Roberto De Zerbi has put a blunt frame on Tottenham’s summer. He said: "I think we have now to change too many players." That lands after Tottenham finished 17th for consecutive seasons, and after a transfer window that has already seen Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi arrive as free agents. Jan Paul van Hecke has also agreed a £52million move, with the expectation he would immediately slot in as the right-sided centre-back.

De Zerbi's view of the squad

The quote is the clearest sign that Spurs are thinking in squad-wide terms rather than shopping for one headline name. De Zerbi also added: "We have 10, 11, 12 players good enough to stay." That is a pretty direct assessment of the scale of the reset he thinks is needed.

Tottenham's recent league run does not cancel that out. They have won 3 of their last 5 Premier League matches, but the wider picture still points to a club trying to reshape a side that has fallen short for two straight seasons.

Tonali and Rashford sit inside that bigger reset

The transfer links back up the argument. Tottenham submitted an £80million bid for Sandro Tonali, but Newcastle want around £100m and rejected the offer, according to ChronicleLive and football.london. Tonali has averaged 6.9 across his last five Premier League matches and played 420 minutes in that stretch, so Newcastle have plenty of reason to hold a firm line.

Marcus Rashford is the other name in the mix. The i paper says Tottenham are unwilling to meet his £40m clause, while Rashford is claimed to prefer a move abroad. His last five matches across club and international duty have produced a 6.53 average and 1 goal, which does not exactly scream a player about to drag a club into paying a premium.

De Zerbi's language is the useful part here. Tottenham are not being linked with one targeted addition, they are being pushed towards a deeper clear-out and a broader refresh. If the Van Hecke move is completed as expected, it will only add to the sense that this is a rebuild already in motion.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →