Tottenham’s difficult start to the season shows little sign of easing, with Spurs having now gone four Premier League games without a win or a goal following their 0-0 home draw with Everton.
That result has only intensified the scrutiny on Roberto De Zerbi, with the Italian already facing questions over his side’s toothless attack and reports back in his homeland suggesting he could be under genuine pressure if results don’t improve soon.
Ahead of Tottenham’s midweek trip to face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, De Zerbi was pressed again on his side’s struggles, and pointed to a chaotic transfer window – with as many as ten new signings arriving this summer – as a key factor behind his team’s lack of physical sharpness.
“I am honest, I am always honest with you because when we play bad, I say we played very bad but when I come in press conference, 99 per cent I am honest, like with the players and like with the club,” De Zerbi said.
“I said we started this season late in many, many reasons and too late, many players at the World Cup, many injuries, many problems in Australia – Mateus Fernandes, Micky van de Ven, Dominic Solanke and for not our responsibility or our club responsibility.
“We bought two players late, Savio and Marmoush, and I started to work with this group not last Thursday, two Thursdays ago. So, I think we have not the right physical condition, yet.”
It’s a frank admission from De Zerbi, essentially asking for patience while his squad catches up physically after a disrupted pre-season and a summer of late arrivals, and his response to reporters asking when exactly he expects the squad to be fully firing was unconvincing, suggesting there will be heavy rotation at Anfield.
“I don’t know. Now we play Tuesday in Liverpool and we play with all other players, but it will be a very important game for us.”
Despite the uncertainty around his own position, De Zerbi is already looking ahead to strengthening his squad in January, with Spurs continuing to push for Brazilian teenager Arthur Dias.
Tottenham leading the charge for Brazil starlet
A report from TEAMtalk this week revealed Spurs are set to do battle with Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Brentford, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Como, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid and Benfica for the highly-rated young centre-back – ten clubs in total tracking the 19-year-old.
However, Football FanCast sources understand Tottenham are the most advanced with their interest, having already sent scouts to Brazil to watch Dias in action for Athletico Paranaense, coming away believing he had the profile to become one of the best defenders of his generation.
That interest turned concrete during the summer, when Spurs had an offer of €21m (£18.2m) for 80% of his rights rejected by Paranaense, who are understood to want closer to €30m (£26m) to do business.
Dias, a left-footed centre-back, has been a first-team regular since 2025 and will make his 50th senior appearance next weekend despite his age.
That rare level of experience for a teenager has caught the eye of clubs across Europe, and his rise took another significant step this month when he received his first senior call-up to the Brazil squad under Carlo Ancelotti for upcoming friendlies against Australia and India – a clear sign that Dias is entering a new stage of his development, and one that is only likely to increase the competition for his signature.
Source: www.footballfancast.com
