Matty Writes Sports

The 2024/25 and 2025/26 Premier League campaigns couldn’t have gone much worse for Tottenham, with back to back 17th placed finishes, a far cry from consistently competing at the top and featuring in the 2019 Champions League Final. A club like Tottenham belong near the top, and the last two seasons haven’t changed that.

There was a keen sense of optimism last season when Thomas Frank was poached away from fellow Londoners Brentford, but his tenure couldn’t have gone much worse. Sacked in February with the club lurking above the relegation zone, it took the late season appointment of Roberto de Zerbi for the club to retain their Premier League status.

However, a new season brings new hope, and, although most Tottenham fans know better than to dream, there are encouraging signs for optimism this time around, and the question is:

Can Spurs finally bounce back?

Last Season

If Spurs fans thought that the 2024/25 season was bad, enter 2025/26. With Thomas Frank in charge, Spurs looked primed for a return to form, fresh off of a Europa League win and competing amongst the European Elite once again. Big names like Xavi Simons arrived with plenty of promise and early signs were good; a 2-0 victory over Manchester City and taking European Champions PSG to penalties were early signs of progress, but after that, the wheels well and truly fell off the bus.

Calamitous defeat after calamitous defeat, including a 4-1 demolition at the hands of fierce rivals Arsenal left Spurs teetering above the relegation zone come the end of January. Eventually Frank was sacked after losing the faith of the board, and Igor Tudor was brought in. However, it was a case of new manager, same problems under the Croat, and he left his job after only a month and a half, failing to win a single game in the league, and overseeing the disastrous drubbing at the hands of Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

To save their season, former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi was hired, and the Italian just about did that; a final day victory over Everton ensured Tottenham’s safety, whilst ending rivals West Ham’s 14 year stay in the top flight at the same time.

The Boss

After the catastrophic appointments of both Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, Spurs fans will be happy to see a sense of stability at the club now, in the form of Italian manager Roberto de Zerbi, who joined the club following Tudor’s departure at the end of March. His first job was to keep The Lilywhites in the division, which he did so after a win over Everton on the final day. His new task is to bring Tottenham back to where they belong.

That starts with implementing his style on the pitch, which we aw glimpses of towards the end of last season. All of the typical hallmarks of a De Zerbi system were there, building through the back and capitalising on the press to blitz through the midfield and create chances after the opposition have overcommitted themselves. De Zerbi used this to full affect when he was the Brighton manager and when at Marseille, with defenders often putting their foot on the ball and inviting a heavy press.

De Zerbi loves to trust his players with the ball at their feet, and this makes some players far more crucial to Tottenham than they were before. For example, Czech goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky will definitely usurp previous number 1 Guglielmo Vicario due to his ability with the ball, despite a rough first Champions League start against Atletico Madrid, when Igor Tudor was in charge. If De Zerbi can get a tune out of Tottenham’s most technical, then they should be in good stead for a rapid improvement.

Confirmed Transfers

After finishing 17th for two consecutive seasons, Roberto De Zerbi knew that a big summer rebuild was in order, and, thankfully for the Italian, the Tottenham board were more than happy to fund such a rebuild.

That rebuild had its focus firmly on the middle of the park with both Sandro Tonali of Newcastle and Matheus Fernandes of recently relegated West Ham arriving for huge fees. Tonali had spent 3 successful years on Tyneside, helping The Magpies to their first trophy in over 70 years when they won the 2025 Carabao Cup final, but expressed a desire to leave following Newcastle’s disappointing 2025/26 campaign. Tottenham swooped in and forked out £100 million for the Italian, making him the headline addition for De Zerbi.

Fernandes meanwhile, had impressed at both Southampton and West Ham, despite suffering relegation with both The Saints and The Irons. Upon the latter’s relegation, Fernandes had his pick between Manchester United and Spurs, but chose to head to North London and form a dynamic midfield duo with Tonali, one that has the potential to grow into one of the Premier League’s best.

Additionally, Jan Paul Van Hecke joined from De Zerbi’s former side Brighton, with the Dutchman arriving for £52m, despite only having a year left on his deal. Van Hecke emerged into one of the Premier League’s most reliable central defenders during his time on the South Coast, and De Zerbi moved quickly to secure his signature.

Lastly, three experienced professionals joined on free deals; firstly, Marcos Senesi joined after his Bournemouth contract expired, Martin Dubravka agreed a deal to become Kinsky’s backup, and Liverpool great Andy Robertson joined too. Whilst Robertson’s best days are definitely behind him, the Scot is still a good signing and provides good squad depth for a side that suffered far too many injuries at the back last season.

Squad In Focus

For a side that has finished 17th twice in a row, Spurs’ team is far better than that on paper, and should be finishing far, far above such a lowly position. With the players De Zerbi has at his disposal, The Lilywhites will be expecting a much stronger finish this time around.

In goal, Czech stopper Antonin Kinsky looks set to take over the number 1 shirt from Italian Guglielmo Vicario, who had donned the gloves since 2023, but looks to be on the way out. Kinsky was trusted towards the end of the campaign by De Zerbi and now will be trusted as his number 1 for the season ahead.

At the back, Dutch duo Micky Van De Ven and Jan Paul Van Hecke will likely be the duo trusted by De Zerbi, with Kevin Danso and Marcos Senesi able to rotate for the two starters. Cristian Romero looks to be on his way out having agreed to terms with Atletico Madrid, whilst World Cup winner Pedro Porro will retain his place on the right; Porro fits De Zerbi’s system to a tee with his ability to invert and bait the press, and, alongside Robertson on the other side, will provide the width needed for De Zerbi’s rapid transitions. Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence could play parts too, but have both been linked with the exit door in recent weeks.

In midfield, De Zerbi has a plethora of options available to him, with Fernandes and Tonali seemingly nailed on to be starters, but the 3rd man in the middle is not yet known. It could be number 10 James Maddison, playing in a more advanced role than the two new big money men, Conor Gallagher could start and form a flat three in the middle, or even Archie Gray, Pape Matar Sarr or Rodrigo Bentancur could be trusted by De Zerbi in the middle. Tottenham have a lot of midfield depth and, it may take a while for the manager to find the midfield he likes best.

Up front is where Spurs certainly look the weakest with the swuad’s current state; big money signing Xavi Simons is recovering from an ACL tear, as is Wilson Odobert, Dominic Solanke doesn’t appear to be De Zerbi’s preferred option, whilst Dejan Kulusevski has been out injured with a mystery knee problem since Ange Postecoglou was in charge. However, on the positive side, Mohammed Kudus is ready to return from a quad injury that ruled him out of the World Cup, Mathys Tel showed positive signs under De Zerbi and the rumour mill is in overdrive surrounding potential signings out wide, and up top for The Lilywhites.

Key Player: Sandro Tonali

Whilst it may seem like a cop out to call a £100m signing their key player, that is what Sandro Tonali will have to be for Spurs to justify his enormous price tag, and he has all the tools to do so. Tonali arrives in North London with a strong reputation as an elite midfield anchor, extremely press resistant and more than adept at making progressive passes. The main factor that brought the Italian to Tottenham however, is his ability to retain the ball under pressure. Tonali is always composed no matter who is closing him down, and this elite technical ability under duress will be crucial for De Zerbi’s build up style. Tonali knows that he is under pressure to perform, but that is nothing new for him, and he looks set to become a crucial component of this Spurs side.

Player to Watch: Mohammed Kudus

Despite an injury affected first season in North London, Mohammed Kudus has all the ability in the world to bounce back stronger and prove his worth to the Tottenham faithful. The Ghanaian winger missed the World Cup with The Black Stars due to a quad injury, but looks set to return to full fitness by the time the new season rolls around. Kudus is a pacy, direct winger with elite technical ability, able to change a game with his mercurial one-on-one ability. Kudus excels in isolation, able to size up defenders and burst past using a mix of his pace and robust frame. Last season, Tottenham were severely missing an infusion of pace and technical ability out wide, and with Kudus back to full strength, he could be the key to pushing Spurs back up the table.

What’s Still Missing?

With their midfield targets secured, Tottenham have been extremely active in the transfer window to secure the rest of their targets, the majority of which play across the front line, with wingers on both sides and a striker being targeted by The North Londoners.

One of the most high-profile of those linked to the club is Liverpool winger Cody Gakpo, who would add to the club’s Dutch contingent of Xavi Simons, Micky Van de Ven and Jan Paul Van Hecke. Gakpo is a goalscoring winger, blessed with intelligent movement and excellent ball striking abilities, but can be frustrating to watch at times. Nevertheless, if Tottenham are able to strike a deal with The Reds, Gakpo would show that Tottenham seriously mean business and want to return to the top.

Another Premier League winger linked is Manchester City’s Savinho, who was also widely tipped to join The Lilywhites last season when Thomas Frank was in charge. Savinho is an extremely technical winger, an entirely different profile to Gakpo where he acts as more of a creator compared to Gakpo’s role as a finisher; Tottenham are clearly huge admirers of the 22 year old Brazilian, and may even be willing to part with over £60m to secure their man.

A breakout star from the World Cup, Norwegian starlet Andreas Schjelderup has also been linked with a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, after impressing during his time in Lisbon and in the US with his country. Schjelderup scored against England in Norway’s Quarter final defeat, and, despite the Norwegians’ exit from the tournament, Schjelderup impressed enough for clubs across Europe to take interest.

At the number 9 spot, with Solanke likely on his way out, Villarreal front man Georges Mikautadze has been touted with a move to Spurs as well; the Georgian international was one of the top scorers at Euro 2024, and had his shooting boots on again with The Yellow Submarine, scoring 15 goals in La Liga, as Villarreal finished 3rd.

Lastly, Eli Junior Kroupi of Bournemouth was attracting serious interest from the White side of London, with Spurs allegedly preparing to table a mid of £80m. However, the France u21 international picked up a foot injury in pre-season with The Cherries, and now any move away looks unlikely, at least until next summer.

Season Prediction

Despite Spurs’ 17th placed finish in the league last season, their squad still looks far better than that; bolstered by the midfield arrivals of Tonali and Fernandes, Spurs finally look to be back on the right track, and heading in the right direction.

De Zerbi is possibly the most crucial element of the new-look Spurs, and the Italian looks set to stick around for the long haul. If his players can adapt quickly to his high-intensity system, then Spurs have all the ingredients to cook up an excellent campaign. In addition, the added emphasis on Premier League proven talent can only be a good thing; previously, Tottenham relied too heavily on foreign imports, that, eventually did not go to plan. For every Micky Van De Ven, there was a Randal Kolo Muani, or Emerson Royal, and now, with the emphasis on Premier League players, there should be far less of an adaptation period.

However, a lot of Spurs’ success this season will depend on whether they can get in some new attackers. Richarlison is not the same player he was at Everton, Solanke has struggled for fitness throughout his time in North London, and whilst Mohammed Kudus is an excellent player, as it stands I struggle to see where the goals are going to come from. For all their excellent creative work, Fernandes and Tonali are not goalscorers from midfield, and James Maddison is no longer the reliable number 10 he was at Leicester. Even if just Cody Gakpo joins, his impact could be far bigger than many think.

For Spurs, consecutive 17th placed finishes are quite frankly, not good enough for a team with the ambitions such as theirs. With De Zerbi at the wheel, Tottenham should be poised for a much better season, one that Tottenham fans may finally be able to take joy in; but success rarely happens immediately, and it may take De Zerbi’s side a season to acclimatise.

My Prediction: 7th