Tottenham Hotspur closed one of the most dramatic transfer windows in the club’s history when the English market shut at 11pm on Tuesday, having spent close to £394million on 10 first-team signings as they reshaped Roberto De Zerbi’s squad for the new campaign. With windows still open elsewhere in Europe and Saudi Arabia, further departures from N17 aren’t ruled out yet.
Spurs came out swinging early, wrapping up six signings and roughly £237million in spending before August even arrived. In the space of a few hours they broke their own transfer record twice — first landing Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85million, then stunning everyone by prising Sandro Tonali away from Newcastle in a deal worth up to £100million (£92.5million plus £7.5million in add-ons), instantly making the Italian their most expensive signing ever.
August brought a fresh burst of activity as De Zerbi pushed for more firepower up front, and Tottenham raided Manchester City for both Omar Marmoush and Savio. Marmoush joined on loan with a £50million obligation to buy (plus up to £10million more in add-ons), while Savio signed permanently for a reported £75million plus £10million in potential extras.
Deadline day brought one more twist, with Spurs snapping up Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk on loan carrying a £75million option to buy, and adding defensive cover in Tosin Adarabioyo, also from Chelsea, for £10million plus £2million in add-ons following Kevin Danso’s exit.
The spending wasn’t one-directional, though — Tottenham also raised around £264million through outgoing deals. Luka Vuskovic left for Brighton in a £46million-plus-£4million package, Cristian Romero moved to Atletico Madrid for £34.2million including add-ons, and Djed Spence joined Inter Milan for £30million. Pape Matar Sarr and Kevin Danso departed on loans with conditions attached that could make them permanent.
Full incoming list: Sandro Tonali (Newcastle, £92.5m+£7.5m), Mateus Fernandes (West Ham, £85m), Savio (Man City, £75m+£10m), Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton, £52m), Tosin Adarabioyo (Chelsea, £10m+£2m), Omar Marmoush (Man City, loan+£50m obligation+£10m), Mykhailo Mudryk (Chelsea, loan+£75m option), Andy Robertson (Liverpool, free), Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth, free), Martin Dubravka (Burnley, free).
Biggest departures: Luka Vuskovic (Brighton, £46m+£4m), Cristian Romero (Atletico Madrid, £34.2m), Djed Spence (Inter Milan, £30m), Pape Matar Sarr (Juventus, loan+£23.5m obligation), Kevin Danso (Sunderland, loan+£22.5m obligation), Radu Dragusin (Fiorentina, loan+£21.4m obligation), Will Lankshear (Middlesbrough, £20m), Ashley Phillips (Middlesbrough, £7m+£13m), Alejo Veliz (Bahia, £7.8m), Manor Solomon (West Ham, £5m+£2m). Several academy prospects — including Mikey Moore, Jamie Donley, Yang Min-hyeok, George Abbott and Mason Melia — also left on loan as part of the club’s continued youth development push.
Add it all up and it’s a staggering picture: £394million spent, £264million recouped, records smashed, and a squad transformed rather than tweaked. De Zerbi now has an expensively rebuilt side at his disposal — and with that comes expectation. The business is done. The pressure to deliver starts now.
