Promise of a New Era
"Never again," was the promise made by Tottenham chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and non-executive chairman Peter Charrington after the club narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League.
That stark commitment, reported by Sky Sports, underpins a summer of radical transformation at Tottenham Hotspur. After a disastrous campaign that saw the board and sporting director Johan Lange heavily criticised for a passive January window, the hierarchy have vowed to back Roberto De Zerbi with the resources he needs. The Italian, a long-time target even of former chairman Daniel Levy, kept Spurs up against the odds and now has the club moving decisively in the transfer market.
The £52m capture of defender Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton already signals a break from past habits. Under previous regimes, Spurs might have haggled for months to save a few million; instead, they secured De Zerbi's prime target early, giving the Dutchman a full pre-season to bed in. Speed and conviction are now the watchwords as the north Londoners target up to eight new arrivals.