Tottenham Hotspur have been warned that Roberto De Zerbi’s huge summer spending spree risks creating the same problems Marseille were forced to address after the Italian left France.
Spurs appointed De Zerbi in March and backed him heavily during his first summer transfer window in north London. More than €350million was spent on permanent signings, with further commitments potentially taking the total beyond €400m.
Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Sávio, Jan Paul van Hecke and Tosin Adarabioyo were among the major arrivals, while Marcos Senesi, Andrew Robertson and Martin Dúbravka joined on free transfers.
Omar Marmoush and Mykhailo Mudryk also arrived on loan, with Tottenham having an obligation to purchase Marmoush.
Despite that investment, Spurs have collected only one point from their opening three Premier League matches and are yet to score in the competition.
Marseille spent heavily under De Zerbi
Foot Marseille has now compared Tottenham’s transfer strategy with Marseille’s approach under De Zerbi.
The French club spent more than €120m during his first season, including €38.5m on Mason Greenwood, €27m on Elye Wahi, €19m on Amine Gouiri and €12m on Ismaël Koné.
Only Gouiri remains at Marseille.
More than €110m followed during De Zerbi’s second campaign, with Igor Paixão, Nayef Aguerd and Jonathan Rowe accounting for more than half of that expenditure.
According to the report, owner Frank McCourt committed substantial amounts to transfer fees and salaries to support De Zerbi’s project.
The problems became apparent after the manager departed for Tottenham.
Marseille forced to ‘clean up the mess’
Marseille subsequently faced a difficult summer in which raising money and reducing costs became priorities.
The Ligue 1 club generated around €90m through player sales, while several expensive members of De Zerbi’s squad were either moved on or considered for departures.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg was among those Marseille wanted to sell because of his high salary. Newcastle United provided a possible destination, but the midfielder rejected the move and subsequently lost the captaincy.
Foot Marseille argues the club ultimately “paid a heavy price” for its previous spending and spent the summer “cleaning up the mess”.
The outlet believes De Zerbi has now brought essentially the same strategy to Tottenham, writing: “De Zerbi offered his strategy to Tottenham. And Spurs are doing as McCourt did: they’re paying!”
Tottenham’s enormous investment makes the comparison particularly relevant given their difficult start. De Zerbi successfully kept Spurs in the Premier League last season, but expectations have changed dramatically following a summer in which the club committed hundreds of millions to rebuilding his squad.
Key Points
- Tottenham have spent more than €350m backing Roberto De Zerbi, with future commitments potentially pushing the figure beyond €400m.
- Foot Marseille claims Marseille “paid a heavy price” for similarly aggressive spending under De Zerbi and later had to reduce costs.
- Marseille raised around €90m through sales this summer after investing more than €230m across De Zerbi’s two seasons.
- Spurs have only one point from three Premier League games and are yet to score despite their enormous summer investment.
What’s Next?
Tottenham now need results to justify their extraordinary backing of De Zerbi. The concern raised in France is not simply about how much Spurs have spent, but what happens if De Zerbi’s project fails and the club is left with an expensive squad assembled specifically for his demands. Their performances over the coming months will determine whether the Marseille comparison proves justified or premature.
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