Spending £380m Still Can't Break Home Curse; New Tottenham Boss Points to Fatal Flaw: Belief Can't Be Bought
Inflated transfer-window valuations had already triggered widespread doubt, so when Tottenham Hotspur splashed £380 million yet still failed to take all three points on their own patch, observers were not shocked. But beneath the surface lies a deeper pain.
Before the match, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium announcer tried to whip up the atmosphere, proclaiming: "We have spent big, we are back on track, our potential is limitless, our strength is immense." Yet Saturday's 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United brutally demonstrated that the road back to glory is far harder than expected.
"No need for panic," De Zerbi said afterwards. "I know exactly what I am doing and what my approach is. I feel sorry for the supporters. We have to change, we have to work even harder on the training ground and look for chemistry between the players."
Everywhere inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, evidence of the huge investment was visible. Tottenham started five of their eight new signings, including Omar Marmoush, a £60 million arrival from Manchester City who made his debut. Newcastle, by contrast, endured a more turbulent summer after losing captain Bruno Guimarães and England winger Anthony Gordon, while Nico González also moved from Manchester City and made his first appearance in a Newcastle shirt in midfield. The meeting point of the two clubs' rebuilding paths was perhaps best embodied by Sandro Tonali, who swapped Tyneside for London in a £100 million deal and made his home debut here.
Tonali's signing was supposed to be a declaration of Tottenham's ambition, a marquee move announcing a new era. They no longer wanted to be seen as a financially cautious, crisis-prone club, but rather a "limitless potential" revival project. Tonali drew boos with his first few touches, and Joe Willock's ruthless early challenge on his former team-mate added extra edge to the reunion.
There were bright moments. Marmoush showed delicate footwork in the first half; Mathys Tel, despite losing possession repeatedly, forced Lukáš Horníček into a save with a fine shot; and Jan Paul van Hecke's header nearly changed the score. For Newcastle, though, the 62nd-minute opener was laced with irony: González switched play to the right with a long pass, Amar Dedić headed it back, Anthony Elanga turned away from Tonali and drilled a powerful effort in off the inside of Antonín Kinský's right post. Yoane Wissa then pounced on a loose ball from a corner to make it 2-0. Three minutes later, Tonali was substituted, greeted by a deafening roar and chants of "you should have stayed at a big club."
Notably, the Italy international had never lost to this opponent in six previous meetings before Saturday; yet González, who had only taken part in two training sessions, outshone him. As the new arrivals build understanding, Tottenham's performances should improve. Moreover, they could still strengthen before Tuesday's transfer deadline. The news that Savio was missing with muscle fatigue after an exciting debut felt like another heavy blow.
Fans who had already headed for the exits before the final whistle had every reason to expect more signs of recovery than this. Tottenham have now failed to win and failed to score in their opening two league games for the first time since the 1974-75 season. Tel's 68th-minute free-kick may well have been the worst shot attempt in that entire period.
De Zerbi has inherited a poisoned chalice: Tottenham's home record is disastrous. Over the past three seasons they have lost 21 league games at home, level with Wolves for the most in that period—and Wolves have since been relegated from the Premier League, just as Tottenham narrowly avoided relegation this season by beating Everton 1-0 on the final day. That was only their third home league win of the 2025-26 campaign so far. Any sign of improvement evaporated in the second half. From the 37th minute to the 87th, Tottenham failed to register a single shot on target. This was not total collapse, but a rapid erosion of confidence, much like the 3-0 opening-day loss to Brentford and so many matches under De Zerbi's predecessors. So is reshaping that mentality his biggest task?
"You're right, it is," De Zerbi replied. "The biggest problem, challenge and objective is to find the right mentality. Unfortunately, you cannot buy the right mentality on the market, nor can you get it by stockpiling players. Football is a magical sport. You can change many players in one window and immediately find balance, or it can take more time."
The fans' enthusiasm and belief had been rekindled by these new faces, but now their passion is slowly draining away. The occasional jeers at the final whistle were more disappointment than anger. The old pervasive hostility has not returned and cannot return—because that hostility was mostly aimed at the ownership, whom supporters believed cared more about the balance sheet than the team sheet and never showed the required ambition. That criticism has now been answered emphatically, but only time will tell whether the spending was worth it. De Zerbi is under enormous pressure to mould expensive signings into a real team.
"I feel sorry for the fans, because after two defeats, perhaps some people will think this is the same old story, no different from the last two seasons. But I have no doubt that is not the case," said De Zerbi, who also confirmed that Richarlison, Kevin Danso and Pape Matar Sarr have all asked to leave. "I won't change my opinion because of two defeats. I have great faith in the quality of the players. In the end, when we come together as a team, improve the connections between players, optimise the defensive spaces and the distances between the attacking players, the defenders and the midfielders, when we build a real team—these players will not change whether I or another coach is in charge, because they are all very good players. I feel sorry for the club, because they are building a great team, but perhaps right now, for various reasons, we are not ready, far from ready."