Tottenham only have two problems – they can’t attack and they can’t defend

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM — The great Tottenham Hotspur rebuild of 2026 has not gone to plan just yet. Despite now passing the £300m mark in outgoings this transfer window, Spurs have lost both of their opening Premier League games, conceding five times without reply. What’s equally alarming is they didn’t play particularly well in either match and those score-lines were hardly flukes. When team news dropped prior to Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Newcastle, there was a prevailing thought that this overhauled team was already in need of another overhaul. And, well, after finishing 17th two years on the spin, you’d be correct for presuming this Tottenham side still requires more parts. The main area of concern was in attack, where right-back Pedro Porro – making his first Premier League start since winning the World Cup with Spain – had to start on the wing. Even more concerning was the fact that Tottenham’s best spells in the game came when they played this unorthodox hand. De Zerbi (right) has already spent more than £300m on his squad this season, including buying Matheus Fernandes (left) for £85m (Photo: Getty) At 0-0, Spurs did look like they had the better of Newcastle and that they were slowly turning the key to unlock an all-important goal. Then Anthony Elanga went down the other end, scored with a remarkable piece of trickery, and the hosts lapsed back into their bad habits. The players shrunk and retreated back into their shells. They did not create a meaningful attack once Newcastle took the lead. Mathys Tel’s comedic free-kick into row Z of England’s tallest single-tier stand got a round of meaty groans that could have powered a wind turbine (just in case Spurs needed another source of power and/or revenue). Tottenham put their round pegs back in round holes six minutes after Elanga’s opener, with Porro heading back into defence and Mohammed Kudus, marking his return from an eight-month injury, slotting in on the wing. Within another four minutes, Newcastle had their second through Yoane Wissa from a corner. Premier League newbie Matthias Jaissle would seldom have been nervous as the clock ran down, despite Spurs having over half an hour to try and claw their way back into the contest. "From Newcastle's point of view it's a magnificent goal… from a Spurs point of view I hate it." Jamie Redknapp and Ryan Mason take a closer look at Anthony Elanga's goal against Spurs 🔍 pic.twitter.com/xteGQd6FEt— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 29, 2026 Jaissle arrived at Newcastle with the club in flames. Eddie Howe had surprisingly stood down halfway through pre-season amid a flurry of high-profile sales, including Sandro Tonali’s to Tottenham for £100m. They weren’t expected to be ready for the Premier League campaign ahead, yet have taken an impressive four points from even more impressive performances against Liverpool and Spurs. But what about Roberto De Zerbi? The supposedly elite coach who would be Tottenham’s X-factor in their ascent up the table? The man handed the blank cheque as reward for saving Spurs from relegation? The Italian had a full pre-season with his team, save for the late returns from the World Cup and their most recent transfers. Even the players of inferior quality should show some cohesion given the time they have spent together, yet still they look like strangers. Spurs’ structure off the ball is among their worst qualities, with nobody too sure where they should be standing. The rationale behind Spurs’ summer activity, buying exclusively from other English clubs, was that it would harden and embattle a weak group to ready for the rigours of the Premier League. Two weeks into the season, they are the least-ready team in the division. The excuse for last week’s 3-0 humbling at Brentford was that it was a makeshift XI that would probably never be fielded together again. That’s fine in isolation, but that line doesn’t wash this time after the likes of Porro, Micky van de Ven and debutant Omar Marmoush stepped into the lineup. Read more Kat Lucas: Tottenham set for another £40m boost with four players set for exit Daniel Storey: Ebbsfleet United: The football club who aren’t allowed to play matches Prior to kick-off on Saturday, stadium announcer Paul Coyte tried to whip up the crowd with a rousing speech. “We’ve spent and we’ve spent. We’re back. We’re going places. We’re huge.” Now, it is Coyte’s job to excite the fans and improve the atmosphere. He’s hardly to blame for the 90 minutes that followed. But it’s hard to shake the feeling that the Tottenham hierarchy have been thinking along the same lines this window. The board have been so obsessed with trying not to be Daniel Levy that they seem to have strayed from ambitious to merely reckless. De Zerbi has been backed with each of his top targets, bar Liverpool starter Cody Gakpo, delivered before their first home league game. As best demonstrated by the Reds last year, the most expensive windows usually necessarily the most successful. So here Spurs are, entering the final week of the transfer window already more than £300m deep, lumbered with a team that can’t defend or attack. That seems like a problem.