Tottenham Hotspur's heavily revamped squad, assembled at a cost of nearly £400 million, suffered an emphatic 3-0 defeat at Brentford on the opening day of the Premier League season, underscoring the scale of the task facing manager Roberto De Zerbi. The loss, which saw Spurs concede three goals by the 49th minute, prompted a mass exodus of fans from the Gtech Community Stadium before the final whistle.
Brentford's new signing outshines Tottenham's marquee arrivals
The irony was not lost on observers that the best player on the pitch was the only new face in Brentford's starting lineup. Mamadou Sangaré, signed for a club-record fee from Lens, dominated the midfield, proving too fast and dynamic for Tottenham's new signings Sandro Tonali, Lucas Bergvall, and Conor Gallagher. The Mali international set up Keane Lewis-Potter's opening goal and struck the shot that led to Michael Kayode's third.
Sangaré, 24, exemplifies a club that gets its recruitment right. His career path has been challenging—moving to Europe and Red Bull Salzburg at 18, spending years on loan in Austria's second tier and in Belgium. After a year at Lens that included Coupe de France glory and individual Ligue 1 accolades, Brentford paid what already looks like a bargain £41 million. He received a standing ovation when substituted in the second half.
Tonali struggles as Spurs' spending spree fails to deliver
On the other side, Tonali was the face of Tottenham's troubles. The £100 million marquee signing played a game where the ball seemed to elude him. De Zerbi had spoken this summer of his admiration for Tonali as a teenager at Brescia, but the 26-year-old's first-half performance—culminating in a skied volley over the crossbar on 40 minutes—was marked by misplaced passes and frustrated fouls, always one step behind the imperious Sangaré.
De Zerbi's boldness was evident in making Archie Gray the youngest captain in Tottenham's history, in the absence of injured new club skipper Micky van de Ven. The defensive pairing of Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke failed to settle, while Andy Robertson, led out by the 20-year-old Gray, must be questioning his decision to join.
£400m spending spree yet Spurs still reliant on Richarlison
Pending arrivals Savinho and Omar Marmoush will push Spurs' summer spending towards £400 million—only Liverpool in 2025 have spent more in a single window. Despite bringing in six new players before a ball was kicked, Spurs still started with Richarlison leading the line. His meek performance contrasted sharply with Brentford's Igor Thiago, whose power and poise were evident all afternoon, even as he hit the post with an over-relaxed penalty at 3-0.
Brentford, who established a two-goal lead through Lewis-Potter and Vitaly Janelt, were unfazed by Spurs' introduction of £85 million signing Mateus Fernandes at the break. Keith Andrews' side, without the burden of European football after missing out on the final day of last season, added firepower with substitutes Jaidon Anthony and Callum Wilson at a fraction of the cost of Spurs' wild spending.
What does this mean for De Zerbi and Spurs' future?
Tottenham started last season with a 3-0 win over Burnley and a 2-0 victory at Manchester City—points that promised a new beginning under Thomas Frank, who haunted them from his old manor here, but ultimately proved vital in their fight for survival under De Zerbi in May. This result leaves the head coach with a vastly changed squad that must be given time to gel. But if this is New Spurs, a constant cycle of new lows and new ways of embarrassing themselves, after two 17th-place finishes in succession, would anyone blame them for taking that now?
