Transfer 'shark' De Zerbi hopes to drag Spurs up from depths
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- De Zerbi took charge with seven matches remaining and preserved Premier League status on the final day after a 1-0 loss at Sunderland left players crying in the dressing room.
- Tottenham have spent a club-record £237m on signings, headlined by £100m Sandro Tonali from Newcastle, £85m Mateus Fernandes from West Ham, plus Jan Paul van Hecke, Andrew Robertson and Martin Dubravka.
- De Zerbi personally courts targets, telling Fernandes' father he would be his "second dad" and likening his transfer approach to "a shark" that "can't say no."
- Spurs rebuilt their off-field hierarchy after the relegation scare, installing Vinai Venkatesham as chief executive and hiring performance director Dan Lewindon from Manchester City's parent company to overhaul the club's injury record.
- De Zerbi says the club operated two parallel transfer plans — one for relegation, one for survival — and that he would have continued as manager in the Championship.
- Tottenham expect one final attacking "bomba," with Manchester City's Savinho a target, while captain Cristian Romero and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario could still depart.
- De Zerbi banned negativity at the training ground after the Sunderland defeat and took the squad to a dinner in Mayfair to reset morale.
Why it matters: Spurs' near-relegation triggered a club-record £237m rebuild under new ownership, with the Lewis family injecting an additional £100m in June and the £100m Tonali deal signalling intent to compete for trophies rather than merely survive — a sharp reversal from their 17th-place finish the prior season.
