Roberto De Zerbi believes Tottenham's big spending can help them win trophies sooner than it took Chelsea to win the Club World Cup after BlueCo's investment.
Spurs have spent uncharacteristically high this summer, breaking their transfer record on £100million Sandro Tonali, and spending £85m on Mateus Fernandes as well as £52m on Jan Paul van Hecke. Their latest signing is the Manchester City winger Savio, who has joined for £75m possibly rising to £85m including add-ons.
Pressure and ambition
De Zerbi was hired to keep Spurs up with seven games of last season, but expectations are far higher after a summer of spending and with a reduced schedule owing to not being involved in European football this season. The Italian has now urged Spurs to begin challenging for top titles, citing Chelsea's investment before winning the 2025 Club World Cup — but setting Tottenham the target of challenging for silverware sooner than that.
"I felt pressure from the first day of working in football, because I put pressure on myself. I don't feel pressure about the transfer market," De Zerbi said.
Transfer market confidence
"If I can, I want to spend more money again. Without problems. Because the other teams don't spend anything different than money. I feel pressure because I am working in one of the best clubs in the world, and I would like to help this club to compete to win the titles. I don't know [whether] this season or next season. But, in the end, it's my big target, personal target, because the club didn't ask me anything — just to compete, to work well. We have nothing less than the other big clubs in the Premier League, especially now, in my time."
De Zerbi added: "We are moving very well in the transfer market, and why not? I can't understand why Tottenham can't compete with Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal. I don't understand why Tottenham can't spend the same money as Chelsea, Liverpool."
Faster than Chelsea
On Tottenham's desire to challenge for silverware, De Zerbi said: "It is a process, like the big teams have done in the past. If you look at the Premier League in the last ten years, Chelsea, for example, they won the Club World Cup. At the beginning, they spent [big money] for two or three seasons to become a team. I think we can do, for sure, faster.
"But we need to work harder, everyone together, stay focused, and with a clear head: not destructing everything if we lose one game, or if we win, [claiming] we are good enough to win the Premier League. No. It is not like this. I would like to win five games in a row, changing the habits. At the beginning, we didn't have enough to win one game."
"We need to keep the balance and know the journey will be longer. But maybe with the qualities of the players, with our club and fans, we can reduce the time."
