‘No pressure’ for Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi, who backs squad to fight at the top

LONDON – Strolling into the studio for his interview with Singaporean media, Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto de Zerbi had the unhurried calm of a man untroubled by his side’s underwhelming start to the season.

At the club’s training centre in Enfield, just outside London, the Italian said he does not “feel the pressure” despite Spurs’ summer transfer splurge of more than £300 million (S$514 million) and a difficult start to the 2026 to 2027 campaign that has yielded just one point and no goals in three English Premier League games.

The 47-year-old said on Sept 10: “I think we spent the money considering the league we are in, the Premier League.

“There are many teams that spent more than Tottenham, even this season, but for me it’s not a pressure.

“The owner and the board, they’ve worked it very well. They have a very clear plan and project. Now we have to work. We have to improve for sure; we have to make results, and we have to play better. But pressure about the money – nothing.”

It is a composure that belies the scale of what has been asked of him.

Since taking charge in the final months of last season, he steadied a side who were flirting with relegation and kept them up, finishing 17th.

De Zerbi invested in a squad rebuild over the summer, with Sandro Tonali arriving from Newcastle for over £100 million, and further bolstering the squad with players such as Omar Marmoush, Savinho, Mateus Fernandes, Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka.

Yet three matches into the new campaign, Spurs have made their worst start in the league since 2008, and sit 17th in the table, a sobering position for a squad assembled with ambitions to fight for the top four.

“We started in a good way in this transfer market, not in the results for the first three games, but the plan is very clear,” said de Zerbi.

“The goal is to help the club go to the top of the table in the Premier League and to stay there, not for just one season and then another season to fight for relegation.”

Much of the early struggle, he admitted, comes down to timing. With several new faces integrated in a matter of weeks, some barely a fortnight into pre-season training with the group, the manager conceded that they are still finding their rhythm on the pitch.

He added: “We kept important players like Micky van de Ven (captain), Pedro Porro, Rodrigo Bentancur, and many others, and we brought many new players, very good new players.

“But you know, in football you can organise, you can build players, but to make results, you need to play as a team. And it’s not an immediate process to arrive at being a good team – good in terms of relationships, in connection on the pitch and outside of the pitch.

“We haven’t had too much time. We are working hard. I’m positive, but before I say what the achievement is, we have to find the things to become a team.”

Argentine centre-back Senesi, who recently joined from Bournemouth, stressed that it was too early in the season to talk about mentality.

The 29-year-old added: “We have to talk about what we can improve, what we can do better every game, every week, and there are a lot of things that we can improve to have a good season.”

Fellow new arrival Dubravka said: “Everyone in the team is hungry. They are ready to compete. Obviously, if you look at the squad now, it’s a big squad, so everyone wants to play, and they push each other.

“I’m glad that we have so many quality players here. They push each other, and that’s the most important thing – every position, the keeper’s position as well.

“For me, for example, there’s Antonin Kinsky, and Brandon Austin is a great goalkeeper as well. So we’re pushing each other, and this is the most important thing.”

Spurs will play eighth-placed Everton at home on Sept 12 (Sept 13, Singapore time).

• The writer’s trip is hosted by AIA Singapore.

• Dive into all the sporting action and trends in Singapore with ST’s weekly newsletter.