Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi believes the club’s significant summer spending can help Spurs build a trophy-winning team faster than it took Chelsea.
Speaking about Tottenham’s ambitious rebuild, De Zerbi pointed to Chelsea’s success after several years of heavy investment and believes Spurs can achieve similar results more quickly.
Chelsea, for example, they won the Club World Cup. At the beginning, they spent [big money] for two or three seasons to become a team. I think we can do, for sure, faster.
De Zerbi’s comments come after Softfootball reported that the Italian admitted Tottenham are not yet a team, following their disappointing 3-0 defeat to Brentford on the opening day of the 2026/27 Premier League season.
Brentford opened their 2026/27 Premier League campaign in style, thrashing Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Goals from Keane Lewis-Potter, Vitaly Janelt, and Michael Kayode sealed a dominant victory, with Spurs punished for defensive lapses despite enjoying more possession. Kayode added a third just after halftime, converting another rebound from Sangaré’s effort. Igor Thiago missed a chance to make it four when his penalty hit the post.
Despite spending more than £300 million during the summer transfer window, De Zerbi acknowledged that Spurs remain behind schedule both physically and tactically.
The Tottenham boss now believes the club’s investment can accelerate the rebuilding process, with the ultimate objective of competing for major trophies.
The defeat to Brentford highlighted the work still required, but De Zerbi remains confident that Tottenham can develop into a competitive side at a faster pace than Chelsea did during their own major rebuild.
