Tottenham's catastrophic 25/26 — and the De Zerbi reset
Tottenham finished 17th in 2025/26 with 41 points — escaping relegation by just 2 points. The season was a chaotic three-manager run (Postecoglou → Frank sacked Feb after 2 wins in 17 → Tudor interim → De Zerbi confirmed for 26/27). Son Heung-min has left for LAFC; Mohammed Kudus arrived from West Ham. For Fantasy Premier League managers, Spurs are the largest tactical re-set of any PL club for 26/27 — every Spurs asset is being re-rated under De Zerbi's possession-based system.
De Zerbi's system — and the Spurs assets it favours
Roberto De Zerbi's system from Brighton: 4-2-3-1 with possession-heavy build-up, high-pressing wide forwards, and a deep-lying playmaker who unlocks the final third. The Spurs assets best-positioned to benefit: Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) as the floating attacking midfielder, James Maddison (£6.5m if he stays) as the deep-lying playmaker, and any new arrival from De Zerbi's shortlist (Rodrygo from Real Madrid REPORTED — not confirmed).
The system risk: De Zerbi rotation patterns at Brighton historically punished single-attacker FPL bets. Captain Spurs only in home openers against bottom-half sides; otherwise differential bracket.
Spurs defence after Romero and Vicario both left
Cristian Romero has joined Atletico Madrid permanently and Guglielmo Vicario is on loan at Juventus for the season, so the two names this section was built on are both gone. Pedro Porro (£5.5m) is where Spurs ownership has settled at 22.8% — an attacking right-back on set pieces. In goal it is Antonín Kinský (£4.5m) and Martin Dubravka (£4.0m), split almost evenly at 21.8% and 21.2%, so confirm the starter before you commit. The summer 2026 confirmed signings: Andrew Robertson (Bosman from Liverpool) and Marcos Senesi (Bosman from Bournemouth) — both budget defender alternatives at £4.5-5.0m.
The Robertson arrival is the FPL-relevant headline at the budget tier — at 32 years old he is the cleanest "experienced attacking-FB" budget pick for 26/27.
Spurs' 26/27 ownership angle
Tottenham are 9/1 for a top-4 finish — bookmakers expect a De Zerbi bounce but not a top-4 challenge. The recommended exposure: wait for the new manager's pre-season signal. Kudus + Porro is the cleanest "double Spurs" template if pre-season minutes confirm — Romero, who used to be the other half of it, is at Atletico Madrid. No premium Spurs picks are mandatory; even Kudus at £7-8m is a fade-or-buy debate identical to Palmer at Chelsea.
The opening 5 fixture difficulty will determine whether Spurs assets enter your squad at all. If Spurs draw favourable fixtures in GW1-5, Kudus becomes a 20%+ ownership pick. Otherwise defer until the first international break.