Tottenham are accelerating their squad overhaul for next season, with a defensive signing close to being finalized, while multiple negotiations with Brighton and Manchester City are advancing in parallel. The club hope to complete key reinforcements early in the summer window so new arrivals can bed in tactically under head coach Roberto De Zerbi during pre-season.
Rising from the Relegation Shadow
The season just ended was far from easy for north London: the team at one point edged close to the drop zone before surviving by the skin of their teeth. In the run-in, Tottenham won 1-0 at home, but had lost 1-2 away the previous week; Brighton were beaten 3-0 at home and Manchester City lost 1-2 at home in the same period — results that made “a squad refresh is non-negotiable” the message in the dressing room. By season’s end, De Zerbi had said publicly that preparations for the new campaign began the moment the final whistle blew, and the club have backed that up with action.
Defence First, Attack to Follow
The recruitment pace is clearly faster than in previous years. In defence, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi are close to joining; the club are still pursuing Brighton centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke, and have revived their pursuit of Manchester City winger Savinho. Sources say all parties remain optimistic about several deals. Savinho entered Tottenham’s radar last year; the club believe he can bring creativity and width to De Zerbi’s side, and the player himself is also keen on a move to Tottenham. Manchester City are already assessing replacements and increasingly believe the Brazilian could leave the Etihad within the next few weeks.
This is not the end of the summer window. Tottenham are also scouting a midfielder and a striker as part of a broader squad refresh. The message inside the club is clear: they intend to make this window their most ambitious in years.
Early signings, all for pre-season “living together”
From the bench, the biggest payoff of finishing transfers early is not the unveiling photos—it is pre-season training week. De Zerbi wants new signings in tactical drills from the first camp session, not cramming as the season closes in. Late last season, the gap to Champions League-caliber sides remained; if core additions can gel before kick-off, there is a real chance to narrow the margin against last season’s Champions League qualifiers. North London treats “buy early, integrate early” as a competitive edge, not merely transfer-window noise.
Signals beyond the stands
For long-time Spurs watchers, this transfer chain signals a shift in mindset: no longer patching one hole at a time, but shoring up the back line, adding creativity on the flanks, and leaving room to follow up in midfield and up front. If Robertson and Senesi arrive as planned, the defensive spine settles first; if Van Hecke and Savinho come through, the pressure lands on rival defences and Manchester City’s rotation system alike. However the final squad list shakes out, the club’s run of moves already says they want to turn relegation-scare trauma into pre-season physical and tactical stock.
Over the coming weeks, progress at the negotiating table will directly decide how wide the pre-season starting-XI trial ground can be. For De Zerbi and his staff, the real test is not how many names are inked—it is how many new faces can speak the same defensive spacing and attacking runs on the training pitch before August kicks off. That is the watershed for whether this Tottenham side moves from “survival by the skin of its teeth” to “pushing back into the top half.”