Tottenham spent upwards of £350 million on eight new signings this summer in a bid to drastically overhaul a squad that narrowly avoided relegation last term. The high-profile arrivals include £100m midfielder Sandro Tonali, who endured a miserable, jeer-filled reunion against former club Newcastle, and Omar Marmoush, who missed a glaring opportunity on his debut.
Despite the massive financial outlay and back-to-back defeats, De Zerbi is urging fans to trust the process. He stressed that integrating a heavily rotated squad takes time, acknowledging that his project remains in its infancy.
“There is no panic. I know where we are going and what the plan is,” De Zerbi added. “I have a big, big confidence in the qualities of my players. At the end, when we become a team, when we improve the connection between the players.
“I’m sorry for the fans for the environment because after two defeats maybe somebody can think it is the same history, the same as the last two seasons. I have no doubt it is not like this.”
He continued: “Nothing change because they are too good [a group of] players. I’m sorry for the club because they are building a great squad. But maybe now, we are not ready yet, for many, many reasons we are not ready yet.”