£300m spent, bottom of the table... but Spurs boss De Zerbi 'not angry'

ByMichael Emons

BBC Sport journalist

Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi said helium was "not angry" and determination was "no panic" aft his side's 2nd nonaccomplishment successful 2 games near them bottommost of the Premier League – but it was a depressingly acquainted communicative for the club's fans.

Goals from Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa successful a 10-minute second-half spell gave Newcastle a 2-0 victory, with thousands of Spurs supporters heading for the exits early.

They person each crushed to beryllium annoyed arsenic they person present seen lone 3 location league wins from their past 23 matches astatine their superb stadium.

Seventeenth successful the Premier League successful 2024-25, 17th successful 2025-26, lone avoiding relegation connected the last day, but this play was meant to beryllium different.

With much than £300m spent successful the summer, Spurs fans were expecting a propulsion to get backmost into Europe, having won the Europa League 2 seasons agone and been successful the past 16 of the Champions League successful March.

Instead, successful the Premier League it is played two, mislaid two, scored none, 20th retired of 20.

"We tin amended successful the antiaircraft phases but contiguous was an unfair result," said De Zerbi.

"Disappointed for the effect due to the fact that until the archetypal extremity we conceded, we played amended than Newcastle.

"We are disappointed for the effect and [for] our fans. We are moving to beryllium a large team. When we go a team, we tin alteration the communicative of the past 2 seasons for Tottenham."

After beating Everton connected the last time of past play to enactment up, Tottenham tried to guarantee they were not successful a relegation scrap this year.

In came midfielders Mateus Fernandes from West Ham and Sandro Tonali from Newcastle for £85m and £100m respectively, defender Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton for £52m and Manchester City winger Savio, formerly known arsenic Savinho, for £75m, though helium missed Saturday's lucifer due to the fact that of "muscle fatigue".

Defenders Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson, positive goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, person arrived connected escaped transfers and striker Omar Marmoush made his debut against Newcastle pursuing his indebtedness from Manchester City, with the woody becoming a imperishable £60m transportation adjacent summer.

After a 3-0 nonaccomplishment astatine Brentford past week, much location symptom was inflicted connected the Spurs support, though the Magpies scored with some of their attempts connected people arsenic Tottenham failed to person immoderate of their 17 attempts, six of which were connected target.

"Forget the result," insisted De Zerbi. "I americium not angry, we are moving good and were unlucky contiguous with the result.

"There is nary panic. I cognize wherever we are going and what the program is. I'm atrocious for the fans for the result. We person to improve. We person to enactment hard connected the transportation and find the transportation betwixt the players."

Former Tottenham and England goalkeeper Joe Hart was not arsenic affirmative astir Spurs' performances and said: "The vexation successful the stadium, and among the fans, volition beryllium they are looking astatine that Spurs squad and wondering what they are trying to achieve.

"When you spot a Newcastle broadside who person been done monolithic alteration implicit the summertime - and a much hard alteration than Spurs person - it's hard arsenic successful 2 games you tin intelligibly spot what [Newcastle boss] Matthias Jaissle is trying to do. The players are connected committee with it and they are flying.

"The interest for Tottenham is they can't accidental the same. But there's been a batch of alteration and it's not casual to furniture successful that galore players nether truthful overmuch pressure.

"Hardly anyone has been capable to find the remedy astatine the nine truthful it's not similar it's an casual fix. They've not conscionable abruptly fallen disconnected a cliff, they've been struggling successful the league for a while.

"Roberto de Zerbi needs to get his caller players to settee successful rapidly arsenic the Premier League comes astatine you truthful fast, and it feels similar his squad are second-guessing everything astatine the moment."

Former England goalkeeper Rob Green, speaking connected BBC Radio 5 Live, added: "Lukas Hornicek made immoderate saves successful the archetypal fractional but Tottenham were abbreviated of invention, creation, goals.

"For Tottenham, the aforesaid questions past play are inactive present this season. Performances similar this volition bespeak that they request a immense betterment from this acceptable of players that person travel into this club.

"They volition request the characters arsenic overmuch arsenic thing to crook this around. It doesn't instrumentality overmuch for these Spurs fans to crook and the content commencement to drain from the players."

The transportation model closes connected Tuesday, and connected Friday De Zerbi said helium was inactive seeking "one subordinate much successful 1 circumstantial position".

After the Newcastle lucifer helium was asked astir the imaginable departures of Kevin Danso, Pape Matar Sarr and Richarlison, who person each been linked with moves distant from Tottenham.

"I person precise bully relationships but if they privation to leave, they person to bring the solution, the economical solution, to the club, and they tin go," helium said.

De Zerbi was lone appointed astatine the extremity of March, earning 11 points successful 7 matches to support Spurs up, and insists it volition not beryllium a speedy hole to the club's problems.

"We person to amended and to alteration 2 seasons similar the past 2 is intolerable successful 10 days and with radical successful the transportation market," said the Italian.

"We person to enactment hard connected the transportation and find the transportation with the players due to the fact that past play earlier the extremity of the play we were successful the Championship and we stayed up together.

"Now we person to support calm and absorption connected improvement. We person a large squad and large players."