De Zerbi wants Tottenham to keep spending after £303m summer rebuild

Roberto De Zerbi says Tottenham can continue spending heavily in the transfer market as he attempts to reshape a squad that narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship last season.

The Italian head coach has already overseen a major rebuild at the north London club during the summer transfer window, with Tottenham committing a reported combined £303m to seven new arrivals.

Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Savinho, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Andrew Robertson and Martin Dubravka have all joined Tottenham as part of the club’s rebuilding process.

De Zerbi, who took charge during the transitional period, has also seen former Tottenham captain Cristian Romero leave for Atletico de Madrid, while England international Djed Spence has moved to Serie A champions Inter Milan.

Speaking to Sky Sports before Tottenham’s Carabao Cup second-round tie against Charlton Athletic, De Zerbi said he had no concerns about the level of the club’s spending and would welcome further investment.

“I don’t feel pressure about the transfer market,” said De Zerbi to SkySports ahead of their Carabao Cup second round clash against to Charlton Athletic.

“If I can, I want to spend more money again without problems, because the other teams don’t spend anything different. We have nothing less than the other big clubs in the Premier League, especially now in my time. We are moving very well in the transfer market and why not?

“I can’t understand why Tottenham can’t compete with Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal. I don’t understand why Tottenham can’t spend the same money as Chelsea, Liverpool.”

Tottenham’s summer business has followed a difficult 2025/26 campaign, when the club came close to dropping into the Championship after a poor Premier League season.

The scale of the rebuild has seen experienced players, young talent and international footballers arrive, while the departures of Romero and Spence have altered the make-up of the squad.

De Zerbi believes Tottenham should be able to operate in the transfer market on the same level as the Premier League’s leading clubs. He specifically pointed to Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal as teams he believes Tottenham should be capable of competing with financially.

The club are also strongly linked with Manchester City’s Egypt forward Omar Marmoush, with personal terms reportedly already agreed.

That potential move would add to an expensive summer for Tottenham, who are aiming to recover quickly after beginning their league campaign with a 3-0 defeat by Brentford.

De Zerbi and his players will try to respond in their next Premier League fixture, when Tottenham host Newcastle United. Before then, they face Charlton Athletic in the second round of the Carabao Cup.

The manager’s comments underline his belief that Tottenham’s spending should not stop after the club’s initial £303m outlay, as he continues to oversee a squad rebuild following last season’s relegation battle.