Former Tottenham Hotspur star Jermaine Jenas has exclusively revealed why Roberto De Zerbi will need to achieve Champions League football for the club next season, given the planned levels of spending this summer. He also identified the player whom he thinks will next join the club once a deal for Sandro Tonali is wrapped up.
After successive 17th placed finishes, the most recent of which saw Tottenham cling on to their Premier League status by the tightest of margins, the club are determined to spend their way up the table. Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson have already agreed to join on free transfers , but the real spending is still to come, with a triple £212m transfer splurge designed to seriously elevate the level of their squad.
As a result, expectation levels at N17 look set to go through the roof, leading Jenas to explain why a top five finish and a return to the Champions League is a realistic target for De Zerbi.
“It’s an interesting one for De Zerbi next year. Look, for a club like Tottenham, they are always going to be looking at European places. I think the sensible head says stability, you know? I think I’d like to see them get through a whole season with one manager.
“But I think De Zerbi is an ambitious guy, and I don’t think Tottenham have brought him in just to land mid table. As long as he gets a lot of the assets that he’s after and it looks like they’ve had a good start with Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi; there are a couple of others that he’ll be looking at.
“I just think once you bring in these types of players anyway, they’re not coming in for mid table stuff. So the goal for De Zerbi has to be challenging for a Champions League place. I really do think so!”
Jenas added: “I’m not saying it’s a guarantee they will get it, but what I’m saying is it’s five places now to get into the Champions League, not just four. And I think they need to be in that battle. They might land in around seventh or eighth, but they need to be in that battle this year to try and get themselves back to where they belong. And I think that will be his mindset.”
Spurs locked in to £60m winger signing alongside Sandro Tonali
Jenas also expects Spurs to continue spending big this summer and, with a deal for Sandro Tonali, worth a £100m package, gathering pace, the club are next expected to mobilise towards the £60m signing of Manchester City winger Savinho.
When asked specifically what attackers De Zerbi should bring in, Jenas replied: “I think Savinho is on the list as well. I mean, they desperately need the front three looking at. For me, I think that’s what really let them down last year. Dominic Solanke has obviously struggled with injury all year, and Mohammed Kudus didn’t deliver as much because of his injuries as well. So I know they obviously have the players, but I think they need some stability in those higher areas too.
“I would like to see Savinho come to the football club. I think that he offers something because he’s got that Premier League experience already. I like him, and I think he could offer Spurs creativity out wide, which is what they need. He’s the one that probably stands out the most of the targets being named.”
In addition to Savinho, our sources confirmed on Wednesday that the north London club have also opened talks over a deal for a top young Cologne talent, though any deal is complicated by his family’s wish that any deal will also involve the signing of his older brother.
