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4 hours ago
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Guardian writers’ predicted position: 6th (NB: this is not necessarily John Brewin’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 17th
Prospects
Tottenham’s hopes for the season can be measured by what went wrong last season. And the season before that. This time last year, the arrival of a fresh, enthusiastic face in Thomas Frank gave considerable grounds for optimism. Surely Spurs would not be as bad in the Premier League as they had been in 2024-25? They proved to be worse. Despite a decent enough Champions League group stage, European football did not provide salvation for an ill-fitting manager or the unconvincing hierarchy around him.
That Frank is almost a forgotten figure owes much to the Igor Tudor interlude, a misadventure that resembled a disaster movie. Tottenham were on the brink of relegation until the season’s final days, a saga that became irresistible to rubberneckers. Roberto De Zerbi’s appointment was a much-needed corrective, the change in direction Spurs supporters clamoured for during so many years of their club never paying top dollar, of cutting corners. The Italian’s high wages were not his only demands. Fuller control than his predecessors, far more than he enjoyed at Brighton and Marseille, and a proper transfer spend on readymade players were also demanded. He has received them, though the lack of a top-level striker is glaring.
Thus, the unusual sensation of Tottenham being among the transfer window’s biggest spenders. Buying Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, with Savinho and Omar Marmoush expected to also arrive from Manchester City, resembles the type of outlay rarely seen since Terry Venables was collecting Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker at White Hart Lane in the late 1980s or the influx of foreign talent in the mid-1990s – Jürgen Klinsmann, Ilie Dumitrescu and all that: a flash of glamour that is old-school Spurs. Andy Robertson’s addition as an experienced head is a further pointer towards a different Tottenham, one where success is expected and not promised, a very different form of optimism. Cristian Romero has departed, a player of talent whose foibles often betrayed his teammates, endemic of the Spurs era he played in.
Off-field picture
Finishing 17th two seasons in succession is bad for the bank balance. The club’s 2025 accounts revealed that the £34.7m garnered from winning the Europa League was wiped out by a £38.9m shortfall in Premier League income. Champions League football last season will help, with £71.6m trousered, but there are no European funds to feed off this season. The international break in September allows Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to welcome Jay-Z, having hosted the veteran heavy metal band System Of A Down in July. Two NFL regular season matches will be staged in October. Such revenue streams cushion Spurs, as does an August share issue that raised £100m.
Owner-fan relationship
The removal of Daniel Levy was what many Spurs fans had desired, but it also created a vacuum. The family trust of the former majority shareholder, Joe Lewis, took the residual heat. In January, Lewis’s daughter, Vivienne, was confronted by a fan demanding that Frank be sacked and that she sell up. The Lewis trust has doubled down. Levy’s 29% previous share is reduced by his missing the deadline for that August share issue; the two parties are reported to be battling over an NBA Europe franchise. Vinai Venkatesham, a chief executive who came under heavy fire, admitted in May “a complete reset” was required. Supporters will wait to gauge the success of the brave new world.
The manager
De Zerbi’s coaching is admired across the football spectrum, Pep Guardiola a confirmed fan, though breakdowns in relationships at both Brighton and Marseille offer caution. Will he be remembered solely for saving Spurs from relegation or can he offer progress in a fashion not seen since Mauricio Pochettino arrived in 2014? He has offered notes of realism to temper the excitement of the spending spree. “We need to create a clear playing style and give a soul to this team,” the Italian said in pre-season. “So many talk about ‘projects’, but very few manage to see them through.” He has been handed as blank a canvas as is available at any major club.
Star signing
“The gaffer was Italian, I knew him,” was among the reasons Sandro Tonali offered for choosing Tottenham when a number of other suitors came calling. “I was already watching Tonali when he was playing for Brescia, my hometown club and the team I support,” explained De Zerbi. “At the age of 18, he already looked like a veteran.” With Tonali 26, Spurs have signed a peak-age player who, the season before last, was among the very best midfielders in English football, though his final season at Newcastle was mixed. A fee of £100m could not be refused.
Stat attack
Tottenham were the only club in the Premier League who overachieved their xG in attack by at least four while also underachieving by that margin or more in defence. It was up front where the biggest discrepancy occurred, with Spurs scoring 7.91 goals more than their chances implied they deserved. They might have been playing Championship football this season had this not happened.
Set for a breakthrough
Much is expected of Mikey Moore, though he is likely to go out on loan again after a season at Rangers. Antonin Kinsky was the victim of one of the horrors of the Tudor reign, subbed off after 17 minutes against Atlético Madrid, only to be trusted by the new manager as relegation was avoided. His save from Leeds’ Sean Longstaff was highly significant in the clamber to safety. Kinsky is set to be first choice this season after the departure of Guglielmo Vicario. “He forces you to believe in yourself,” said Kinsky of De Zerbi, who in turn said: “He has great personality, strong character.”
World Cup impact
Full-backs were Tottenham’s leading men in the United States. Djed Spence has departed for Inter but Pedro Porro remains, after signing a new deal amid interest from Manchester City. Porro scored twice, including in Spain’s semi-final defeat of France. As a world champion, the 26-year-old received a guard of honour on his return to his club’s training ground, having beaten the Argentina team of the now-departed Romero in the final. Among Tottenham’s nine players in North America, the new central defensive pairing of Van Hecke and Micky van de Ven was kept apart, the latter playing left-back as the Dutch disappointed.
