David Sneyd

IN WHAT SHOULD be a surprise to absolutely nobody, people within football tend to gossip ravenously.

Long before they began this new Premier League season with a thumping 3-0 defeat away to Keith Andrews’ Brentford on Saturday, the word coming out of Tottenham Hotspur was that they were going to go big in the transfer market to make people stand up and take notice.

However, just like Manchester United boss Michael Carrick earlier in the day after a limp 2-0 loss at newly promoted Hull City, Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi ended up slumped in his seat.

The Italian had previously been full of bravado in the midst of that relegation battle last term. The word being fed back around the Premier League grapevine was that De Zerbi was letting anyone who would listen know that they would have money to spend this summer.

He was also insisting that he would remain in charge even if they suffered the ignominy of relegation and, as sources have explained to The 42, he was by no means shy about telling them about the calibre of player they would be signing if they could remain in the top flight.

Sandro Tonali was the name De Zerbi returned to time and again, but rivals didn’t think Spurs would deliver on the talk. They felt they wouldn’t be willing to put their money where De Zerbi’s mouth was to get the Italian international out of Newcastle United.

Not just that, it was known that Tonali’s camp were long assessing the market for him. The player’s agent was at Stamford Bridge on more than one occasion during the 2025/26 campaign, but the vibe was that he didn’t really fancy Chelsea.

Manchester City were believed to be his favoured destination but when it became apparent that they were going all in on Elliot Anderson the sense was that Manchester United would then be in pole position.

The swiftness of how Spurs got the €108 million deal done was viewed by rivals as a real shock, even after they splurged €99m on Mateus Fernandes from West Ham.

One aspect of the summer window that some doing business didn’t anticipate was just how willing and motivated the likes of Newcastle and Aston Villa would actually be to sell some of their top talent.

With the World Cup also taking place over the summer, it was felt this would be a quiet window in the Premier League.

It has not proven to be the case and some senior figures were taken aback by some of the deals taking place.

Rivals began to scramble as Spurs made their moves and as sources explained to The 42, when a club shows intent with such bids and serious wages on offer, it can also intensify the situation for players and almost pressure them into decisions.

There was also surprise in the market that Spurs went as high as €50m for Brighton centre back Jan Paul van Hecke when he had one year left on his deal. The feeling is that Brighton will be seen as the long-term winners from that deal and it was just another example of De Zerbi being given the keys to the kingdom.

He has more control than most bosses, but it’s nowhere near the same level of authority as Mikel Arteta across north London. The champions began the defence of their title with a comfortable 3-0 win over new boys Coventry City and the manner of the victory serves to reinforce the feeling around the Premier League that the Gunners are well set up to dominate this season.

“Some of us are trying to get our shit together but Arsenal have serious depth that they can rely on,” one source said, bluntly.

In the corridors of power at clubs this season it would not be a surprise if some felt Arsenal might even be capable of doing three in a row. Early days, perhaps, but there is a sense of flux around the top end of the league.

Pep Guardiola has left Manchester City and they have turned to a coach in Enzo Maresca who operates in the same way that Guardiola used to, but had felt he needed to evolve from to remain as competitive in the Premier League.

City splurged what was a British record €135m on Anderson before Chelsea went to €138m for Morgan Rogers from Villa. Again, both of the fees caught senior figures in the division by surprise with the feeling now that there is a new benchmark for fees when it comes to England internationals in their mid 20s.

The 42 understands that Rogers had favoured a move to Arsenal before the World Cup and the Gunners were confident of getting him on board despite Chelsea coming close with Villa to agreeing a deal.

When Arsenal then came to the table for Rogers, Villa played hardball and Chelsea owner Behdad Eghbali then sensed his opportunity when City agreed that British record with Nottingham Forest for Anderson by topping that fee.

A phone call from Rogers to Chelsea’s new manager, Xabi Alonso, during the World Cup confirmed the move to west London once it became apparent that the Gunners were no longer at the table.

Arsenal also pushed for – and missed out on – Vini Junior from Real Madrid while the word coming back to some Premier League clubs interested in Club Bruges centre back Joel Ordonez was that the Ecuador international was Arsenal director of football Andrea Berta’s first choice signing in that position. An injury after the World Cup was also an issue for the player but, more than that, was Arteta’s apparent veto and his desire to push for Ezri Konsa instead. Once again, for a player who turns 29 in just over a month, the €65m fee is seen as just the latest example of Arsenal turning into ruthless operators who want to win at all costs now.

At Chelsea, Alonso wanted Rogers for his athleticism and physicality, making it clear to the Chelsea hierarchy and the squad during pre-season that they needed to be stronger and more dynamic if they’re to have any chance of qualifying for the Champions League. The expectation is that he will toughen Chelsea up and they won’t concede as many goals from set pieces or be bullied as easily in certain situations.

United looked vulnerable in every one of those departments against Hull on Saturday. The imminent arrival of Carlos Baleba for around €70m from Brighton, not to mention Spurs adding Savinho and Omar Marmoush from City for a reported €170m, will see spending reach the €2.5 billion mark this summer.

With the season now underway, the tone of unpredictability has been set by a window that took even those within the Premier League surprise.