Photo: Nehme1499 / Wikimedia Commons - CC BY 3.0

Art: the conscious use of human skill, imagination and creative power to produce objects, environments or experiences that can be shared with others.

By definition, Tottenham Hotspur's new Italian maestro is an artist.

His teams consistently exemplify the conscious use of skill, imagination and creativity, producing football that can become more than something to simply watch. It can become an experience.

Whether you are a consumer of football and football media, or the person creating it for others to consume, Roberto De Zerbi is everything you could ask for in a manager. His teams make for brilliant viewing, his interviews rarely disappoint, and the footballing world's opinion of him is constantly changing.

He's a walking, talking, footballing headline.

But there is more to De Zerbi than the spectacle.

In football, a lot gets made of what happens during the 90 minutes, and rightly so. Fans reserve the right to critique or praise whatever it is they've just experienced on match day.

But anyone who makes their living at a football club needs no reminder that the real hard yards happen Monday to Friday. They happen away from the cameras, largely unnoticed and, frankly, unimportant in the minds of most consumers.

The training sessions. The meetings. The travel. The recovery. The endless repetition of ideas until they become instinct.

It should not be underestimated how much easier it is to deal with time away from family, countless hours of travel and the unpredictability of elite sport when you are working in an environment and part of a group you are proud of.

And that, perhaps more than anything else, is De Zerbi's greatest managerial asset.

He makes people want to be part of the idea.

Micky van de Ven has already spoken positively about the direction of Tottenham under De Zerbi, particularly the greater emphasis on possession and attacking football. And on the eve of the new Premier League season, De Zerbi has gone a step further by making Van de Ven Tottenham's new captain, placing him at the head of a five-man leadership group alongside Pedro Porro, Ben Davies, James Maddison and Archie Gray.

Whatever convinced Van de Ven to commit his future to Tottenham, the decision to make him captain is a pretty clear indication of the trust De Zerbi has placed in him.

But ask any artist what they need to produce their best work?

Freedom.

Clarity.

Love.

And more than £200 million in new players?

After Tottenham's treacherous 2025/26 campaign, it was painfully obvious that the summer transfer window would mean a great deal for the future of the club.

Spurs finished 17th in the Premier League for the second consecutive season. De Zerbi arrived in March with Tottenham sitting perilously close to the relegation zone and just seven league games remaining. He ultimately guided them to safety, but the scale of the problem was obvious.

The summer, therefore, was never going to be about adding one or two pieces to an otherwise functioning machine.

The machine needed rebuilding, and Tottenham have given De Zerbi the tools to do exactly that.

Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka have all arrived, with Spurs spending more than £200 million on their summer recruitment. The club have also agreed a reported £75 million deal for Manchester City's Savinho, with add-ons potentially taking the fee higher.

This isn't simply recruitment for recruitment's sake.

It is a statement.

Tottenham are building a team for De Zerbi.

Tonali gives him a midfielder capable of controlling games. Fernandes adds another technically gifted option in the middle of the pitch. Van Hecke and Senesi give him more solutions in defence. Robertson brings experience and a profile suited to a possession-heavy side.

The names matter, but the bigger point is what they represent.

Tottenham have decided that the football De Zerbi wants to play is worth investing in.

And that is why De Zerbi himself may be the most important addition Tottenham have made in years.

There are very few managers in world football who can make their footballing philosophy feel like an invitation rather than an instruction.

De Zerbi is one of them.

Pep Guardiola has described him as “one of the most influential managers of the last 20 years”, a remarkable endorsement from a manager whose own influence on modern football is difficult to overstate.

And Spurs supporters should have little doubt that the football itself will be entertaining.

Building from the goalkeeper. Inviting pressure. Creating passing angles. Manipulating the opposition. Playing through the very press that most managers would rather avoid.

The De Zerbi style is not built around simply having possession. It is built around using possession to manipulate the opponent.

That is why his teams can be so compelling to watch.

But this is where the romance has to end.

Because the footballing world is not a utopia where fans and shareholders will tolerate poor results simply because their manager is an A-list entertainer.

At the end of the day, a manager's job is judged by what he and his squad put out into the world over 90 minutes. Results matter.

A healthy points tally can cover up for ugly football. The reverse is not true.

Beautiful football cannot indefinitely compensate for poor results.

And that is the great question hanging over Tottenham as the 2026/27 season begins.

Can De Zerbi turn art into points?

Tottenham have already spent heavily to give him the best possible chance.

The expectation has changed, too.

A year ago, Spurs were fighting for their Premier League status. Now, after consecutive 17th-place finishes and an enormous summer investment, merely surviving is not enough. The club's ambition is to climb the table and re-establish itself among England's leading sides.

That changes the pressure on De Zerbi.

There will be no hiding behind a rebuild forever. There will be no argument that the squad simply isn't good enough. There will be no patience for attractive football without progression.

Tottenham have spent the money. De Zerbi has the players. Now he has to produce.

And perhaps that is what makes this Tottenham team so fascinating.

The ingredients are there. The manager has the personality. The tactical identity is clear. The squad has been rebuilt around that identity. And the players appear to be buying into it.

But the Premier League has a habit of turning beautiful ideas into very ugly realities.

De Zerbi's style? Fun to watch.

His aura? Remarkable.

His personality? Not for everyone.

His footballing philosophy? Already proven.

His new squad? Expensive, talented and built with his vision in mind.

But ultimately, none of that will be enough on its own.

The artist has been given the canvas. Tottenham have given him the players. Now comes the difficult part.

Turning the art into points.