Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi has confessed that this summer window has been very different to the transfer windows he has overseen across his managerial career.
It is fair to say that the Italian has been backed more than any Tottenham manager in recent history after keeping the club in the Premier League by the skin of their teeth.
Spurs have bought in eight new players so far for a combined £372m, while also shattering their wage ceiling.
The club have essentially managed to complete a full squad rebuild in a single window, which some would feel was necessary after the horror show domestically over the last two seasons.
Roberto De Zerbi says the Tottenham hierarchy pushed for big signings rather than him
De Zerbi has a history of being very demanding in the transfer market, which may be why the Italian has fallen out with the higher-ups at some of his previous clubs.
The 46-year-old confessed that this is the first transfer window where he has not pushed for signings, but rather the club’s top brass have been the ones clamouring for big additions.
When asked about Spurs’ summer business so far, De Zerbi told Football.London: “I’m not pushing… really it’s the first time I didn’t push to complete the squad. They pushed to build the top players. Johan Lange was brilliant in terms of ideas to make solutions. Also, Vinai, I remember when we closed [Sandro] Tonali and he made a video call to me when I was on holiday and he had a big smile, very happy.
“It’s not my business the transfer market. I work for Tottenham to make Tottenham better than the last two seasons. The last two seasons is not Roberto wants the players. No Roberto works for Tottenham and he wants the board like the staff like the players the best thing we can do.”
De Zerbi dismisses rumours of a disagreement regarding Spurs’ pre-season tour
The Tottenham boss revealed that he had dinner with the club’s hierarchy and the owners this week, insisting that they have a strong relationship.
While there have been a few grumblings at Spurs about having had to travel to Australia and New Zealand for pre-season, De Zerbi dismissed rumours that there was a falling out regarding an issue.
The Tottenham boss added: “It was an Italian restaurant and I paid, just so you don’t write about a problem between me and the club for the pre-season in Australia because it’s not true! We went to an Italian restaurant and it went very well.
“It’s a normal relationship. We went before the Chelsea game last season with Vinai and Johan, and it’s a part of our job to organise and make the last plans in the last days of the transfer market, to speak about the condition of the players and the transfers we can do in the next three or four days. Nothing more but there is seriously a great relationship with all of them.”