Tottenham accused of wasting money on ‘average’ players but Harry Redknapp boldly predicts immediate return to ‘top six’ under Roberto De Zerbi

Former Brighton boss De Zerbi steered Spurs to top-flight safety on the back of answering an SOS call in late March. He picked up a coaching baton that had slipped through the fingers of Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor.

The enigmatic Italian quickly set about restoring a sense of pride in his squad, with 100 per cent effort considered to be the minimum requirement. Nerves were left jangling until the final day of the campaign, but collective heads were kept above water.

Plans for the summer transfer window are now being drawn up, with Spurs discovering that they will make the short trip to Brentford on the opening weekend of 2026-27 action. A serious refresh could have taken place by that point.

Comings and goings aplenty are expected, with any funds raised from sales being reinvested in additions that will help to improve standards and deliver on expectations. Too many big-money deals have failed to deliver a return across recent years - leading to successive 17th-place finishes being endured.

Asked if more cash needs to be splashed over the coming weeks, former Tottenham boss Redknapp - speaking in association with BuzzBallz - told GOAL: “They need a big change. They need to change that squad.

“The manager, I don't know him but I like what I see of him. I think he'll come in and he won't stand for what they've done the last two years. He won't have that and he'll push them and change them. If they're not good enough, they'll be gone. He'll bring players in for sure but he's relying on recruitment. Whoever was doing the recruitment the last couple years has not been very good at doing it.”

Pressed further on whether too many players became “comfortable” at Spurs after securing their own high-profile moves, and what De Zerbi can do to alter that trend, Redknapp added: “They have bought players in and I don't even know who half of them are, to be honest - 60 million here, 50 million there, 70 million there. Average players who haven't performed.

“Two years finishing 17th in the Premier League. They were so lucky not to go down this year. They got the biggest break of all when they went to Villa and Villa put a very average team out, mostly reserves, and probably the worst performance I've seen from a Premier League team that day was Aston Villa against Tottenham. So they caught Villa on the right day, just before they were due to play Forest in the semi final of the European competition, and that win really kept them up.

“But overall this year, they've been shocking Tottenham, absolutely shocking and they got away with it. But I do think this fella will push them on and I think next year they'll finish in the top six.”

Spurs supporters have not had too much to shout about of late, but are hoping to have the likes of Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison fit and firing next season - while currently watching star turns such as Djed Spence and Pedro Porro on World Cup duty with England and Spain respectively.

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