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Roberto De Zerbi appears ready to turn Tottenham Hotspur into serious Premier League title contenders this season.

The past two seasons as a Tottenham Hotspur supporter have been difficult to endure — barring that magnificent Europa League triumph — but it now feels as though the club has finally moved in the right direction ahead of the new campaign, and much of that is down to Roberto De Zerbi.

To be completely honest, I had my doubts when he was appointed in March about whether he was truly the right long-term choice for Spurs. I was fairly sure he would guide the club to Premier League safety, and he did exactly that, but I wondered whether his fiery nature might eventually clash with those in charge at Tottenham.

There is still plenty of time for that to happen, of course, but what we are seeing this summer looks like a genuine shift in the club’s overall mentality, and it may even lay the foundation for an unexpected title push.

I certainly do not think I was the only one unsure about De Zerbi. Tottenham had reportedly tried to appoint the Italian before eventually bringing in Igor Tudor for his unsuccessful spell in N17, but that move did not happen. The fact that he appeared to change his mind only a month or so later never quite sat well with me.

Then there is the fact that he is not a manager who usually stays at clubs for very long — his average stint is a little over a year — and, combined with the manner of his departure from Brighton, I worried Spurs would simply be another short-term stop with little real thought given to the future.

Even De Zerbi’s record in management can invite a few questions.

Other than winning the Ukrainian Super Cup during his short time with Shakhtar Donetsk, his standout accomplishments are taking Marseille to second place in Ligue 1 and guiding Brighton to a top-six finish.

Those are not achievements to dismiss lightly, but nor are they the sort that instantly make me dream of silverware. More than anything else, though, it was De Zerbi’s personality that made me wonder whether he would really suit Spurs.

Like Antonio Conte before him, he is the kind of manager who says exactly what he thinks without worrying about who it might upset, and as we have seen before, the Tottenham Hotspur board have not always been comfortable with that type of approach.

That said, I do think that no-nonsense attitude was exactly what the squad needed at the end of last season, and it is no coincidence that those seven matches in the run-in were the best Spurs looked all year.

Under both Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, Tottenham’s players looked completely lacking in confidence, showed very little fight, and played dull, lifeless football. From De Zerbi’s very first day, there has been obvious passion and a real sense of unity on the pitch, and that brought the results Spurs needed to remain in the top flight.

Once survival had been secured, De Zerbi himself called it the “biggest achievement in my time”, before adding, “We are Tottenham, and we can't suffer like this until the last second of the last game to stay up.” It gives the clear impression that De Zerbi is lifting standards at the club and will not accept anything close to what we witnessed last season.

For me, no player reflects that change in attitude more clearly than Micky van de Ven. Under Frank, the quick Dutchman seemed mentally checked out and became a liability. The moment De Zerbi arrived, Van de Ven looked like a leader again and returned to something close to his very best form.

Speaking to The Standard recently, Van de Ven said: “You can see [De Zerbi] has brought a lot of passion into our group, a lot in terms of mentality and passion on the pitch. It is something we needed because everybody was a little bit down.

“He brings a lot of good energy and, from pre-season, we have really had the time to bring his football into the team. That's really enjoyable.”

And he is absolutely right. Tottenham’s pre-season work this summer has been genuinely encouraging, with positive results — including a rare victory over fierce rivals Chelsea — while both experienced players and younger members of the squad have been handed meaningful roles. Most importantly, the levels of intensity and quality have remained high even though these have only been friendly matches.

Another major example is the revival of Antonin Kinsky. The Czech goalkeeper reached a low point in the Champions League last season when he was taken off in the first half against Atletico Madrid after making a couple of mistakes. Now he looks world-class and is Tottenham’s clear first-choice goalkeeper, and that has happened because De Zerbi showed faith in him.

The mentality at Tottenham Hotspur has changed dramatically in a very short period, and it now feels much more in tune with the spirit Ange Postecoglou brought to the club. While Postecoglou’s tactics were open to question, his man-management was exceptional. The really exciting part is that De Zerbi seems capable of offering both.

Whether this is down to De Zerbi’s influence or simply a response to finishing 17th in back-to-back seasons, the Tottenham hierarchy are at last showing ambition and are prepared to spend this summer.

The £85m signing of Mateus Fernandes came as an extravagant surprise. The £100m arrival of Sandro Tonali was, quite frankly, astonishing. The club quickly accepted that major change was required and backed that up financially in order to address it. The same applies in defence as well, with the £52m signing of Jan Paul van Hecke and the free transfers of Marco Senesi and Andy Robertson giving genuine depth to what was already a strong backline.

I have also been fascinated by the way Spurs have moved on some of their younger players this summer. While it was disappointing to see the likes of Luka Vuskovic, Alfie Devine and Will Lankshear leave, Tottenham brought in solid fees for players who were unlikely to play an important role in the first team this season. In the years ahead, the club may regret not keeping them, but that is an issue for another time. What matters right now is immediate progress and success.

If Spurs can now complete a deal for Savinho — or another elite winger — and, most importantly, bring in a high-level striker to lead the attack, I see no reason why the Lilywhites cannot be viewed as genuine dark horses in the title race. The squad is strong enough, the manager is eager to make his mark, and the club as a whole both expects and deserves far better than what has been seen over the last two seasons.

The suggestion that Spurs could challenge for the title, especially after such a poor 2025/26 campaign, may sound like naive fantasy to some. But consider this: in the 2014/15 season, Leicester City finished with 41 points and a goal difference of -9. The very next season, they produced one of football’s great miracles and won the Premier League title.

If the Foxes could achieve that with comparatively limited resources, then there is no reason a revitalised and free-spending Tottenham Hotspur cannot do the unimaginable and climb to the summit.