Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi says his side will need less time to win trophies than Chelsea after the club spent more than €350m on new players during the summer transfer window.
The comments came after Tottenham’s heavy opening-day defeat by Brentford, who won 3-0 in the first round of the Premier League.
De Zerbi was discussing the scale of Tottenham’s investment in the transfer market, with the London club committing more than €350m to new arrivals this summer. The figure underlines the level of expectation surrounding the team as it attempts to make significant progress.
The latest addition to Tottenham’s squad was Savinho, with the winger joining from Manchester City in a deal worth almost €88m. The Brazil international became the most recent high-profile arrival in a window that has seen Spurs spend heavily on strengthening their squad.
Asked about the relationship between that spending and the pursuit of major honours, De Zerbi said: “It will take us less time than Chelsea.”
The remark places Tottenham’s ambitions alongside those of Chelsea, while also reflecting the pressure that accompanies such substantial investment. The club’s expenditure has raised expectations that the team can compete for trophies, although its first Premier League result of the campaign provided a difficult start.
Tottenham were beaten 3-0 by Brentford in their opening match, leaving De Zerbi with the immediate task of responding to a substantial defeat. The result came after a summer in which the club had spent more than €350m on new players, including almost €88m on Savinho.
The contrast between the transfer outlay and the opening result is likely to remain a focus around the team. Tottenham’s spending has made the club’s ambitions clear, but the loss to Brentford means those ambitions have not translated into an early league victory.
Savinho’s arrival from Manchester City is the most recently announced move mentioned in connection with the summer recruitment drive. The nearly €88m agreement further illustrates the financial scale of Tottenham’s activity in the market.
De Zerbi’s comparison with Chelsea provides the clearest indication of his thinking on the club’s route towards trophies. Rather than setting out a specific competition or timetable, he offered a broad assessment that Tottenham’s wait for silverware would be shorter than Chelsea’s.
For now, however, the immediate fact facing Tottenham is a 3-0 Premier League defeat by Brentford. Their extensive recruitment programme and the expectations attached to it will be judged against performances such as that result as the season develops.
