Tottenham Hotspur entered the new season with high hopes, a fresh manager boasting proven Premier League credentials and a staggering transfer budget that topped £300 million – the largest sum ever allocated by the club. Yet, after five league fixtures, the team find themselves languishing at the very bottom of the table, a position they have not occupied for 18 years. Their solitary goals have come from two late consolation strikes in a bleak defeat to Aston Villa last weekend.
While the league table paints a grim picture, the performance was not entirely hopeless. Spurs created several decent chances in the first half against Villa; had they converted any of those opportunities, they could have entered the three‑week international break with a sliver of optimism and a quieter media narrative. Instead, two points from five games and a woeful record in front of goal have kept the criticism loud and unrelenting.
Five matches is a small sample, but the lack of consistency has now stretched into a third straight season of under‑achievement. Tottenham have amassed just 18 points in the 2026 calendar year, and since the start of the 2024/25 campaign they sit one point behind a West Ham side that was relegated at the end of the previous season.
Since November 2024 the White Hart Lane (now the new stadium) has hosted more Beyoncé concerts than Tottenham victories, a statistic that underscores the depth of the club’s current woes. Roberto De Zerbi, who arrived with a relatively free hand in the transfer market, is now under intense scrutiny.
The summer saw him acquire a host of high‑profile signings – a top‑class left‑winger, a midfield maestro, and several defensive reinforcements – while also being forced to retain a few players earmarked for sale in order to satisfy Financial Fair Play regulations. He later admitted that, in hindsight, he would have preferred a different approach to the window, but the club’s financial constraints left him with limited options. The size of the expenditure makes any excuse seem thin. One of the departures, Luka Vuskovic, has flourished at Brighton, while his replacement, Jan Paul van Hecke, struggled against Villa, being dribbled past three times and bearing responsibility for the second, disastrous goal.
Money alone cannot reverse the damage caused by back‑to‑back 17th‑place finishes, and the club’s recent transfer ledger reads like a shopping list of big‑ticket names: Sandro Tonali (Newcastle) – £100 m, Savio (Man City) – £85 m, Mateus Fernandes (West Ham) – £85 m, Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton) – £52 m, Tosin Adarabioyo (Chelsea) – £10 m, Mykhaylo Mudryk (Chelsea) – loan, Martin Dubravka (Burnley) – free, Andy Robertson (Liverpool) – free, Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth) – free, Omar Marmoush (Man City) – loan. Supporters expected more, especially given De Zerbi’s reputation for man‑management and his success in extracting performances from limited resources during his tenure at Brighton. Even a single win could lift Spurs out of the current quagmire, and the next fixture against a pressure‑laden Manchester United side on October 10 offers a potential turning point. However, several deeper issues need addressing beyond simply securing three points.
The defeat to Villa highlighted a lack of leadership on the pitch. With Micky Van de Ven sidelined by injury and Andy Robertson inadvertently providing the ball to the opposition, De Zerbi lamented that the team’s "leaders have to be leaders" in crucial moments, adding, "We can't lose games in this way." The question remains whether the squad possesses enough natural leaders. The five‑man leadership group named last month – Van de Ven, Pedro Porro, Ben Davies, James Maddison and Archie Gray – are all capable players, but none are universally recognised as vocal, commanding figures who can rally teammates in adversity.
This lack of decisive leadership is part of a broader pattern often described as "Spursy" – a term that now seems more apt than ever. Tottenham have failed to win a league match when conceding first for nearly two years, and they have managed only nine draws from losing positions in the same period. The departure of Cristian Romero in the summer, justified by his occasional over‑aggression, left a void in the defensive spine that has yet to be filled. The subsequent exit of combative midfielder João Palhinha, despite De Zerbi’s public desire to retain him, further weakened the midfield’s steel.
De Zerbi admitted after the Villa loss that he had never seen a team as "fragile and inconsistent" as his Spurs side in his 14‑year coaching career. The frustration is palpable among the fanbase, which has grown accustomed to watching the club stumble in similar fashion over the past two seasons. Even with a near‑£200 million allocation for new signings, the midfield has not been revitalised.
Tonali, fresh from a World Cup‑free summer, has yet to recapture the form that made him a Newcastle favourite and prompted Tottenham to break their transfer record for him. Mateus Fernandes, similarly expensive, has struggled to find a rhythm in the Premier League. The uncertainty surrounding Richarlison’s future adds another layer of complexity. The Brazilian forward, whose contributions have been inconsistent, has not been able to alleviate the team's chronic goal‑scoring problems.
Last season’s top scorer remains sidelined in a self‑imposed exile, and Dominic Solanke, still working his way back to full fitness, was publicly defended by De Zerbi after a sub‑par performance against Villa – the manager even said, "He's much better than this, Dominic Solanke." Yet Solanke’s form must improve quickly, or else other options like Omar Marmoush must rediscover their scoring touch. Statistically, Tottenham’s expected goals (xG) per shot are the lowest in the Premier League, and their total shot count ranks only above Coventry City.
The team’s offensive output is alarmingly thin, and without a decisive striker stepping up, the club’s ambitions will remain out of reach. It is important to recognise that this is still the early stage of a new Spurs project.
Over half of the starting XI from Saturday’s match were not at the club last season, meaning a degree of teething trouble is inevitable. The squad possesses undeniable quality, and De Zerbi’s tactical acumen is well‑regarded, but his previous appointments have sometimes ended on sour notes. The hope among supporters is that the current struggles are merely growing pains rather than a prelude to a longer decline. Looking ahead, the upcoming clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford on October 10 will be a litmus test for the club’s resolve.
A positive result could restore belief and provide a platform for the new signings to settle. Until then, Tottenham must address their leadership deficit, sharpen their defensive organization, and find a reliable source of goals if they are to justify the massive financial outlay and escape the bottom of the table.