De Zerbi reveals Tottenham planning ‘huge’ attacking transfer after record summer outlay

Roberto De Zerbi says Tottenham are preparing what he described as a “bomb” signing in attack, despite claiming the club are only “60%” of the way through their summer rebuild after already breaking their transfer record twice.

Spurs have spent £237m so far, bringing in Sandro Tonali for £100m, Matheus Fernandes for £85m and Jan Paul van Hecke for £52m.

They have also added Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers, following back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League.

Yet De Zerbi insists his overhaul is far from complete and that a headline attacking addition remains on the agenda before the new season.

‘Transfer window not finished’

The Italian confirmed Tottenham’s recruitment drive will continue and hinted at a major deal still to come, one which is not thought to be Manchester City winger Savinho, who is also a Spurs target according to the Daily Mail.

De Zerbi said: “The transfer market is definitely not finished, but we have done 60% of our project in the transfer market. And now we have another bomb.”

Asked if that move was close to being finalised, after he had already set out his transfer priorities in talks with the Tottenham hierarchy, he replied: “I hope so, but it is definitely not finished.”

De Zerbi made clear his focus is on strengthening the forward line but stressed he does not like working through long lists of alternatives once he has identified his preferred targets.

“We want strikers and then we will define their positions,” he continued. “Usually I don’t like to work with Plan A, then Plan B, then Plan C. I start with Plan A, then I stop. Because players are not the same. There are not two players who are the same.”

Uncertain futures for key players

De Zerbi also revealed that several members of his current squad have already discussed the possibility of leaving the club this summer.

Djed Spence, who impressed with England at the World Cup, has previously spoken to the head coach about his desire to move on from Tottenham in the current window.

Spence is not alone in considering his future, with De Zerbi saying there is interest in departures from other senior figures, including Cristian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario and Lucas Bergvall.

“In the beginning of my period, in April, I had, I don’t know, one million individual meetings,” De Zerbi said. “Romero and Vicario told me their idea, I told them: ‘Yes, help me to stay afloat, then I will help you to leave. If you don’t help me to stay afloat, you will stay under the water with me.’”

Tottenham’s significant early spending and the prospect of at least one more marquee attacking signing underline the scale of the club’s rebuild under De Zerbi as they attempt to move on from consecutive relegation battles and re-establish themselves higher up the Premier League table.