Roberto De Zerbi's Bold Tottenham Revolution

Roberto De Zerbi is not easing his way into Tottenham. He’s tearing into the job with teeth bared.

The Italian has never hidden his obsession with the transfer market, but this time he chose a metaphor that leaves no room for doubt.

"In the transfer market when I want one player I become like a shark, no chance to say no!" he told Football London.

That is not the language of a coach satisfied with a busy window. That is a warning.

A project only “60 per cent” done

Tottenham have already pushed their spending to eye-watering levels, highlighted by the £85m signing of Mateus Fernandes, yet De Zerbi insists they are barely past halfway.

"The transfer market, it's not finished for sure, but we completed 60 per cent of our project in the transfer market. Now we have another bomba!" he said.

That “bomba” is widely expected to be Savinho. The Brazilian is understood to be pressing Manchester City to sign off on a move to north London, a switch that would drop another explosive attacking talent into a frontline already heavy with investment.

De Zerbi’s obsession, though, is not with names but with profiles. Every attacker must fit into a very specific tactical jigsaw, one built around his full-backs.

"A winger can be a very wide winger, one able to come inside, a winger without a full-back, a winger able to play with the full-back," he explained, outlining the different roles he demands in wide areas.

Then came the line that will have every full-back at the club walking a little taller.

"We have four great full-backs at the moment, maybe the four most important full-backs in the world, because I think Pedro Porro is the best right-back in the world, with [Destiny] Udogie, [Andy] Robertson, and Djed Spence can play right and left.

"Before bringing in a winger, we have to consider the full-back, because we start from the full-back, from the player we already have, no?"

In De Zerbi’s world, the build starts from the flanks. Wingers are recruited to serve the full-backs, not the other way round. It is a clear hierarchy, and he is unapologetic about it.

When pressed on whether the next signing was imminent, he kept his foot on the accelerator without giving anything away.

"I hope, but it's not finished for sure."

Respecting Romero’s wish to leave

While the club hunts new stars, one of the biggest names in the dressing room is edging towards the exit.

Cristian Romero, the captain and a cornerstone of the defence, is pushing for a return to Serie A. Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio has already confirmed that talks are ongoing to take the 2026 World Cup finalist to San Siro.

De Zerbi’s admiration for the defender is obvious.

"Romero as a player is one of the best centre-backs in the world, but at the end I said I want to respect the will of the players," he said.

He revealed a pact made with the squad back in April, when the club were fighting to stay afloat.

"I said: 'Help me to stay up, and then I help you to leave'. If you don't help me to stay up, you stay underwater with me!"

Romero, he stressed, kept his side of the bargain.

"But Romero with me was unbelievable. Top. In his behaviour, his respect, he suffered when he did not play the last game. It is not true that he wanted to leave for Argentina to prepare for their World Cup. It's not true."

There was steel in that defence of his captain. De Zerbi is willing to let him go, but not to let his commitment be questioned.

Stay, but on De Zerbi’s terms

If Romero leaves with the manager’s blessing, the message to the younger generation is more conditional.

Talents like Lucas Bergvall and Djed Spence are attracting interest as the squad reshapes, yet De Zerbi is not about to turn the club into a halfway house for restless prospects. Those who remain will do so under strict terms.

"If they stay, they have to stay following my rules, decisions on the pitch," he warned.

"After two games, three games, if one player is not playing and he starts to be sad or not correct with the other players, the coaches, staff, the club, we would make a big, big mistake because we didn't learn from the past season."

That is the fault line running through Tottenham’s rebuild: talent is welcome, ego is not. De Zerbi wants a sharper, hungrier squad, but one that falls in line.

For now, the shark circles the market, another “bomba” apparently on the way, while his new-look side turns towards a first real test of the summer: Chelsea on Saturday, and an early glimpse of just how quickly this revolution can take shape.