Each new system and manager has a different approach to team building, and the new Tottenham Hotspur team is starting to take shape under manager Roberto De Zerbi.
At rivals Chelsea, for example, Blueko’s philosophy seems to be to spend big on the forward and leave the rest to the rest, with the Blues adding £117m man Morgan Rodgers to their expensively amassed frontline, although they still have a clunky defensive unit.
The opposite has so far been the case with Spurs’ summer deals, with the Lilywhites investing heavily in their backline and midfield despite yet to strengthen a frontline that was well below last season’s level.
Indeed, the north London side are unlikely to progress quickly with their current squad, which has been hit by injuries and has an inconsistent attacking squad. He will be nostalgic for the years gone by when the club was backed by truly elite forwards.
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Who will be the Harry Kane, Gareth Bale or Rafael van der Vaart of this team? A player who can use his strength to win games and make a difference in such a competitive Premier League.
Looking at the current lineup doesn’t necessarily make sense, especially considering Xavi Simmons and Wilson Odbert are both still sidelined with ACL injuries.
Mohamed Kudus, due to arrive in 2025, has not featured since January and the Ghanaian sees his bright start to life in the N17 quickly undermined by his own injury woes.
With Dejan Kulusevski also out for an extended period of time, De Zerbi were forced to rely on the ill-fated Randal Kolo Muani towards the end of last season, with the on-loan Frenchman scoring just one league goal all season before eventually returning to Paris Saint-Germain.
It wasn’t exactly a fruitful year for Matthijs Tell on the other side either. The former Bayern Munich man has scored just four goals in the league and has failed to secure a regular role in the past 18 months or so.
Spurs – PL top scorer 25/26 | |
|---|---|
player | the goal |
Richarlison | 11 |
straw | 5 |
Romero | 4 |
van de ven | 4 |
telephone number | 4 |
Solanke | 3 |
simmons | 2 |
holy | 2 |
Searle | 2 |
gray | 2 |
Dominic Solanke was also bound to the treatment table for the 2025/26 season, scoring just 12 league goals in two seasons, but Richarlison was the only player to leave with credit, leading both in goals and goal involvement.
Something has to change sooner or later, and thankfully it looks like work is being done on that front.
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Despite suggestions that Spurs were one of the interested parties, De Zerbi had to watch the aforementioned Rodgers move to Stamford Bridge and Chelsea chase down Arsenal to sign the 23-year-old.
As Tottenham’s summer business so far has shown, deals are becoming increasingly common between Premier League clubs and they look set to raid another rival Manchester City for Sabinho.
According to reports in Italy, ENIC have already made a €70m (£60m) bid for the Brazilian, suggesting the deal could be on the right track.
The 22-year-old has been linked with a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but this summer could be the time to finally reach an agreement with the speedy winger, who fell down the pecking order at the Etihad last season.
Despite only scoring once and assisting one goal in the Premier League in 2025/26, there’s a lot to like about what he offers, not to mention his versatility.
In fact, Sabinho can be deployed on the wing or in a number 10 role, and has shown that he can make the most of his left-footed arsenal.
It certainly brings back memories of the aforementioned Van der Vaart with his panache at Spurs, with the Dutchman hitting so hard during his two-season stay in England.
Like his South American counterpart, the now-retired playmaker was an elite goalscorer, destructive both from the right flank and primarily in the middle, and at his best was sublimely creative.
Between the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons, the former Real Madrid player made 77 appearances for the Lilywhites, scoring 28 goals and providing 18 assists, reaching double figures for league goals in each of his two seasons with the club.
Recently on Stick to Football, Peter Crouch gushed about Van der Vaart as perhaps his favorite striker partner, citing the playmaker’s vision and creative genius.
At just 22 years old, Savinho may be far more “explosive” than Van der Vaart ever was, as hailed by analyst and Como scout Ben Mattinson, but he is also someone who can provide resources for the players to come.
A player like Solanke has scored nine goals and provided 10 assists in LaLiga in 2023/24, while creating 14 ‘big chances’ and averaging 1.5 key passes per game.If he returns to his previous form with Girona, there is a good chance that a player like Solanke will flourish.
Sabinho is a match-winner, a game-changer like Van der Vaart, someone who can conjure magical moments out of nothing.
As BBC Sport’s Nick Godwin wrote last year, Spurs need a new Van der Vaart to help reinvigorate the team, and the Man City speedster could be the player who can end that long search.
