No revival in sight for 'fragile' Spurs after Villa defeat — SkimNews
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- Tottenham fell 3-2 at home to Aston Villa, remaining without a Premier League win this season and sitting in the bottom three after five games, with Roberto de Zerbi labelling his side "too fragile."
- Johan Manzambi's scrappy opener — scored while Spurs were temporarily down to 10 men as Micky van de Ven received treatment — sparked the collapse before Nicolas Jackson and Emi Buendia's 25-yard strike put Villa 3-0 up; late goals from Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke offered only consolation.
- De Zerbi accepted responsibility and defended the club's summer business, blaming financial fair play constraints and players they couldn't sell for the squad's composition.
- Spurs spent approximately £302m this summer — including Sandro Tonali (£100m), Mateus Fernandes (£85m, subbed at half-time), Savio (£75m) and Omar Marmoush (£60m) — with former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole telling TNT the club "overpaid for every player."
- The defeat marked Tottenham's worst top-flight start since 2008-09 (two points from five games) and continued their run of failing to win any of their last 36 Premier League matches when conceding first.
- Aston Villa themselves had lost three of their opening four games but earned a vital first league win in their own £250m-plus rebuild following high-profile exits, with John McGinn outperforming the £100m Tonali.
Why it matters: Tottenham's worst top-flight start since 2008-09, coupled with a £302m summer spend and no Premier League wins through five games, puts immediate pressure on De Zerbi — Villa fans chanted "sacked in the morning" — while Joe Cole's verdict that Spurs overpaid for every signing raises questions about recruitment heading into the international break.
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