressive 178 appearances in her career to date and brings an impressive amount of honours already.

Now embarking on a new chapter in her footballing journey with a move to England, we take a look at her career so far.

A footballing family and early stages in the Netherlands

Football has been in Caitlin’s family before she was born with her father, Meindert, a former professional player who had spells in the Dutch leagues before spending two seasons in England with Notts County.

Having heard stories about her father, she followed in his footsteps into the professional game in Women’s football, first starting her youth career with RKVV JEKA before moving to CTO Eindhoven, where she combined playing football with her studies.

A versatile individual across the backline, adept at playing centrally or at full-back, Caitlin then joined Ajax ahead of the 2018/19 season as a 20-year-old and made her debut in the UEFA Women’s Champions League against Lyon in the group phase, making a further 14 appearances in her maiden senior campaign.

Whilst still finding her feet in a professional environment, the following term saw her feature a further seven times for Ajax in the Eredivisie before enjoying a breakthrough season in 2020/21 when she made 23 appearances in all competitions and featured in their Eredivisie Cup final 3-2 success against FC Twente in April, 2021.

On the international stage, having captained the Netherlands at Under-23 level, she received her maiden call-up to the senior national team in September, 2021 and made her debut in a goalless draw with Japan in The Hauge two months later.

A new opportunity awaits

After three seasons in Amsterdam, Caitlin decided to join then defending champions FC Twente upon the expiry of her contract with Ajax and the ball-playing centre-back would start 22 of their 23 league games as The Tukkers successfully retained the Eredivisie title – the first league title of Caitlin’s career.

In cup competitions, she tasted success once again in the Eredivisie Cup after overcoming her former side, Ajax, 4-3 in the final and featured in the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying rounds, scoring her maiden senior goal in a 9-0 win over FC Nike in August, 2021.

Her form for FC Twente earned a call-up to her nation’s senior squad for 2022 UEFA European Championships where they lost to France in the quarter-finals of the competition.

On the domestic scene, the trophy success continued for Caitlin and FC Twente as they won Eredivisie Cup for a second consecutive year and added the KNVB Beker and KNVB Super Cup, with the centre-back playing the full match in each showpiece event. Despite sweeping the cup competitions, her side missed out on the league title by one point to Ajax, with Caitlin making the starting XI on 20 occasions and finding the back of the net four times.

From the Netherlands to Germany

After an enormous amount of success in her home country, the physically commanding defender swapped the Netherlands for Germany to join Wolfsburg in the summer of 2023, but was immediately loaned back to FC Twente for one more season.

Lifting the KNVB Super Cup ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, she made a further 22 appearances to help her side regain the Eredivisie – and for the second time in her career – as they finished just two points ahead of Ajax.

Returning to Germany for the 2024/25 season, Caitlin’s maiden year in the Frauen-Bundesliga was hampered by injury which limited her to just 12 league games overall as the She Wolves finished second in the table and secured Champions League qualification.

That summer, the 2025 UEFA Euros followed for her nation and, after being named in her second European international tournament, she was a substitute in all three group stage fixtures in the competition as the Dutch suffered an early exit after finishing third in the group.

In her second season with the German side this term, Caitlin became a more prominent figure with 17 Bundesliga appearances and started every Champions League fixture from the league phase to the quarter-finals, where they were eventually beaten 4-0 by runners-up Lyon.

It all starts with co-hosts Mexico taking on South Africa at the famous Azteca (now known as the Estadio Banorte) in Mexico City on Thursday, 11 June (8pm UK).

Co-hosted by USA and Canada, this will be the 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup, the inaugural tournament held back in 1930.

As we build up to the summer’s football fest, we take a look at the Spurs players to feature on the greatest stage of all…

Spurs at the World Cup | 1950

The first Spurs player to feature in the World Cup finals while on our books as a professional will be forever, indelibly linked to England’s greatest triumph – Sir Alf Ramsey.

Indeed, four all-time Spurs legends were named in the England squad for Brazil in 1950 after clinching the 1949/50 Second Division title – Ramsey, ‘Mr Tottenham’ Bill Nicholson, Bill’s assistant, Eddie Baily and goalkeeping great, Ted Ditchburn.

Ramsey won his first England cap as a Spurs man against Italy in November, 1949 - ironically at White Hart Lane, in front of over 70,000 fans - and became our first player to feature in the tournament in England’s opening Group Two game against Chile at the famous Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Aged 30, he played his part in a promising start by the Three Lions, who won 2-0 thanks to goals from Stan Mortensen and Wilf Mannion.

That was as good as it got though. England’s second game against the minnows from the USA has gone down in football folklore as one of the biggest World Cup surprises of all time, as the Americans won 1-0 in Belo Horizonte, with Ramsey in the line-up. Years later, during a TV interview, Ramsey was asked by the late Brian Moore, ‘did you play when the USA beat England in the 1950 World Cup?’ - to which Alf replied, ‘I was the only one who did!’

In the final group game against Spain, Ramsey was joined by Baily in the England team, but they suffered another 1-0 defeat and with only the group winners progressing, it meant a disappointing early exit.

As we all know, Ramsey would return to the World Cup as a hero – 16 years later he guided England to their greatest moment, lifting the trophy on home soil in 1966.

The Italy international made eight saves from the nine shots on his goal in the 1-0 home defeat which included a superb reflex save to deny Joao Pedro from close range in second-half stoppage time that received a Save of the Month nomination.

Vic is up against Jordan Pickford, Robin Roefs, Martin Dubravka, Robert Sanchez and Jose Sa for the seasonal prize - vote for our goalkeeper here.

The 27-year-old Netherlands international will join us this summer upon the expiry of her contract with VfL Wolfsburg.

Describing herself as a ball-playing defender, Caitlin arrives in north London after the last two seasons in Germany with Wolfsburg with experience of playing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, reaching the quarter-final stage this campaign.

Here are a selection from her first day at Hotspur Way as she completed her media duties.

SPURSPLAY

The 27-year-old Netherlands international defender has signed a long-term contract with the Club and will join this summer following the expiry of her contract at Wolfsburg.

Caitlin Dijkstra said: "It feels amazing to join Spurs, I have almost no words for it! I'm a player who wants to achieve all the big things. I'm ready for this, and I'm really happy for the opportunity I have with this Club."

Our Head Coach Martin Ho said: "Caitlin is a player with real pedigree, maturity and top-level experience. She has developed and competed in winning environments, played in major European competitions, and continues to be an important player for the Netherlands at international level, so she arrives with a clear understanding of what high performance football demands.

"What we really like about Caitlin is not only her defensive quality, but her composure, intelligence and ability to help a team build from the back. She is calm under pressure, reads the game well, defends with discipline and gives us another strong profile within our defensive unit.

"We are delighted she has chosen Tottenham for the next step in her career. There was significant interest in Caitlin, which speaks to the level of player she already is, but also the level people believe she can still reach. Our role now is to give her the environment, support and challenge to keep developing her game, maximise her qualities and become an important player for this Club. We believe she has the qualities, mentality and ambition to be a really important part of what we are building here."

Born in Breda, Netherlands, Caitlin started her youth career with hometown club RKVV JEKA followed by a move to CTO Eindhoven, before joining AFC Ajax in 2018 as a 20-year-old.

Her debut came in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, coming on as a substitute in their clash with Lyon, and she then went on to make 15 appearances in total in her maiden season at senior level, which ended in silverware as she helped her side to KNVB Women’s Cup.

A ball-playing defender, she spent a further two seasons in Amsterdam, winning the Eredivisie Cup in 2020/21, before joining FC Twente in April, 2021. Becoming a regular member of their backline, she started all but one league game to help them to the Eredivisie and Eredivisie Cup double in 2021/22 and added the Eredivisie Cup, KNVB Beker Women’s Cup and KNVB Super Cup the following campaign.

Caitlin then signed for German outfit VfL Wolfsburg in June, 2023, but spent the season on loan back at FC Twente, winning the Dutch league title for the second time in her career.

Returning to Germany ahead of the 2024/25 campaign and overcoming a spell on the sidelines with injury, she made her debut for the She-Wolves in December, 2024 and went on to make 46 appearances in all competitions, including 11 in the Champions League.

To the fans,

As owners of 25 years, we have lived the highs and lows of Spurs with you.

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 realised 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.

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 rebuild 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.

The Lewis Family

Get to know our Academy players taking part in World Sevens Football London  Tottenham Hotspur