Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has won everyone over at the club, and if saving Spurs from relegation were not enough, the Italian coach has added more positive buzz around his name this summer by landing three serious Premier League starters in Jan Paul van Hecke, Sandro Tonali, and Mateus Fernandes.
These three players alone cost nearly 250 million pounds combined, and that has led many around European football to take notice of both Spurs and De Zerbi as serious players in the transfer market all of a sudden.
For years, Spurs did not spend. Their record signing before De Zerbi's arrival was Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth for 65 million pounds. Tottenham outspent that mark on two center midfielders this summer, and they are expected to sign two more forwards for at least that amount - and the players linked to Spurs are definitely bigger names than Solanke, who was a Premier League retread and a possible late bloomer for mid table side Bournemouth at the time of his signing.
Roberto De Zerbi is ready to compete for anyone
The thing is, Roberto De Zerbi hasn't changed Tottenham Hotspur for the better from a transfer and recruitment perspective just because he is getting Vinai Venkatesham and the Lewis Family to spend more money than the club did last year under Daniel Levy - or even last winter when Levy was already gone.
No, the difference is WHO Tottenham are targeting and who they are signing. Spurs would never dare compete with Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Real Madrid for marquee midfield prospects, let alone beat all four clubs to spend a combined 185 million pounds on Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. The former was a crucial starter for 2021/22 Serie A champions AC Milan and the latter is one of the best young midfielders on the planet.
Tottenham are also looking at players like Savinho and Omar Marmoush, who were once Player of the Season candidates in La Liga and the Bundesliga, respectively, before joining arguably the richest club in the world in Manchester City.
Spurs are after an entirely different caliber of player compared to previous transfer windows when they would have run away at the sight of a Marc Guehi or a Desire Doue. They were able to sign great players like Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons last season, sure, but when it came to the players that the best teams in the world really wanted, Tottenham were nowhere to be found until now.
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