On August 30 at 00:30 Beijing time (CEST), Tottenham Hotspur will host Newcastle United in the second round of Premier League fixtures. Following the lifting of a media embargo, portions of Roberto De Zerbi's pre-match press conference as Tottenham Hotspur manager have been revealed. This article covers the first part of that content.

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Regarding the new signings this summer, I'd like to revisit Sandro Tonali. Clearly, he will eventually face Newcastle United. Tottenham Hotspur has never spent £100 million on a single player before. This alone generates significant attention and intrigue across world football. So why does he command such a high transfer fee?

Do you want to discuss Tottenham Hotspur specifically, or do you want to discuss the strongest teams and elite clubs in the Premier League? Because we can broaden the conversation, since everyone has the same concern: Are Premier League transfer fees reasonable or unreasonable? I believe the answer is that the Premier League operates a completely different transfer market. Player valuations in the Premier League differ fundamentally from other European markets.

And the reason Sandro Tonali is worth this fee is because he is one of the best and most important midfielders in the Premier League. He received interesting offers twice from two other elite clubs in the Premier League—it wouldn't be appropriate to name them directly, but they are genuinely big clubs. They competed fiercely with us and wanted to sign him, but he wanted to come here. I'm told the fans are very happy with this signing.

We must accept this reality, just as we do with players we sell. I think some players have been sold at high prices, and we've also brought in players at high prices. Sandro Tonali is only 26, not 30. If you analyze the Premier League transfer market, you'll find that transfer fees for 30-year-old players are comparable to Sandro Tonali's price. So what's the reality? What's the answer? I don't know, but I believe that in this market, in this country, in this league, in 2026 currently, his value as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League represents a fair price.

Over the past two seasons, the club has fallen short in the final Premier League standings. In this situation, how important is it to operate efficiently and strategically in the transfer market?

Not entirely. What truly plays a decisive role is the owner's vision and ambition, because these players didn't come here because of me or simply because I wanted them. Tottenham Hotspur is... I depend on the club. Yes, I'm an employee of the club, not the owner. But there's no doubt that the owner's ambition has brought about fundamental change, because the owner pushed hard to secure these players. The owner's ambition is enormous, isn't it? This ambition has been transmitted to all of us—the players, the board, the staff, and myself—driving us to perform better.

At the same time, we must not forget that we are Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham Hotspur, from a historical, stadium, and fan perspective, deserves to compete at the highest level of the table. I don't know if we can fully achieve that from now on, but our plan is to reach that level.

What qualities can he bring to the midfield to transform the team? What will his attitude be when facing his former club early in the season?

To be frank, he's better than I imagined before working with him. I've said many times that he's intelligent, a smart player, and plays very clean football. Some might think he's a player focused on running and pressing with moderate technical ability, but that's not true. He's a very versatile midfielder who can play in the number 6 or number 8 role. He has the intensity necessary to play in the Premier League, and we're very pleased with him.

Looking at the attack, after Omar Marmoush joined, you now have seven genuine attacking options. With the team having no European competition this season, would adding an eighth attacking player be overkill?

Typically, to build a team capable of handling 40, 45, or 50 games in a season, you need two players in each position. If you look at the squad when I arrived last season, counting the number 10 position, there were actually more than eight genuine attacking players. Now there are seven. Who are they? Kudus, Savio, Marmoush, Richarlison, Dominic Solanke, Mads Thyssen, and Wilson Odoubert. Wilson Odoubert suffered a serious injury and will be sidelined for months; he won't be available until February or March next year. Moreover, one of these players could potentially leave before the transfer window closes. I don't think we have too many players.

And if you look back at last season, not just Tottenham Hotspur but all Premier League teams faced significant injury problems, didn't they? I hope Kudus can return smoothly after six months away from injury. I'd be delighted to see Dejan Kulusevski back in the squad. I want to integrate Dejan Kulusevski because he works hard and performs very well. He's an excellent person and a different type of player. Additionally, Habib Simonds won't be available until March or April. So I believe we need the number of players we have.

I was about to ask you about Dejan Kulusevski, and you've almost answered the question already. Will you definitely include him in the Premier League squad?

If he feels as good as he does now, yes, I want to include him. Yes, he's improving every day, and it's wonderful to see him performing well in training. He deserves it, because in his career, at his age, and as a person—not just as a player—he's suffered too much. I'm speaking as a person. He deserves to be in the squad.

Can you tell us where you had dinner? What's the restaurant called?

An Italian restaurant, and I paid the bill, alright? So don't write anything about me having conflicts with the club during the Australian preseason, because that's false. It's not true. We went to an Italian restaurant and had a really great time.

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