Tottenham crisis deepens as three players ask to leave after winless Premier League start

Tottenham have opened the Premier League season with two defeats, no points and no goals, while Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed that Richarlison, Kevin Danso and Pape Matar Sarr have all asked to leave the club before the transfer window closes.

Tottenham Hotspur’s expensive summer rebuild has encountered an immediate crisis after a 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United left Roberto De Zerbi’s side without a point or a goal from their opening two Premier League matches. Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa scored in the second half on August 29 as Spurs followed their opening 3-0 loss at Brentford with another defeat.

The numbers make for an uncomfortable start. Tottenham have now conceded five times without scoring in the league and sit at the bottom end of the early table despite investing heavily in De Zerbi’s squad. The club had already spent more than £300 million this summer before completing further deals, including the arrivals of Sávio and Omar Marmoush from Manchester City.

The situation became more complicated after the Newcastle defeat when De Zerbi confirmed that Richarlison, Kevin Danso and Pape Matar Sarr have all expressed a desire to leave Tottenham. None of the three was included in the matchday squad against Newcastle. De Zerbi said Richarlison had raised the issue repeatedly, while Danso and Sarr had also recently informed him that they wanted to move.

The head coach made clear that Tottenham would not simply allow the players to depart without suitable terms. His position is that anyone wishing to leave must present an acceptable financial solution for the club, an important condition with the summer transfer window due to close on September 1.

All three players have attracted transfer interest. Sarr has been linked with Juventus and other clubs, Danso has been the subject of interest from Sunderland, while Richarlison has repeatedly been connected with a potential return to Everton. At this stage, however, their requests to leave are confirmed while their eventual destinations remain unresolved.

Tottenham’s performance against Newcastle was not entirely without positives. Spurs created 17 attempts and controlled significant periods before Elanga opened the scoring in the 62nd minute. Wissa added the second ten minutes later, and Newcastle remarkably converted their only two shots on target. De Zerbi said the opening goal had a major psychological impact on his players after what he considered an encouraging first hour.

There was also a brief lift between the two league defeats when Tottenham beat Charlton Athletic 5-1 in the Carabao Cup, with Sávio scoring on his debut. The contrast between that result and their Premier League performances, however, has only increased questions about consistency and whether such a heavily reconstructed squad can quickly develop the cohesion required for De Zerbi’s football.

Tottenham’s problem is therefore no longer simply an unsuccessful start to the season. With zero league points, no goals scored and three senior players actively seeking exits in the final hours of the transfer market, De Zerbi must simultaneously build a new team and manage uncertainty inside the existing squad. The scale of Tottenham’s summer spending has raised expectations significantly, making the next few weeks an early test of whether the club’s ambitious rebuild can translate into results.