Tottenham Will Soon Have 8 Players Who Do Not Have a Future Under De Zerbi

· GiveMeSport

Some big decisions need to be made at Spurs...

Tottenham Hotspur have had a woeful start to the 2026/27 Premier League season, taking their poor form of 2025/26 into the new campaign under Roberto De Zerbi .

The Italian head coach saved the Lilywhites from relegation on the final day of the season last time out, with a 1-0 win over Everton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium securing their place in the top flight.

Big things have been expected of Spurs , given the money spent in the summer transfer window and the complete overhaul De Zerbi has done on the squad he inherited.

Ten new players arrived this summer for more than £300million, with no fewer than 17 players departing the north London club. And such wholesale changes have had a detrimental effect on the club, so far, with Spurs winless and rock bottom of the Premier League table five games into the season.

It is a dire situation the club find themselves in, although there have been moments of positivity for supporters to cling onto that things can only get better.

Despite the major overhaul of the playing squad, De Zerbi still has some squad selection dilemmas on his hands and they will rear their heads when some of his injured stars return to action.

So far, the Italian has been unable to call upon Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevsi or Wilson Odobert, while new arrival Mykhailo Mudryk only got 16 minutes in his legs before he suffered an ankle injury.

De Zerbi named a 25-man squad for the Premier League campaign, with Richarlison's name a big omission. Those 25 players do not include U21s such as Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Mathys Tel, who can be used at any time given their age.

But every matchday, at least five of those names are left at home, with clubs only allowed to name a travelling squad of 20. And with Spurs already out of the Carabao Cup, they only have the league and the FA Cup to play in for the rest of this season, meaning opportunities are going to be limited for some players.

Richarlison has already been cast out, but with 20 spots in the matchday squad up for grabs, and De Zerbi having 24 senior players, plus those three regular U21s at his disposal, seven other players are likely to find out very soon that they do not have a future under De Zerbi, once the injured players return to action.

Brandon Austin has been on the periphery under numerous managers in N17 and as the third-choice goalkeeper his watching role has already been determined.

Ben Davies may be in De Zerbi's leadership group, named as the third-choice captain behind Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro, but he has already found himself out of two of the club's five matchday squads so far this season and has not come off the bench in any of the other three. He is a leader in name and stature behind the scenes, but not on the pitch.

When Kulusevski, Simons and Odobert are all back, fit and firing, you have to imagine Tel's role in the matchday squad will be over. He has split opinion in the fanbase and his removal from the matchday squad for the defeat to Aston Villa was telling.

> Technical decision. He was in the stands, because I think during the game, Maddison and Kudus, they had more chances to change the game, and then two centre‑backs, important, also the two full‑backs, have a look for Pedro Porro, with Archie Gray, and the two central midfielders. It was no problem. He was very nice and he understood the reason, but nothing more, and also he played more than the others - De Zerbi on Tel omission

Four other players will find they do not have a place in the starting lineup or on the substitutes' bench when everyone is fit. For now it's Simons, Kulusevski, Odobert and Mudryk, because they are sidelined, but who the four will be once they all return is going to be intriguing to see.

Spurs are planning for the January transfer window already

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