Some former Tottenham Hotspur managers may be looking with envy at the money being raised for Roberto De Zerbi. It looks like the Italian is set to be extensively backed up this summer.
Who can forget that infamous period under Mauricio Pochettino, when the Lilywhites went 18 months without a first-team signing, but the brilliant Argentine still guided the club to the Champions League center stage?
De Zerbi have already brought in three new players and there is no danger of a repeat. Jan Paul van Hecke joins Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson as part of an experienced and Premier League proven N17 squad.
Fresh off a disastrous domestic campaign, this new trio is just the beginning as the north Londoners look to splurge on a major overhaul of their squad for next season.
Spurs’ midfield search intensifies in north London
It’s been a week full of news at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. For the first time, it has emerged that ENIC could be in competition with Manchester City for Sandro Tonali, despite his move in parallel with the signing of Elliott Anderson.
The Etihad side appear to want both, but Spurs are hoping for something of a double deal of their own following reports that Manchester United could be eyeing a move for West Ham midfielder Matheus Fernandes.
Negotiations are underway over a possible transfer for the young Portuguese player, and it remains possible that both Fernandes and Tonali could join De Zerbi’s ranks in the coming weeks.
However, Spurs’ actual top midfield target could be a completely different name, with transfer insider Dean Jones, writing for FlashScore, revealing that it is Adam Wharton that the club would “ideally want to bring to north London”.
The Crystal Palace sensation is considered one of Tottenham’s “priority targets” and is said to be “at the top of the shortlist”, although rivals Liverpool are also on the list.
According to Jones, Spurs are “seriously” looking to sign the player, who is reportedly worth around £70m, and an attempt could be made to progress the deal “in the near future”.
How to compare Wharton to Fernandez or Tonali
No one at Spurs will be counting themselves out yet after missing out on the likes of Ebelesi Eze so much last summer, but despite last season’s struggles, a potential statement move like this speaks to a brighter future under De Zerbi.
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For Tonali, this is a player who appears to be at his peak at the age of 26 and was named by Paul Scholes last year as the Premier League’s leading midfielder.
As for Fernandes, he has suffered back-to-back relegations with Southampton and the Hammers, but the 21-year-old is a young talent with huge potential and is being tipped to be the next Bruno Fernandes.
Still, Wharton may be the best. The Englishman has been in excellent form ever since signing from Blackburn Rovers in a £20m deal in early 2024.
The 22-year-old, who helped Palace win back-to-back FA Cup and Conference League titles, as well as winning the Community Shield in 2025, is the midfield metronome in manager Oliver Glasner’s 3-4-2-1 set-up and is central to all the south London side’s strengths.
He only recently scored his first goal for the Eagles against Brentford, but with that lone strike he broke Tonali’s record for Premier League goals for the 2025-26 season.
Fernandes was the clear winner with three goals, but Wharton outperformed both of them in terms of assists, scoring five goals compared to the two top-level assisters who combined for just six goals.
Despite playing a deeper role for the pair, Wharton is a hugely creative and progressive force, boasting an impressive 1.3 key passes per game last season and creating 14 ‘big chances’ – the seventh-best record in the division.
Biggest Opportunity – 25/26 PL | |
|---|---|
player | big chance |
B. Fernandes | 33 |
Cherki | 19 |
rice | 17 |
bowen | 16 |
pinot | 15 |
Soboshra | 14 |
wharton | 14 |
organization | 13 |
and fees | 13 |
rogers | 13 |
For comparison, Fernandes averaged one key pass per game and created just three “big chances”, while Tonali averaged 0.9 and created just six “big chances”.
While it was a subdued season for the Newcastle man, both personally and overall, the gambling ban limited him to just eight league appearances in 2023/24, with 2024/25 being his only truly standout season at St James’ Park.
Fernandes, on the other hand, is around the same age as Wharton but has not reached the same heights so far, as his two relegations highlight, and it is hard to see why one would justify a superior price for the former Rovers talent.
Wharton has already won a silver medal recently and looks like a man on form despite being ignored by manager Thomas Tuchel at this summer’s World Cup.
Of course Tonali and Fernandes won’t be laughed at, but the Silky Palace starlet could represent the greatest talent yet.
He looks like Dele: Spurs close to agreeing personal terms to sign £25m star
Tottenham Hotspur are in the process of making yet another new signing ahead of the summer transfer window.
