Roberto De Zerbi's new era at Tottenham has started with a serious jolt. A 3-0 defeat at Brentford on the opening day of the Premier League season was as damaging in tone as it was on the scoreboard, with De Zerbi offering a frank admission afterwards that his side were simply not ready for the physical battle Brentford brought. "We didn't fight in the right way," the Italian said, words that will sting given the scale of the club's summer investment.

Spurs have spent over £237 million on new signings, with Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, and Jan Paul van Hecke among those brought in to transform a squad that narrowly avoided relegation last season. Yet the defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium exposed how disjointed the new-look side still looks, raising immediate questions about cohesion and readiness.

The transfer window remains active, and Spurs have agreed an £85 million deal to sign Manchester City winger Savinho, a move that would push total summer spending past £300 million. A pursuit of City forward Omar Marmoush is also advancing, though Tottenham face competition from Aston Villa and Barcelona for Monaco striker Folarin Balogun, who is also on their radar at around €60 million.

The injury list adds further pressure. Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski, Micky van de Ven, James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, and Destiny Udogie were all sidelined for the Brentford game. Maddison, who is recovering from a year-long ACL nightmare, has spoken openly about how difficult the past twelve months have been.

Spurs sit bottom of the Premier League table with no points from one game. A Carabao Cup tie against Charlton Athletic at home on August 26 offers De Zerbi a chance to restore some confidence before the real tests resume.