Tottenham sit bottom of the Premier League table after taking just two points from five matches
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Tottenham’s Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham has backed Roberto De Zerbi following the club’s poor start to the new campaign.
Spurs sit at the bottom of the Premier League and remain winless after five fixtures despite a summer of heavy spending where over £380 million went on new signings.
However, Venkatesham highlighted the team's "underlying performances", pointing out that Tottenham created numerous good openings without scoring during matches against Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Everton.
Speaking at the first Fan Advisory Board meeting of the campaign last week, Venkatesham noted he was "encouraged by aspects of the underlying performances since the opening day defeat (at Brentford)."
The Chief executive "acknowledged the disappointment at the current points total even at this early point in the season and recognised the frustration this caused supporters following the previous campaign".
Vinai Venkatesham has given De Zerbi his backing (Mike Egerton/PA)open image in gallery
Vinai Venkatesham has given De Zerbi his backing (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Wire)
Venkatesham was keen to emphasise his belief in De Zerbi and the revamped squad following 10 summer arrivals, alongside the departures of established senior figures such as Guglielmo Vicario, Djed Spence, Cristian Romero, Kevin Danso and Joao Palhinha.
"The club had made significant changes over the summer, both on and off the pitch, and recognised that these might take time to take full effect," Venkatesham told those present.
He further noted that "(Venkatesham) expressed confidence in Roberto De Zerbi, in the players brought in and in the changes made, noting the considerable work under way behind the scenes."
Although Tottenham spent lavishly to sign Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Savio, the club raised roughly £150m from sales, which included highly-rated teenager Luka Vuskovic joining Brighton in a £50m move.
Further significant fees will follow next summer after Radu Dragusin and Danso left with obligations to turn their loans into permanent moves, while Vicario and Pape Sarr could also raise funds since their exits to Juventus included an option to depart permanently.
Following a £120m capital injection from majority owners the Lewis family last month, Venkatesham outlined the financial "constraint" affecting the north London club.
Tottenham spent big in the summer, bringing in Sandro Tonali for £100 millionopen image in gallery
Tottenham spent big in the summer, bringing in Sandro Tonali for £100 million (Getty)
Venkatesham told the meeting: "The club needed to improve as a seller of players, having achieved limited returns in previous years and doing so is important in modern football for compliance with financial regulations."
He added: "Financial regulations represented a genuine constraint. The club had not recorded a profit since 2019 and its costs were rising through investment in the men’s team in wages and transfer fees.
"Successive 17th-placed finishes and the absence of European revenue this season had also affected the club’s revenue position."
It was confirmed "significant changes" had been made to Spurs’ performance team across medical, physical preparation and performance departments to address high injury numbers, while improvements have also been made to training centre facilities.