There was a moment last season when Roberto de Zerbi turned to his Tottenham players and asked: "Did we pass away?" In the dressing room, De Zerbi said players were lying on their backs, some crying following the loss at the Stadium of Light. It was the first of seven matches De Zerbi had to keep Spurs in the Premier League. Club-record signing Sandro Tonali, plus new arrivals Mateus Fernandes, Jan Paul van Hecke, Andrew Robertson and Martin Dubravka have all featured on Spurs' pre-season tour. "I deserve to want the top players, because now Tottenham deserves to build up a top team," De Zerbi said.