De Zerbi's Spurs: £400m Spent, Zero Goals Scored, and the Cost of Haste

The 0-0 draw at the City Ground was not a disaster. It was something worse: an emptiness that's painfully obvious. Tottenham Hotspur just played their third consecutive Premier League match without scoring. For the first time since 2026, this club has entered a new season with zeros on the scoreboard after three rounds. And the most notable thing — they didn't manage a single shot on target against Nottingham Forest. I've been following English football for over three decades. I've witnessed teams fall apart, projects collapse, managers torn apart by their own pressure. But I've never seen a club spend £400 million in one transfer window, then stand on the pitch like strangers who don't know each other's names. De Zerbi says he's not worried. I don't believe him. Background: When money can't buy time Tottenham's story this season starts with a hasty decision — and I'm not talking about appointing De Zerbi. I'm talking about the club spending £400 million to buy back time they didn't have. This past summer, Tottenham brought in names that were enough to shake the market: Omar Marmoush, Mohammed Kudus, Sávio, Mathys Tel, Andy Robertson. These are players who could start at most Premier League clubs. But De Zerbi admitted something the board probably didn't want to hear: the team only started working together last Thursday. Last Thursday. That's August 28th, less than a week before the match against Nottingham Forest. When I wrote about Mbappé in 2026, I was mocked for daring to compare an 18-year-old at Monaco with Neymar at £222 million. But at least Mbappé had a full summer to adapt. Tottenham's new signings didn't even have that. Analysis: Philosophy collides with reality De Zerbi is a manager with a philosophy. He believes in ball control, purposeful passing, building attacks from the back. That's why he chose players like Marmoush — players who can press, play in multiple positions, create differences in tight spaces. But philosophy needs time to seep into muscles. And philosophy needs players who understand it. The match against Forest clearly showed this problem. Tottenham controlled the ball, created some nice-looking attacking situations — but when it came to the final pass, everything fell apart. De Zerbi said his team made wrong decisions in the box. That's a way of saying the system hasn't been fully assembled yet, trying to protect players without admitting the truth. I've watched many of De Zerbi's matches at Brighton. There, he had time. There, he had players who had played his style for years. At Tottenham, he has £400 million of other people's money and no time to think. A small but important detail: De Zerbi mentioned a specific situation when Marmoush shot instead of passing to Robertson running down the flank. That was a wrong decision. But it was also a sign of a player who doesn't yet understand the system — hasn't learned when to be individual, when to be collective. Contrarian view: Why I'm not blaming De Zerbi completely The crowd will say De Zerbi failed. They'll say £400 million was wasted. They'll call for his head. I'm not saying that. I'm saying Tottenham's board made a fundamental mistake: they believed money could buy anything, including time. They believed that just bringing in the best players, the team would automatically function. They forgot that football, ultimately, is about people — and people need time to become a team. Where could De Zerbi be wrong? He could be wrong choosing to field such a young lineup, so lacking in Premier League experience. Sávio and Tel are talents, but they need time to mature — time that Tottenham doesn't have because of the pressure to win immediately. But the bigger mistake belongs to those who decided to spend £400 million without ensuring the team had enough time to absorb it. VAR and irrelevant controversies The match against Forest also had a subplot: Neco Williams' disallowed goal because VAR thought the ball hit Nottingham Forest player's hand. Manager Oliver Glasner didn't hide his disappointment, saying VAR was "guessing" and if not 100% certain, should keep the referee's decision. This is an important debate, but it doesn't help Tottenham. Spurs can't invoke VAR to explain why they couldn't produce a single shot on target. Prediction: Tottenham will win the next match — but that's not what's important I believe Tottenham will score in the next match. This team has too much quality to continue not scoring. But that's not what's important. What's important is: De Zerbi is standing on a tightrope. He says he's not worried. He says money can't buy everything. He's trying to protect his players, protect his philosophy, protect himself from pressure. But the Premier League is not patient. Three matches without scoring, three matches without winning — and even the most passionate supporters are starting to doubt. Spurs need a convincing victory. Not to climb the table — but to give De Zerbi more time. To give £400 million a chance to be understood correctly. An empty stadium is just a parking lot painted green. But for Tottenham right now, even the parking lot is becoming too noisy.