Tottenham are nowhere near £350m better off

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM — Four games in and tetchy Tottenham are still keeping their supporters waiting for a first Premier League goal of the season. In the build up before Everton’s visit to N17, a few Spurs fans, laden with enviable optimism, dared to suggest that one of these days the club will get a return on its investment. The recent transfer window is yet to prove an exact science for Tottenham: around £350m spent as a reward of sorts for Roberto de Zerbi keeping the Championship waves from lapping at a complacent club’s feet. Spurs’ inability to score was not a mystery on this occasion, the fourth attempt at securing full league points. Their fluffy fare drew a few boos at the end. Even the introduction of James Maddison did not provide Tottenham with an attacking spark (Photo: Reuters) Manager De Zerbi’s insistence that this is a better squad than last season remains tricky to digest. How else could it be, considering the north Londoners had yet to even find the net ahead of the Toffees’ clash – a Carabao cup win over Charlton doesn’t factor in this context – although he could not reasonably say anything else, in light of the summer’s free flowing expenditure. The paucity of defeat at Brentford on the opening day of the season, a skittish home loss to Newcastle United and single points, eked out at Nottingham Forest last week and on Saturday against Everton, is the sum total of these Tottenham labours. Here, though, was the exact fixture you imagine De Zerbi needed. A new-look rearguard needs time to settle, admittedly, and the fact that Everton flip-flopped around the thin end of transfer window and came to the capital with sparse choice of attacking options should, theoretically, have set the scene for a belated spark to this campaign. Beyond the exasperation of seeking points, De Zerbi’s off-season powers of persuasion in regard to Lucas Bergvall and Sandro Tonali needed to be proven the right decision quickly. First it was “want-away” Bergvall, then it was a new contract for the Swede. The midfielder was on the bench, before a 62nd minute introduction. A long-range effort turned away by Everton keeper Jordan Pickford was as close as Tottenham came to a winner. How about Tonali, and all £100m of him? The Italian international and De Zerbi’s Brescia backstory helped secure the mercurial playmaker’s services, which should really augur so well for Spurs. Sandro Tonali’s form is yet to take off in a Tottenham shirt (Photo: Getty) The early, awkward Tottenham stats may suggest otherwise, but there is at least some reassurance with Tonali’s presence. Unhurried and gambolling, so much of the hosts’ play was funnelled through their record signing. He forces patience, borne of experience, across the team. Sometimes, though, you just know the Tottenham faithful crave a dash of sheer, almost irresponsible, elan. Presumably this is why Savio – who flattered to deceive, like the team – was brought to the club. For De Zerbi and his players, it was not just about a standard-issue league game here. This is undoubtedly the beginning of a big week for Tottenham, and one which can uplift or slant their season. A visit to Anfield in midweek in the Carabao Cup is one in which the ex-Brighton boss is obliged to field his strongest team, with Liverpool’s weightier responsibilities including the Champions League and an actual title challenge. Moreover, by the time Spurs host Aston Villa next Saturday the concern is that further setbacks could cause intense navel gazing for De Zerbi across a long fortnight. Read more Opinion: Mauricio Pochettino needs to move on from Tottenham Analysis: Four reasons for Tottenham’s lack of goals – and the latest on Richarlison’s future Meanwhile, Everton’s early reticence and vulnerability to the odd through-ball by Tonali turned into decent work rate. Despite all Tottenham’s probing and releasing James Maddison for Omar Marmoush late on, De Zerbi continues to oversee little incision in 2026-27. “Put the ball in!” was one such plea from a frustrated Spurs fan. At least drama has accompanied the Toffees already this season, and not just the vocal outrage from fans directing their ire on a range of pressing matters. Discontent at owners, the Friedkin Group, for a lack of joined-up transfer thinking. Discontent at Moyes’ ultra conservatism. The Scottish manager may not be every fan’s cup of tea, even now, but few are as adept in gathering something when needs must. Another point, via unfashionable organisation and discipline, is ultimately better received for the Blues than for the proverbially shot-shy Spurs and De Zerbi.