Tottenham Hotspur legend Rafael van der Vaart has sharply criticized both the club’s transfer dealings and its performances this season. With Roberto De Zerbi under increasing pressure, Spurs have gone through their opening four Premier League matches without a win — and without scoring a single goal, a run that has alarmed fans and put the club’s expensive summer signings under the microscope.
Speaking on the Rondo podcast, Van der Vaart argued that transfer fees have spiraled out of control, noting that even relatively unproven players now command fees in the tens of millions. He suggested this pricing environment puts clubs like Ajax, PSV, and Feyenoord at a serious disadvantage, since they can’t compete financially. Big-name arrivals such as Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Savio, and Omar Marmoush have so far failed to translate into the attacking improvement supporters were hoping for.
Van der Vaart didn’t hold back on his personal reaction either, saying he finds it hard to watch Tottenham play and that the team’s performances feel genuinely poor given how much money has been spent on the squad.
Some fans have pointed to the club’s rough start under Juande Ramos years ago — just two points from eight games before Harry Redknapp took over and salvaged an eighth-place finish — as proof that slow starts aren’t necessarily fatal. Still, with the goalless run continuing, scrutiny on De Zerbi, the players, and the recruitment strategy is intensifying.
