Roberto De Zerbi's Transfer Strategy: A Shark in Action
Roberto De Zerbi is not pretending to play it cool. Tottenham’s new head coach is in full hunt mode, and he’s happy to say it out loud.
“In the transfer market when I want one player I become like a shark, no chance to say no!” he told Football London, delivering the kind of line that instantly sets the tone for a summer.
Spurs have already spent heavily, yet De Zerbi insists this is only the middle chapter, not the epilogue. In his words, around “60 per cent” of the transfer project is complete. The rest? That’s where his “bomba” comes in.
De Zerbi’s “bomba” and a ruthless plan
The next explosive move is widely expected to be Savinho. The Brazilian is understood to be pushing Manchester City to green-light a switch to north London, a move that would add even more firepower to a front line already reshaped by the £85m arrival of Mateus Fernandes.
De Zerbi is not simply stockpiling attackers. He is building a very specific machine, and his wide players are being chosen with his full-backs in mind.
“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 tactical menu he demands in the wide areas.
Then came the real punchline. “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?”
The message is clear: Spurs’ recruitment is being built from the flanks inward. The full-backs are the foundation; the wingers must fit them, not the other way round.
Asked if the next deal is close, De Zerbi kept the tension high. “I hope, but it’s not finished for sure.” The shark is still circling.
Romero, respect and a promise kept
While De Zerbi scours the market, one of his biggest names is edging towards the exit. Cristian Romero, the club captain, is pushing for a return to Serie A, with Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio already confirming active talks over a move to San Siro.
“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,” De Zerbi said.
This isn’t a manager reluctantly losing control. It is a man honouring a deal he made months ago. He revealed how, back in April, he sat the squad down and laid out a stark pact.
“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.”
De Zerbi is drawing a line under any suggestion that Romero checked out early. If the Argentine goes, it will be as a trusted lieutenant, not a deserter.
Harsh lessons, hard rules
The Italian is equally uncompromising when it comes to the club’s younger talents. Lucas Bergvall and Djed Spence are attracting interest, but De Zerbi is not running a halfway house for unsettled prospects.
“If they stay, they have to stay following my rules, decisions on the pitch,” he warned.
Then came the sting that will echo through the dressing room. “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 reference to last season is deliberate. Spurs’ campaign unravelled under the weight of injuries, inconsistency and, at times, fractured unity. De Zerbi is making it plain: there will be no repeat, no passengers, no quiet sulks in the corner.
You are either in, fully, or you are out.
Chelsea next, and a shark in motion
For now, the focus on the pitch is pre-season, with a first major test against Chelsea on Saturday. It will be the public’s first real glimpse of De Zerbi’s evolving Spurs: the aggressive full-backs, the tailored wingers, the high standards.
Behind the scenes, though, the real drama continues in the market. One “bomba” still to land. A captain likely to depart. Young players forced to decide whether they can live under De Zerbi’s rules.
Tottenham have hired a coach who talks like a shark and builds like an architect. The only real question now is how far this ruthless rebuild can carry them once the real football starts.
