| Market | Selection | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur | Draw | 9/4 |
| Tottenham vs Everton | Everton +1 handicap | 31/40 |
Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
Spending spree yet to pay off
Roberto De Zerbi was responsible for saving Tottenham from relegation last term. Spurs finished 17th for a second consecutive season, ending just two points above West Ham. Naturally, the club’s hierarchy wanted to do everything in their power to avoid that fate for a third season.
That has led to Spurs spending approximately £320 million in the summer transfer window. They’ve brought in Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Savinho, Omar Marmoush and Tosin Adarabioyo. Mykhailo Mudryk also joined on loan on deadline day, with an option to make the move permanent. Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Martin Dubravka, and Jan-Paul van Hecke all signed early in the window.
The sheer number of additions should be enough to raise the quality of the team, but that hasn’t happened yet. The problem with adding 10 new players to the squad is that they all need time to adapt to their new surroundings. They also need to adapt to De Zerbi’s system.
After losing their opening two Premier League games, it’s clear Tottenham are far from a settled side. That creates a short-term betting case to oppose Tottenham before the market fully adjusts. Roberto De Zerbi may yet build a strong side, but the early evidence suggests this new group still needs time to find the right balance.
Concerning stats for Spurs
While Tottenham’s opening two defeats are a cause for concern, it’s their performances that may be the bigger issue. Spurs actually enjoyed the majority of possession in both games, recording 59% against Brentford and 57% against Newcastle.
Away at the Gtech Community Stadium, De Zerbi’s men managed an xG (expected goals) of just 0.57 from nine shots. Only four of those were on target.
The Bees were in complete control on Matchday 1, registering an xG of 3.88 from a staggering 26 shots on the day. Newcastle exposed a similar issue in North London. Spurs had plenty of possession, but not enough control, high-quality chances or resilience once the match started to turn against them.
The need to find balance
Several new arrivals have already been thrown straight into the De Zerbi project. Sandro Tonali, Andy Robertson, Jan Paul van Hecke and Antonín Kinský started both league defeats. Meanwhile, Mateus Fernandes and Omar Marmoush also started against Newcastle.
The positive news for Spurs fans is that De Zerbi is under no illusions about the state of his team.
Speaking to the media after the Newcastle defeat, he said that mentality cannot simply be bought in the transfer market. He also explained that while some teams can make wholesale changes and find their balance immediately, others need more time.
De Zerbi also stressed the importance of building stronger connections between his players and improving defensive spacing. That explanation fits what has happened on the pitch so far. Tottenham have had enough possession in both defeats to suggest the plan is visible in patches. Still, there’s not enough cohesion to control transitions or respond well when momentum swings against them.
Tonali is an example of the adaptation lag De Zerbi is talking about. The Tottenham manager said the midfielder was not yet in his best physical condition. This underlines the wider point that this rebuild is about timing as much as talent. De Zerbi remains confident in the quality of the squad. He has made it clear that two defeats have not changed his opinion of the project.
Capitalising on the uncertainty
The first betting angle is to back the draw in Spurs’ visit to the City Ground for a clash with Nottingham Forest this weekend. Forest have been draw specialists at home in 2026, drawing seven of their 10 home league matches. The value they offer for holding Spurs to a stalemate is enough to attract interest, considering the visitors aren’t yet the finished product.
Tottenham’s away record in the same period strengthens that case. Spurs have won two, drawn three and lost six of their Premier League away games in 2026. During that run, Spurs scored 0.93 goals per game, 0.8 fewer than they conceded. Their first away date of this season, the 3-0 defeat at Brentford, showed how vulnerable they still are when the game opens up away from home.
Forest don’t need a huge tactical case for this bet to make sense. Their home record already does a lot of the work, while Tottenham’s current lack of fluency adds the rest. Forest’s head-to-head record also offers some secondary support. They won each of the last four meetings, including a 3-0 win in the corresponding fixture last term.
The second betting angle is backing Everton with a slight handicap advantage of +1 when Tottenham host them on Saturday, September 12. This is a more cautious way to oppose Spurs.
Tottenham’s 2026 home league record is the strongest support point here. They've won just one of 11 Premier League home matches this calendar year.
Everton arrive in steadier form. They are unbeaten after two league matches with one win and one draw. That makes the +1 handicap appealing against a Tottenham side still searching for form. Spurs did beat Everton 1-0 in the most recent meeting in London in May, but one result is not enough to cancel out the wider home trend.