What Is Roberto De Zerbi Getting Wrong As Tottenham Manager?

Roberto De Zerbi, manager of Tottenham Hotspur, during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, United Kingdom, on August 29, 2026. (Photo by Harvey Murphy/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The excitement around Tottenham Hotspur’s summer transfer business has yet to translate into performances on the pitch and points on the board. Saturday’s home loss to Newcastle United means Roberto De Zerbi’s side has started the 2026/27 Premier League campaign with back-to-back defeats, bringing back a familiar feeling.

Last season was a dismal one for Spurs. It only just avoided relegation to the Championship and so the hope was that the 2026/27 campaign would bring better times. A busy summer of transfer activity suggested De Zerbi was making progress in reshaping the team in his own image. There was optimism.

And yet Tottenham is playing with the same lethargy and lack of cohesion as last season. There’s no doubt its squad is stronger now than it was at the start of the summer, but De Zerbi is struggling to point Spurs in the right direction. The optimism from only a few weeks ago has vanished.

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 29: Nick Woltemade of Newcastle United is challenged by Mateus Fernandes of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 29, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

“It’s the biggest problem, it’s the biggest challenge and the biggest target is to find the right mentality,” said De Zerbi when asked what Spurs is lacking. “You can’t find the right mentality in the transfer market. Football is a magical thing, you can change a lot of players and you can find the balance immediately or you need more time. I want to achieve this target as soon as possible … but I am in no doubt that we will reach it.”

Tottenham is still spending. Last week, Omar Marmoush and Savinho completed a move to the North London club from Manchester City with Marmoush making his league debut for his new team in the defeat to Newcastle. Savinho started against Charlton Athletic in the EFL Cup last week and marked his Spurs debut with a brace.

Everton's Iliman Ndiaye in action during the Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth. Picture date: Saturday August 29, 2026. (Photo by Peter Tarry/PA Images via Getty Images)

Reports on Sunday claim Tottenham is close to landing Iliman Ndiaye from Everton with Richarlison heading in the opposite direction. It’s possible Spurs could make further signings before the summer transfer window closes. Indeed, there is a suggestion that Fulham’s Kenny Tete could be on Tottenham’s radar.

There are a lot of moving parts at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium right now. The lineup that started Saturday’s game against Newcastle United included five summer signings. De Zerbi is clearly still integrating a number of players with more new signings still to arrive and others recovering from injury.

De Zerbi insists he needs time to instil the right mentality in his players, but Tottenham is already losing ground in the new Premier League season. The club and its fans have had enough pessimism after the experiences of the last two campaigns. De Zerbi needs something tangible to cling to.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com