According to Football.London, Tottenham Hotspur have been exceptionally active early in this summer's transfer window, but Roberto De Zerbi still needs more players in the next week or two.

Spurs have already confirmed four transfers this month, including the free transfers of Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, and Martin Dubravka, as well as the £52 million acquisition of Jan-Paul van de Ven from Brighton. The club quickly completed these four signings, but De Zerbi currently faces a challenge: three of the outfield players will not be available from the start of pre-season training.

The reason is that they are currently participating in or have just completed their respective national team campaigns at Euro 2024. Van de Ven and Senesi reached the knockout stages with the Netherlands and Argentina, respectively, while Robertson has returned home after Scotland's elimination over the weekend.

De Zerbi will begin his first pre-season at Tottenham. Spurs players are expected to return to the Enfield Training Centre in groups starting Friday, July 10, for medicals, physical tests, and fitness work. From Monday, July 13, the squad will officially commence full training sessions to prepare for the Premier League season.

All players must have three weeks off after participating in summer international tournaments, meaning Robertson might rejoin the squad one or two weeks after pre-season begins, provided his ankle injury sustained against Brazil continues to improve. However, the other two new centre-backs, if they progress further in the tournament, might not return until August.

Dubravka is expected to be available from the start. The 37-year-old Slovak international has been preparing for a new chapter in his career all summer.

De Zerbi hopes the new outfield players report for pre-season training as soon as possible. The sooner they arrive, the quicker they will adapt to his playing style and the physically demanding standards it requires across all positions.

Van de Ven already has an advantage as he is familiar with the Italian coach's football philosophy. The others will need to adapt quickly to this distinctive style of play.

When De Zerbi arrived at Tottenham last April, he used a simplified tactical approach. He told Football.London that with limited time, he didn't want to overwhelm new players with too much information.

Pep Guardiola once described De Zerbi and his Brighton team: "Roberto is one of the most influential managers of the last 20 years. Their style of play is unique; no other team plays like them."

The Manchester City manager also likened De Zerbi's influence to that of renowned chef Ferran Adrià, saying: "He changed cuisine. What Brighton is doing now is equally unique."

However, if you think adapting to De Zerbi's full system will be straightforward, consider what veteran Lewis Dunk said about his first experience with the Italian coach at Brighton. There was initially a language barrier, followed by a dramatic shift in training methods.

"The first few weeks were challenging. There was a language barrier—he couldn't speak English initially and had to communicate through a translator," Dunk explained. "In the first meeting, I was completely lost, didn't know who to look at or what to listen to. You learn to wait for the translator to finish before understanding what's being asked of you."

"The training content also changed dramatically; we worked on many different concepts. The first few weeks were a real difficult transition. When Graham Potter left, we were fourth in the league and playing well. It was strange timing, and then Roberto arrived, and the next two weeks were chaotic."

However, for Dunk, it proved worthwhile. It was under De Zerbi that he broke into the England squad, and the defender added: "From a football perspective, my understanding of the game completely changed when the new Brighton manager arrived. The way I view football has transformed, and that's the most important thing. Football wasn't what I originally thought it was."

That was three years ago. De Zerbi's English has improved significantly since then, and he now relies on translator Enrico Venturelli only for specific phrases and vocabulary. However, his football philosophy and training methods can still be challenging for some players, though existing Tottenham players have already been exposed to the fundamentals, which provides a foundation.

Therefore, it may be significant, or simply coincidental, that many of the players Tottenham are currently targeting did not participate in this summer's Euro 2024. If deals can be completed, these players can join training from the outset.

The club has already opened negotiations for significant transfers involving midfielders Sandro Tonali and Matheus Fernandes. Tottenham will face competition from Newcastle and West Ham United, respectively. Manchester City winger Savinho has also long been on Tottenham's radar and was not included in Brazil's Euro 2024 squad.

Some delays are inevitable, but Tottenham ideally hopes to finalize as many deals as possible in the next 11 days to ensure new signings can quickly adapt during the initial weeks of pre-season before the club's summer tour to New Zealand and Australia later next month.

Completing four transfers so swiftly contrasts sharply with Tottenham's typical summer pace, which has often frustrated previous managers. The most recent comparable period was during Ange Postecoglou's first season, when early signings paid dividends. With no European competition this season, if De Zerbi can replicate that fast start and maintain momentum, this could be a significant campaign for both him and the club.

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