Tottenham manager Roberto de Zerbi addressed the media ahead of Saturday’s Premier League match against Brentford at Gtech Community Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 17:30 BST.

Here are the key points from his press conference:

Advertisement

• De Zerbi has selected Van de Ven as his new captain for the 2026-27 season, identifying Porro, Ben Davies, Maddison, and Archie Gray as potential vice-captains.

• When questioned about Tottenham’s ongoing links to Manchester City’s Savinho, he remarked that it is “not right to speak about players until they are official.”

• De Zerbi confirmed that he and the club’s board are “working very well” in the final stages of the transfer window, during which six players have already joined the squad.

• He elaborated, saying, “We have spoken a lot of times in the summer. It is a connection. It is the connection between the people inside the club and I think we are closing out the first target we ever had in our plan.”

• Reflecting on last season, De Zerbi stated that Spurs “can’t forget what happened” and described it as a “big lesson” for the team. “We’re building a new project,” he noted, adding that the team’s primary goal is to “find the soul of the team.” He emphasized the need to improve their organization with and without the ball and highlighted that their style will be crucial to their success this season.

Listen to the Spurs’ opening game of the season against Brentford on BBC Radio 5 Live on Saturday

Follow all of Friday’s Premier League news conferences

Got a question about Spurs? Get in touch here and we’ll seek answers from our experts

Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi has been speaking to the media before Saturday’s Premier League game against Brentford at Gtech Community Stadium (kick-off 17:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

Advertisement

• De Zerbi has named Van de Ven as his new captain for the 2026-27 campaign, and also listed Porro, Ben Davies, Maddison and Archie Gray as replacement skippers.

• The Italian said it was “not right to speak about players until they are official” when asked about Tottenham’s links to Manchester City’s Savinho.

• De Zerbi confirmed he and the board are “working very well” in the closing stages of the transfer window, during which six players have joined so far.

• He explained: “We have spoken a lot of times in the summer. It is a connection. It is the connection between the people inside the club and I think we are closing out the first target we ever had in our plan.”

• De Zerbi said Spurs “can’t forget what happened” last season and that it was a “big lesson” for his side. “We’re building a new project. The first target is very clear: to find the soul of the team. The second target is to improve in our organisation with and without the ball. Our style has to be the key to our season.”

Listen to the Spurs’ opening game of the season against Brentford on BBC Radio 5 Live on Saturday

Follow all of Friday’s Premier League news conferences

Got a question about Spurs? Get in touch here and we’ll seek answers from our experts