Tottenham are in the middle of one of their biggest spending sprees in years, and it’s hard not to draw comparisons to 2013, when they tried to replace Gareth Bale by bringing in a whole group of players rather than one direct successor. That approach had mixed results at the time, though with hindsight it looks better than it did in the moment — Christian Eriksen turned into one of the league’s best creative midfielders, and Erik Lamela eventually won fans over despite a slow start. The question now is whether this summer’s spree, overseen by Roberto De Zerbi, will age the same way.
There’s reason to think this rebuild is different. Back in 2013, most of the incoming players had never played in England and needed time to adjust to the league’s pace and physicality. This time, almost every major signing already has Premier League experience — Sandro Tonali (a deal reportedly worth around £100m with add-ons) and Martin Dubravka among them — which should make the adjustment period shorter, even if the fees have raised eyebrows. De Zerbi is also said to have had real input into who’s been brought in, so the squad should suit his style more naturally than the scattergun approach of a decade ago.
That’s worth keeping in mind when judging the season so far. The opening defeat to Brentford and the tough afternoon against Newcastle both came with key new faces missing — Savio wasn’t yet involved against Newcastle, for instance — so the team supporters have seen isn’t really the finished version. It could be several weeks before this group clicks properly.
Spurs also have history with deadline-day business, having pulled off major late deals for players like Hugo Lloris, Rafael van der Vaart and Lucas Moura in the past, so a late flurry now wouldn’t necessarily signal panic. Savio and Omar Marmoush have already arrived from Manchester City to boost the attack, and De Zerbi reportedly wants more before the window shuts — Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye has been mentioned, possibly tied into City’s interest in Richarlison, though a move for Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk looks closer to done.
Reports suggest personal terms are agreed and the clubs have a full agreement in place, with Mudryk expected to undergo a medical before an initial loan with a roughly £75m option to buy is confirmed. On paper it’s a risk given how inconsistent his time at Chelsea has been, but the De Zerbi connection changes the picture. The two worked together at Shakhtar Donetsk, where Mudryk was directly involved in 11 goals in just 19 games under the Italian, part of 29 goal contributions in 47 games there overall — numbers that hint at what he’s capable of in the right system.
Nobody is suggesting Mudryk is a like-for-like Bale replacement, but if De Zerbi can get him back to his Shakhtar level, Spurs would gain another genuine game-changer in attack. That’s really the bet behind the whole project: heavy spending, real financial risk, and a squad rebuilt from the ground up. The comparisons to 2013 will keep coming, but with De Zerbi holding more influence and most of the new arrivals already used to the Premier League, the circumstances this time look genuinely different.
