New-look Spurs can challenge for Europe, says Tottenham reporter

Brentford welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday (5.30pm kick-off BST), with Roberto De Zerbi’s new-look side aiming to make a significant improvement on last season.

After a busy summer of recruitment, Spurs are targeting a return to European football, with a top-six challenge among their ambitions for the 2026/27 campaign.

Ahead of the Premier League meeting, which is live on Sky Sports, Standard Sport’s Sam Tabuteau discusses Tottenham’s summer rebuild, their transfer business, the potential threat posed by Sandro Tonali, and what Keith Andrews’ side can expect from De Zerbi’s team.

After Tottenham retained their place in the Premier League by a margin of just two points last season, there seems to be a lot of positivity going into 2026/27. How would you sum up their summer?

It has been a good summer. There was a really positive, and quite remarkable, start, not only with the amount of money they were spending, but the number of players they were bringing in and how they were staying true to their word.

They said at the end of last season that there needed to be a complete overhaul and they have gone out, done their business early and brought in some really impressive talent.

The main issue they will find now is that they are still short, certainly in attack, so their business is definitely not done; Roberto De Zerbi has said they have probably only done about 60 per cent of it.

It was a very positive, very quick, very surprising start to the window, but they need to follow that up by bringing in those last few players to build out the squad because it is not quite there.

On that, the club have spent well over £200 million and recouped over £70m so far in the transfer window. What have you made of the business they have done so far?

The signings of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali are good. The fees were potentially a little bit inflated but, ultimately, Tottenham had to show a willingness to go out and spend that money and bring in players of that calibre, and the role of De Zerbi in all of these signings should give supporters a lot of hope that he has a plan.

These are players he has identified because he has roles for them in the squad. You can certainly see that with Fernandes and Tonali, with the way they dovetail in terms of what they bring in and out of possession and how they might work alongside each other, but also Jan Paul van Hecke is someone he worked with extensively at Brighton and van Hecke credits him with being a massive influence in his career.

There appears to be a reason behind each addition. They are definitely looking for a winger, which is pretty evident, and Savinho has been heavily linked. That is a deal they would like to get done, but one that appears as though it might drag on until the final days of the window. Another area they might potentially like to strengthen, though it might be dependent on outgoings, is up front.

If you look at their options, you cannot really trust Dominic Solanke’s fitness and there is probably a conversation to be had about just how good Richarlison is. Were they to get a reasonable offer for the latter, who I know has interest from elsewhere, they might look to move on a striker as well.

So, attacking additions, whatever form that may come in, then potentially another defensive player because De Zerbi has said he would ideally want two or three more players.

No Europe means fewer games to contend with, which is probably somewhat welcome after last term. Taking that into consideration, what do you think is a realistic aim for Spurs?

It is a difficult one to gauge because they come into this season off the back of successive 17th-place finishes, but with the way they have gone about their business this summer, they are acting like a club that aspires to finish inside the top six.

I do not think supporters would be getting ahead of themselves to perhaps expect them to challenge for a top-six position. That would be the aim, rather than the expectation.

Ultimately, after the last two seasons, supporters err on the side of caution. A top-half finish would be real progress, but no Spurs supporter would be happy with that, and I am not sure that would constitute success.

Success for the club is getting back into European football, and they have the squad and the manager to challenge for that.

Which player should Brentford be keeping an eye out for on Saturday?

Tonali is the big one. There is the potential for him to come in on his competitive debut for the club and really run the show.

He is definitely the one to keep an eye on.

What should Keith Andrews’ side expect in terms of shape and style?

They tend to line up in a 4-2-3-1. Depending on fitness, it should be Fernandes and Tonali in the pivot, and they will be hoping to have James Maddison fit to play the no.10 role, though he has not played a single minute in pre-season at the time of speaking, so it is a little bit touch-and-go with him as he finds his way back to full fitness.

Then there will be the two wingers and probably Solanke up top. How the defence shapes up will be interesting, as there has been quite a lot of change there.

Cristian Romero and Djed Spence have left, Pedro Porro has had an extended break since the World Cup so will not be fully sharp, and Destiny Udogie is struggling with fitness.

There are quite a few potential changes in the backline.

What’s your score prediction?

I am going to go for a 2-2 draw. I think Tottenham will start brightly and there will be talk of a new era, but Brentford, as they tend to do, will stick in there and show their willingness and get the point.