Roberto De Zerbi on Tottenham's Record Summer Spending

Roberto De Zerbi insists Tottenham’s eye-watering summer outlay is not about him. It is about the people signing the cheques.

Spurs have surged past the £300million mark in this window as they rip up and rebuild the squad, capped this week by the arrivals of Manchester City pair Omar Marmoush and Savio. The scale of the overhaul would have been unthinkable a year ago, when the club only just escaped relegation to the Championship.

De Zerbi has been widely praised for persuading players such as Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali and Jan Paul van Hecke to buy into a project that, not long ago, looked fragile. His tactical reputation and front-foot style have helped change perceptions of Spurs in the market.

He is not having the credit, though.

Asked how much of this aggressive recruitment drive was down to him, the Italian turned the spotlight firmly on the club’s hierarchy and the Lewis Family ownership.

No, (what) makes the difference (is the) behaviour and ambition of the owner,” De Zerbi said. “Because these players are not here for me or because I need them.

“I am an employee of the club, I’m not the owner. But the ambition of the owner made the difference, for sure, because the owner pushed to close (deals for) the players.

The owners’ ambition is so big, right through transfers, for every one of us, the players, the board, the staff, with myself. The motivation to do better.”

Eight signings in, Spurs are still not satisfied. The rebuild is not quite complete.

On Thursday night, De Zerbi sat down for dinner with members of the Lewis Family, CEO Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange to thrash out plans for the final week of the window.

“I think we can do one player more and in one specific position,” he said. “But yesterday we went for dinner with the owner, with Vinai, with Johan and with Enrico Venturelli. We spoke about this, but we have all of us on the same page and there is a very good connection.”

That “one more” looks targeted. Spurs are understood to be open to adding either another winger or a backup right-back to push Pedro Porro.

The money is there. The targets are clear. And, as De Zerbi keeps reminding everyone, the owners are still pressing the accelerator.