Tottenham are in the middle of a significant rebuild, with Roberto De Zerbi driving one of the most ambitious transfer windows in the club's recent history. The most pressing development is the departure of captain Cristian Romero, who is heading to Inter Milan in a £34 million deal after De Zerbi publicly accepted the defender's desire to leave. That exit leaves the armband up for grabs, with former Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld telling GOAL that Micky van de Ven, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison are among the candidates, while stressing the next skipper must lead by example rather than volume.

On the incoming side, the spending has been relentless. Sandro Tonali arrived from Newcastle in a £100 million deal, with the Italian midfielder revealing that a personal conversation with De Zerbi was decisive. Portuguese midfielder Mateus Fernandes followed in an £85 million move, having turned down Manchester United to join. De Zerbi is not finished, with reports linking Spurs to Manchester City winger Savinho, striker Victor Osimhen and USMNT forward Folarin Balogun. Meanwhile, Newcastle are reportedly waiting until August 16 to bid £60 million for Lucas Bergvall, navigating UEFA transfer rules.

On the pitch, Spurs beat Chelsea 2-1 in Sydney despite finishing with ten men, with Richarlison scoring a last-minute winner to give De Zerbi's side pre-season bragging rights. The next friendly is at home to Getafe on August 8, before the Premier League season opens at Brentford on August 22.