Tottenham Hotspur entered the new season with high hopes, a manager who had already proved his worth in the Premier League and a spending spree that topped £300 million – the largest financial outlay in the club’s history. Yet, after five league fixtures they find themselves rooted to the bottom of the table, a position they have not occupied for 18 years. Their sole goals have come from two late consolation strikes in a dismal defeat to Aston Villa over the weekend.
On paper, the situation could have been very different. Spurs created a handful of decent chances in the first half against Villa, and a clinical finish would have earned them a point or perhaps a win, silencing many of the critics before the three‑week international break. Instead, they have collected just two points from five matches and their poor record in front of goal has kept the media spotlight firmly trained on them.
Although five games is a small sample, the lack of consistency has now stretched into a third successive season. Tottenham have amassed only 18 points in the calendar year 2026, and since the start of the 2024/25 campaign they sit one point behind West Ham – a side that was relegated at the end of the previous season.
Since November 2024 the club’s home ground has hosted more Beyoncé concerts than victories, a stark illustration of how far the team has slipped. Roberto De Zerbi cannot escape scrutiny for long. He arrived in the summer with almost unrestricted authority in the transfer market and, apart from a top‑class left‑winger, secured most of the players he requested.
Before the Villa match he admitted that he would have preferred a different approach to the summer window, but the club’s need to comply with Financial Fair Play meant that several players earmarked for sale remained. That explanation offers little comfort when the club has already spent more than £300 million. One of the departures, Luka Vuskovic, has flourished at Brighton, while the man who replaced him – Jan Paul van Hecke – struggled against Villa, being dribbled past three times and bearing much of the blame for the second, disastrous goal. The reality is that money alone cannot instantly reverse a decline that has seen Tottenham finish 17th in back‑to‑back seasons.
The summer sign‑ons read like a shopping list: Sandro Tonali from Newcastle for around £100 million, Savio Miller‑Spencer (often referred to as Savio) from Manchester City for £85 million, Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85 million, Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton for £52 million, Tosin Adarabioyo from Chelsea for £10 million, Mykhaylo Mudryk on loan from Chelsea, Martin Dubravka on a free transfer from Burnley, Andy Robertson on a free from Liverpool, Marcos Senesi on a free from Bournemouth and Omar Marmoush on loan from Manchester City. Even with such an influx, supporters expected a more immediate impact, especially from a coach renowned for his man‑management and for extracting the best from his squads during his successful tenure at Brighton.
A single victory could lift Tottenham out of the current quagmire, and the club will be looking to emulate that against a pressure‑laden Manchester United side when the Premier League resumes on 10 October, live on Sky Sports. However, there are deeper issues that three points alone cannot fix. De Zerbi’s frustration was evident after the Villa loss when he criticised the lack of leadership on the pitch, pointing to Micky Van de Ven’s injury and an accidental assist from Andy Robertson as examples of why "leaders have to be leaders". 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 competent players, but none can be described as a charismatic, galvanising figure who can rally the team in critical moments. The so‑called "Spursy" tag has taken on a new meaning. Tottenham have not won a league game when conceding first for almost two years and have managed only nine draws from losing positions in that period. The departure of Cristian Romero in the summer, after his aggressive style sometimes crossed the line, left a vacuum in the defensive midfield that has yet to be filled.
The exit of combative midfielder João Palhinha – a player De Zerbi openly wanted to keep – has further weakened the middle of the park. De Zerbi admitted after the Villa defeat that he has never seen a team as "fragile and inconsistent" as his Spurs side in his 14‑year coaching career.
The fans, accustomed to watching the club stumble in similar fashion over the past two seasons, are unlikely to be surprised, but they are certainly impatient. Financially, there is little excuse.
The club spent close to £200 million on Tonali and Fernandes alone. Tonali, fresh from a World Cup break, has yet to rediscover the form that made him a fan favourite at Newcastle and justified Tottenham’s record fee. Fernandes, too, has struggled to adapt to the pace of the Premier League.
The saga surrounding Richarlison’s future has added another layer of uncertainty. The Brazilian striker, who has never fully lived up to his price tag, is still searching for consistency, and his limited contribution has not helped a side whose top scorer from last season, Harry Kane, is currently sidelined by a self‑imposed exile. Striker Dominic Solanke remains on the road to full fitness. De Zerbi was almost apologetic after Solanke’s muted performance against Villa, stating that the forward is "much better than this".
Yet, Tottenham’s expected goals (xG) per shot is the lowest in the league, and their total tally is only better than that of Championship side Coventry City. Someone needs to step up – whether it is Solanke, Omar Marmoush rediscovering his scoring boots, or another attacking option. It is still very early in this iteration of the Spurs project. Over half of the starting XI from Saturday’s match were not at the club last season, so a period of adjustment was inevitable.
The teething problems are evident, but the sight of a table showing two points, two goals and Tottenham languishing at the foot of the league is a stark reminder of how far the club has fallen. Nevertheless, there is a lingering belief that things can improve. The squad possesses genuine quality, and De Zerbi’s tactical acumen is well‑known. His previous appointments have sometimes ended on a sour note, but there is still hope that the season can be turned around before it is too late.
Fans will be watching closely as Tottenham take on Manchester United at Old Trafford when the Premier League returns, a match that could serve as a turning point for a side desperate for a lift out of the bottom of the table.