Tottenham Hotspur's summer signings offer promise
Robbie Mustoe and Robbie Earle detail Tottenham Hotspur's summer acquisitions for Robert de Zerbi's first full season and the promise it offers after a tumultuous relegation battle last season.
Video Transcript
Talking of quality footballers and quality midfield players, Rob, let's turn it, turn it on to, maybe the last of the big six.
Tottenham Hotspur- Yeah Rob.
17th last season.
Roberto De Zerbi came in for the last, I think, seven games and literally- Yeah saved this club from relegation.
And boy- have they backed him up now in the transfer market, Rob.
Wow.
Yeah.
They've spent, they spent some amount of money in totally upgrading their midfield.
It's exciting times for Tottenham, isn't it?
It, it is.
Based on, Rob, I think you, you, you, you should have You misspoke.
They were 17th the season before last, and they were 17th last season- Yeah by the way.
Yeah.
That's how, that's, that's how, how, how poor they've been.
One time winning the Europa League, next time just, just staying in.
And- and you are 100% right.
The bigge- the only reason that Spurs are in the Premier League is R- Roberto De Zerbi came through the door.
Without him, whether they'd have kept Igor Tudor or whoever else was, was involved, they're prob- they're probably West Ham right now.
Yeah.
And it's interesting, I've got a friend who, who worked at Spurs, and he said to me from very on, early on last season when there was a chance that, you know, things weren't looking right, there were two massive plans.
And he said, things were in place for, A, if they went down, and B, if they stayed up.
And if they stayed up, they had funds ready, they had targets ready, they were ready to go, Rob.
And some of that was what impressed Roberto De Zerbi about- Yeah if he can keep this team up, he knew what was coming.
They've done their business early.
They've landed some quality players.
Yeah.
And all of a sudden Spurs are back exciting again.
Yeah.
Let's go, let's just go through some of those, Rob, for, for those who haven't heard about it.
Sandro Tonali, brilliant midfield player from Newcastle United, $133 million.
Matheus Fernandes from West Ham United, $113 million.
Yeah.
Young, silky, really good midfield player.
Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton, $70 million to play alongside Micky van de Ven, who just re-signed.
Yeah, yeah.
Who just signed a new contract.
Andy Robertson is gonna go straight in as the left back, a free transfer from Liverpool.
Notable departures, only Yves Bissouma in midfield.
Dragusin I think has gone off to Fiorentina, maybe on loan or signed permanently, I'm not sure.
Yeah.
So that is what they've done.
Cristian Romero's gone, by the way, mate, just to add to that.
It wasn't on the list, Eddie.
Yeah, he's just- Cristian Romero, the captain- He's just gone who's just gone to Atletico Madrid.
He needed to go.
He was an awful- Yeah, it was a disaster, yeah an awful attitude towards the, uh- Yeah towards the club and, and him wanting to leave.
So that's kind of fun.
The, the- the frontline, Rob, is something that people have talked about.
And Richarlison- Yeah has scored in his last pre-season game.
You've still got Maddison that's a doubt injury-wise.
You've still got Kudus recovering from injury.
You've got, still got Kulusevski.
Yeah.
Kulusevski, yeah.
Now, these are all a frontline group that if you go- and buy a bunch of players, then they might be overloaded in those areas as the season goes on and those players get fit.
Yeah.
Is there another forward, Rob, that they could still add into this group to give them a little bit more of an attacking kind of boost early?
It's a good question.
Um- Matthias Tel probably on one side, Rob.
Uh- Yeah, Matthias Tel on one side Micky Mo- about, about M- Mikey, Mikey Moore's been good, Rob.
Yeah, Mikey Moore's been playing.
He played in a few of the friendlies.
Yeah.
He's played on the right-hand side.
He's been involved, yeah.
Yeah.
There, there's, there's probably a few knocking around who, who are not gonna start, who's somebody you, you might be able to, to fill in with.
But, you know, again, De Zerbi I think is one of them who believe in what he can do on the, on, on the training ground.
Yeah.
He can maybe instill a bit of confidence i- into a couple of those forwards.
It might be an area they think, okay, let's leave it till maybe the, the January window or this time next year if, if we can't do it now.
But look, I know I'm, I'm looking forward to Spurs.
I'm looking forward, to, to De Zerbi.
I think when you think of, like, Zanesy, van de Ven, H- van Hecke, it's a so- it, it looks solid at the back.
Yeah.
Let's not forget Porro's a world champion- Yeah coming back into the, to the team.
And as you say, Kudus and Kulusevski are, are, are, are to come- Yeah with Maddison when things get better, so.
You know, and that's, you know, a base that they have.
Bergvall, Licha, Gray, people i- in the team who are doing okay.
So based off what we saw last season, based off the business they've done- I think it's been a really good summer for Tottenham Hotspur, and I've gotta, I've gotta believe, Rob, at least they can get back to top eight, top six.
Yeah, I think so.
And the foo- the football that he plays, again, it's gonna take a little bit of time.
It's He, he admitted himself- Yeah last year was an emergency type of situation.
Just motivating, just trying to get them in a mentally better place to play football.
His football will be interesting to see.
It's gonna be fascinating.
Goalkeeper Kinsky's gonna be a changing goal as well for Caro.
I think his future at the club- Yeah has been done.
You just went through the back four.
We know the midfield's been upgraded with, with great signings.
It's just that frontline and, and whether they can fire.
But certainly, yeah, for the Spurs fans, no relegation issues going into this season, for sure.
No.
They won't be 17th for three years running.
I absolutely guarantee you.
