Tottenham’s Rebuild: £237m Spent but Still More to Come

Tottenham are not done yet. Not by a long way.

Roberto De Zerbi has made it clear that the club’s lavish summer rebuild is only around “60 per cent” complete, even after a window that has already seen Spurs throw roughly £237million at six new signings.

Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke have arrived for serious money, reshaping the spine of the side. Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka have come in on free transfers to add experience and depth. It already looks like a different Tottenham.

De Zerbi, though, is still hunting.

‘Like a shark’ in the market

The Italian did not bother to hide his intent when speaking to football.london.

“In the transfer market, when I want one player, I become like a shark. No chance to say no,” he said, summing up his approach with a single, ruthless image.

He insists the window is far from over.

“The transfer market, it’s not finished for sure, but we completed 60 per cent of our project in the transfer market. Now we have another bomba.”

That “bomba” is expected to be an attacker. Tottenham want a winger, possibly along with another striker, before the window shuts on September 1. The club’s focus is clear: more goals, more threat, more variety in the final third.

Savinho high on Spurs’ list

Standard Sport understands that Spurs hold a strong interest in Manchester City winger Savinho, with the Brazilian having informed City earlier this week that he wants to leave in search of regular minutes.

He is not the only name on the list, but he is high on it. His direct running and ability to dart in behind defences fit neatly with what De Zerbi wants from his wide players.

That list of targets was drawn up in March, during detailed discussions between De Zerbi and sporting director Johan Lange, and Savinho’s profile stands out: aggressive, vertical, and comfortable attacking space.

Asked whether a deal for a new forward was close, De Zerbi admitted there were still details to be finalised, but he made no secret of his hope that negotiations can be wrapped up soon.

The pressure is on the club to deliver him that extra cutting edge.

Built from the full-backs out

For De Zerbi, though, the search for a winger is not just about individual flair. It is about unlocking what he believes is one of the strongest full-back units in world football.

“No two players are the same,” he said. “A winger can be a very wide winger, one able to come inside, a winger without a full-back, a winger able to play with the full-back.”

The nuance matters. In his system, the winger is chosen to complement the full-back, not the other way around.

“We have four great full-backs at the moment, maybe the four most important full-backs in the world, because I think Pedro Porro is the best right-back in the world, with [Destiny] Udogie, Robertson, and Djed Spence can play right and left.

“Before bringing in a winger, we have to consider the full-back, because we start from the full-back, from the player we already have, no?”

It is a revealing line. Tottenham’s rebuild is not a scattergun spree; it is being constructed around specific pillars. The full-backs are one of them. The next winger must fit that puzzle, not simply add another name to an already expensive list.

Tottenham have spent big, moved fast and reshaped the squad. De Zerbi’s message is that the real statement signing may still be on its way.