FourFourTwo

Roberto De Zerbi. One step. Winning the race for Mateus Fernandes. Another step. Breaking up Newcastle United's midfield unit with an audacious Sandro Tonali swoop. Another.

Tottenham Hotspur have taken three huge strides away from the nadir of their banter era – namely back-to-back 17th-placed finishes in the Premier League, a wound that, at points, even a Europa League triumph failed to strap up.

But one moment this summer threatened to plunge them right back to the unedifying start.

We’re talking, of course, about the mooted transfer of Cristian Romero to sworn enemies Arsenal.

The Argentinian centre-back, while clearly one of their more gifted talents in these dark years, had been a thorn in the side of Spurs for some time off the pitch.

Unafraid to call out higher-ups, Spurs fans quite liked some of the spikier elements of the defender's personality. But when he was missing in action for the Lilywhites’ relegation-decider against Everton at the end of last season, positive feelings soon evaporated. From then, the writing was on the wall.

A parting of the ways was somewhat telegraphed, but that one sensational transfer link to the other side of north London threatened to take a knife to Spurs’ patchwork quilt of a reputation.

It’s not that Romero would have vastly improved a rival. In fact, he’d have probably struggled to break the Gabriel-Saliba duopoly over the Gunners’ backline, dependent on the latter's fitness.

Football is a patch of grass and 22 players chasing around a bag of air. But in the modern day, with the vast sums of money involved, it is also a game of hubris.

Its exponents can try to rise above that petty truth, but it is a truth. These things matter. They feed into how a club views itself.

Luis Figo. Ashley Cole. S*l C******l.

These transfers not only come to define the career of the individual involved, but also entire eras in football teams and their cities.

Joan Gaspart, Barcelona’s president as Figo made that move, said it “destroyed” the club. And that’s Barcelona.

In a frenzied race to try and save face amid the backlash, the former executive admits he rushed to get new faces through the door.

It didn’t work. The Catalans didn’t lift another major trophy for another five years, when 2004/05 brought LaLiga back to Camp Nou.

Five years. An entire peak of a player’s career gone in the click of one transfer. That’s how damaging these moves can be.

Now, it would be hyperbolic to suggest Romero rocking up at the Emirates would have been anywhere near as seismic as Figo’s move – pigs need never have feared for their heads in the English capital – but it illustrates a point: history has shown it’s a game to be avoided at all costs.

Thankfully, those at Tottenham recognised this, with concrete talks seemingly never countenanced. Each and every report carrying the same disclaimer that they wouldn't even enter the discussion.

As the Sky Sports News ticker unfurled with the story, it threatened to swipe Spurs’ recent progress with it. Instead, in this new-era, cold-faced Spurs, the drama fizzled out as soon as it had sparked.

It was replaced by news that Romero was heading to the stage for that Figo scandal 26 years earlier, to Madrid. Only it was Atletico rather than Real for the 28-year-old.

A match made in heaven, Romero will be at home under Atleti’s legendary Argentinian coach, Diego Simeone, and his Dark Arts enthusiasts – an apt resolution for all parties involved, even if the defender's exit from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium did his legacy in N17 no favours.

A development that at one point may have derailed Tottenham, their progression train continues to chug ahead without a scratch.

Spurs look serious and decisive this summer. And they might just mean it this time.

A Tottenham Hotspur midfielder has agreed an exit, with his departure now at an advanced stage.

That's according to a new report, which claims that the Lilywhites are starting to accelerate outgoings, having committed well over £160 million on bringing Matheus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali into the engine room.

With Tottenham also said to be interested in signing both Omar Marmoush and Savinho, they may have to trim the deadwood a little more to avoid heading into the season with a bloated squad.

Pape Matar Sarr on the cusp of Tottenham Hotspur exit

According to a report from Africa Foot, Galatasaray are closing in on signing Pape Matar Sarr.

Sarr has reached an agreement for a three-year contract, having been offered what is described as a “lucrative contract”.

The 23-year-old played 26 games in the Premier League for Tottenham last term, but only played just over an hour of football under De Zerbi.

The Senegalese international joined as a highly-rated young prospect from Metz in 2022 and has impressed sporadically – but with De Zerbi favouring a double-pivot, Sarr may not be one of the first few options in the pecking order.

Fernandes and Tonali will likely be Spurs' most-favoured pairing this term, with Conor Gallagher, Archie Gray and Rodrigo Bentancur all options in the centre of midfield.

Lucas Bergvall – another young player from before De Zerbi's era – is also an option, though FourFourTwo understands he could well leave, too.

Mohammed Kudus, James Maddison, Xavi Simons and Dejan Kulusevski are all options in the no.10.

Turkish outlet Takvim noted earlier on this year that Fenerbahce were in for Sarr, though they appear to have dropped out of the race completely now.

Africa Foot states that talks are progressing well between the North Londoners and Galatasaray over Sarr, with the move now expected to happen.

The pieces are beginning to fall into place for Newcastle to land one of their long-term summer transfer targets before the September 1 deadline.

Earlier in the window, highly-rated Swedish international Bergvall emerged as one of Newcastle's midfield targets after having slipped down the pecking order in North London.

Despite holding an interest throughout the summer, the Magpies' approach to formalising a transfer has left supporters asking what the delay could be.

Lucas Bergvall to Newcastle United delay revealed

A potential reason for Newcastle’s hesitation could be due to UEFA legislation termed 'the 45-day rule'.

On July 6, Sandro Tonali joined Tottenham in a reported £92.5 million deal. Under the newly enforced regulations, if two clubs buy and sell from one another within a 45-day window, the transactions are officially classed as a 'swap deal' for accounting purposes.

The rule was introduced by the Premier League's financial regulators to close an accounting loophole created by reciprocal transfer arrangements designed to artificially inflate a club's short-term profits in order to comply with Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Newcastle fans will recall one major example of this reciprocal arrangement two summers ago, when ahead of the June 30 accounting deadline in 2024, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest avoided breaching PSR limits by agreeing two technically separate transactions.

Newcastle sold academy graduate Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest for £35m, meanwhile Forest sold goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos to Newcastle for £20m.

Both clubs netted an immediate PSR benefit helping them abide by the admittedly flawed PSR parameters.

Fast forward to this summer, and had Newcastle signed Bergvall in the 45-day period following Tonali's move, they would have been required to record only the net difference of the two transfers, effectively wiping out the accounting benefit of Tonali's big-money departure. The 45-day period in question ends on August 20.

From the 2026/27 season onwards, the existing Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) will be fully replaced by the new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) framework.

This incoming legislation limits a club's total on-pitch spending, covering transfer amortisation, player wages, and agent fees, to 85 per cent of their overall football-related revenue.

A club's pure profit from player sales directly dictates their spending threshold, too. By ensuring Tonali's exit and Bergvall's arrival remain completely separate transactions, Newcastle’s hierarchy can book the full profit upfront. This will provide essential headroom to adhere to the incoming Squad Cost Limits and will help the club's spending power for critical transitional years ahead.

Tottenham Hotspur are about to sign their second Liverpool player of the summer.

The Lilywhites started their transfer window by landing veteran full-back Andrew Robertson on a free transfer, months after they tried to snare him in the winter window.

And now, Tottenham have agreed terms with Cody Gakpo in principle to join from Anfield.

Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo agrees terms with Tottenham Hotspur

Dutch journalist Joost Blaauwhof has said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that “all parties” believe Gakpo to Spurs is “very realistic”.

Blaauwhof's outlet Voetbal International concur, noting that there's an agreement in principle.

The fee is said to be around £60 million for the 27-year-old, who joined Liverpool in the winter transfer window of 2023, with the Reds still wanting to sign Bradley Barcola as a replacement.

FourFourTwo understands that Spurs are still keen to land Savinho – and may well use him on the opposite wing.

Gakpo has had a relatively successful time on Merseyside, winning a Premier League title and establishing himself as one of the Netherlands' better players during his time in English football.

The arrival of Barcola would complicate his position, however – and with Liverpool also boasting the likes of Victor Munoz and Rio Ngumoha at left-wing, there's a clearer path under De Zerbi to flourish.

Blaauwhof has described De Zerbi as wanting “Gakpo all the way” for his left wing.

Spurs have been busy during this transfer window, signing the likes of Jan Paul van Hecke, Matheus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali from Premier League rivals – but the question of who will play in forward positions for De Zerbi is still unclear.

Dominic Solanke has suffered with chronic injury problems since joining, while Richarlison has had periods of poor form.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence is leaving N17, with an agreement in place for the full-back to move to Inter Milan.

After a poor season with Spurs in which the club were nearly relegated from the Premier League, Spence was a surprise hit at the World Cup in North America, becoming one of the Three Lions' better players in their run to the semi-finals.

But a report from Italian journalist, Orazio Accomando of SportMediaSet claims that a deal has been struck for around £30 million, plus bonuses.

Djed Spence leaving Tottenham Hotspur for Inter Milan

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Accomando confirmed the “imminent closure” of Spence to replace Real Madrid-bound Denzel Dumfries at Italian champions, Inter Milan.

The move appears to have come from seemingly nowhere, with Inter negotiating the fee down from an original £35m.

Spence enjoyed a positive summer with England and was thought to be a player who could perhaps kick on under Roberto De Zerbi.

The Kensington-born defender joined Spurs in 2022 after winning promotion to the Premier League on loan with Nottingham Forest from Middlesbrough, but hasn't been a first-team fixture during much of his time in North London.

Loan spells at Rennes, Leeds United and Genoa, followed after his initial signing, with Spence only becoming more of a regular under Ange Postecoglou before he won his first of 14 England caps in 2025.

The 26-year-old has played both as a right wing-back and on the left for both club and country in recent seasons, and follows international team-mate John Stones to the San Siro this summer, as manager Cristian Chivu looks to defend the Scudetto.

The defender is reportedly signing a long-term deal until 2031.

Spurs are heading into the Premier League season with World Cup winner Pedro Porro as the starting option at right-back, and Destiny Udogie likely to be the first-choice left-back.

Cristian Romero is all but certain to leave this club in the coming days, too, with Inter themselves having fought Atletico Madrid and Arsenal for the Argentine's signature.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero is reportedly open to joining North London rivals Arsenal this summer, according to a report from transfer journalist Ekrem Konur.

Arsenal have entered the market for defensive reinforcements following injury to William Saliba, who suffered a long-term back injury while representing France at the 2026 World Cup.

Saliba's absence leaves Mikel Arteta short of options in central defence as Arsenal look to defend their Premier League title.

Cristian Romero is 'open to' Arsenal move

Romero has seemingly made clear to Tottenham management that he intends to leave the club before the transfer window closes.

A potential move to the Emirates Stadium would allow the 28-year-old Argentine international to remain based in London while competing in the UEFA Champions League with the reigning domestic champions.

However, Tottenham executives would be understandably reluctant to sell one of the core members of their squad to their local rivals, even if an exit has been in the offing for some time.

Spurs' hierarchy would prefer a transfer to an overseas club, with interest previously registered from LaLiga club Atletico Madrid.

Any formal approach from Arsenal would likely face significant opposition from both groups of supporters.

From Spurs' perspective, agreeing a deal with Arsenal would draw criticism from supporters, largely due to the principle of strengthening a direct rival and past cross-North London transfers.

Sections of the Arsenal fanbase remain skeptical about Romero as a player of interest, too. His poor disciplinary record in the Premier League, in addition to his conduct with the Argentine national team during their recent World Cup campaign only served to further alienate many English supporters.

In FourFourTwo's opinion, Romero joining Arsenal would ruffle more than a few feathers, to say the least.

Tottenham Hotspur full-back Djed Spence has been offered to both Liverpool and Manchester United, according to transfers journalist Ben Jacobs.

The defender is reportedly seeking guaranteed first-team football following an impressive international campaign with England at the 2026 World Cup, amid uncertainty as to whether he is in Roberto De Zerbi's plans this season.

Spurs are said to be open to sanctioning a departure for the 25-year-old as De Zerbi continues to raise transfer funds for a rebuild in North London.

Djed Spence could be on the move from Spurs this summer

Tottenham's valuation is £35 million (€40m) for the right-back, who penned a new long-term contract only 12 months ago.

Despite his international displays, Spence faces stiff competition at club level, and is seen to be behind World Cup winner Pedro Porro in De Zerbi's defensive pecking order.

Spence's representatives have reportedly reached out to top Premier League sides in order to explore potential landing spots.

Manchester United and Liverpool are the two sides named in the initial report as being linked with Spence, but neither have made a formal approach as of yet.

The Old Trafford club are currently well-stocked in the full-back department with Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui on the right-hand side, although both could feasibly be usurped by Spence.

Meanwhile, Liverpool do have a vacancy that could do with being filled at right-back with Conor Bradley still sidelined through injury. Joe Gomez is another who is currently injured, while back-up solutions Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai don't look entirely suited to the role.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven is to commit to a new deal in N17.

That's according to new reports that claim Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi has pulled off a masterstroke to convince his player to remain a part of the project, and turn down some of Europe's elite circling.

Van de Ven joined Spurs from Wolfsburg in 2023 and has been a hit – with TEAMtalk claiming that a five-year extension beckons for the 25-year-old.

Micky van de Ven commits his long-term future to Tottenham Hotspur

According to the report, De Zerbi has “transformed the mood” at the club and played a huge role in convincing Van de Ven to remain at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and complete a U-turn on his future.

The Lilywhites have endured 17th-place finishes in the past two seasons, with the Netherlands international one of the bright sparks in a patchy team – but injuries have blighted his career in English football thus far.

With Cristian Romero edging ever nearer to the exit door, Van de Ven has taken on more importance in the squad – and with Jan Paul van Hecke joining from Brighton & Hove Albion, De Zerbi may look to build on the Dutch partnership next season.

FourFourTwo understands, meanwhile, that Van de Ven will be leaned on post-Romero as one of the leaders in the Italian's squad, and may well be given the captaincy once his fellow centre-back departs.

The fastest player ever recorded in the Premier League, Van de Ven's Spurs career started brightly under Ange Postecoglou, as the club went on an unbeaten run at the start of the 2023/24 season until November, and a first international call-up came mere weeks into his journey with Spurs.

Postecoglou's first Premier League loss of the season, however, coincided with a game in which the defender was withdrawn with a hamstring injury – a theme of his time in the capital, with Spurs enduring several injury crises at the back during their relegation battles.

Tottenham have recruited the experience of Andrew Robertson at left-back, but the Scotsman turns 33 this season: and De Zerbi may well be leaning on the recovery pace of Van de Ven on that side of the pitch this season, with this extension coming as an important part of the Italian's project.

Earlier this summer, World Cup winner Pedro Porro committed his future to the North Londoners, too.

“Internally, Spurs view renewals as every bit as important as their summer signings, believing they have secured the core of the squad for years to come,” TEAMtalk says.

The last two seasons as a Tottenham Hotspur fan have been pretty miserable – aside from that glorious Europa League triumph – but I have a feeling the club has turned a corner ahead of the new campaign, and it’s largely thanks to Roberto De Zerbi.

In all honesty, though, I was dubious as to whether his appointment back in March would be the right move for Spurs long-term. I was pretty confident that he would drag the club to Premier League survival, and that he did, but would his fiery temperament be at odds with the powers that be at Tottenham?

There’s still plenty of time for that to happen, of course, but we are witnessing what appears to be a real change in the whole mindset of the club this summer, and it could even lead to a surprise title challenge.

Roberto De Zerbi’s appointment at Tottenham Hotspur had me worried

I don’t think I was alone in having doubts over De Zerbi. Tottenham had reportedly tried to hire the Italian before they recruited Igor Tudor for his ill-fated tenure in N17, but to no avail. The fact he changed his mind a month or so later didn’t sit right with me.

Add to that the fact that this is a manager who doesn’t stick around at clubs for too long (his average time at a club is just over a year), plus the way he left Brighton, and I feared we would be a quick gig with no real consideration of the future.

Even De Zerbi’s track record should raise a few eyebrows.

Aside from a Ukrainian Super Cup during his brief spell with Shakhtar Donetsk, his greatest achievements are steering Marseille to second in Ligue 1, and helping Brighton to a top six finish.

They’re not results to be sniffed at, but they also don’t get me dreaming of glory, either. More than anything, though, it was De Zerbi’s personality that just didn’t seem like it would fit at Spurs.

Much like Antonio Conte before him, this is a man who will say exactly what’s on his mind without fear of upsetting anyone, and as we’ve seen in the past, the Tottenham Hotspur board don’t really like that approach.

I do believe that no-nonsense style was exactly what the squad needed at the backend of last season, though, and it’s no coincidence that those seven matches in the run-in were the best Spurs had looked all year.

Tottenham Hotspur look more disciplined and confident under De Zerbi

Under both Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, the Tottenham players looked bereft of confidence, lacked any kind of fight, and played turgid football. Since day one under De Zerbi, there has been clear passion and a real togetherness on the pitch, and that delivered the results Spurs needed to stay in the top flight.

After survival was secured, De Zerbi himself even claimed it was 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.” You just get the feeling that De Zerbi is raising the standards at the club and will absolutely not tolerate anything like what we saw last season.

For me, no player exemplifies the shift in attitude at the club more than Micky van de Ven. Under Frank, the flying Dutchman appeared to mentally check out and became a liability. As soon as De Zerbi took over, Van de Ven turned into a leader once more, and looked back to his best.

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.”

He’s right, too. This summer’s pre-season activity for Tottenham has been refreshing, with positive results (including a rare win over bitter rivals Chelsea), a mix of experienced and youth players having important roles, and most importantly, the levels in terms of intensity and quality have not dropped despite these games being friendlies.

Another key case study is the comeback story of Antonin Kinsky. The Czech goalkeeper hit rock bottom in the Champions League last season when he was substituted in the first half against Atletico Madrid after a couple of errors. Now, he looks world-class and is Tottenham’s undisputed number one, and it’s all because De Zerbi put faith in him.

The mentality at Tottenham Hotspur has shifted greatly in such a short space of time, and now feels far more aligned with the spirit Ange Postecoglou brought to the club. While Postecoglou’s tactics were questionable, his man management was outstanding. What’s really exciting is that De Zerbi appears to be capable of both.

Tottenham Hotspur are not messing around this summer

Whether it’s due to De Zerbi’s influence or merely a reaction to back-to-back 17th place finishes, the Tottenham hierarchy are finally showing ambition and loosening the pursestrings this summer.

The £85m signing of Mateus Fernandes was a lavish surprise. The £100m capture of Sandro Tonali was, frankly, mindblowing. The club immediately recognised the fact that things needed to change, and put their money where their mouth is to fix it. The same can be said about the defence, too, with the £52m signing of Jan Paul van Hecke and free transfers of Marco Senesi and Andy Robertson adding real depth to an already strong backline.

I’ve also been really intrigued by the manner in which Spurs have sold off some of their younger players this summer. While the departures of the likes of Luka Vuskovic, Alfie Devine, and Will Lankshear were disappointing, Tottenham received good fees for players who were not likely to make an impact on the first-team this season. In years to come, we may regret not having them around, but that’s a problem for another day. What matters now is immediate improvement and success.

Now, if Spurs can follow through with their pursuit of Savinho (or another top winger) and, most crucially, find a high-level striker to lead the line, I see no reason why the Lilywhites can’t be considered genuine dark horses to challenge for the title. The squad is good enough, the manager is determined to make his mark, and the club as a whole demands and deserves better than what we’ve seen over the last two seasons.

The idea of Spurs pushing for the title, especially after the dismal showing in 2025/26, may be a naive pipedream to some. But, I’ll leave you with this… In the 2014/15 season, Leicester City ended up with 41 points and a -9 goal difference. The following season, they performed a miracle and won the Premier League title.

If the Foxes can do it with relatively meagre resources, I see no reason why a free-spending and revitalised Tottenham Hotspur can’t do the unthinkable and rise to the top.

Fighting relegation could not have been further away from Spurs' aspirations this time last year, after winning the Europa League and hiring Thomas Frank.

The harsh reality was that it took victory on the final day to retain their Premier League status, on the back of a torrid 12 months. While the inquest into who is to blame will continue for some time yet, one thing is certain: in 2026-27, there can be no mention of the ‘R' word again.

The feeling among fans is that it surely can't get any worse than finishing 17th twice in succession (Mick McCarthy meme notwithstanding), so there are reasons for optimism.

Surely it is only up from here for Spurs?

Fortunately, Spurs' finances were still in good shape having avoided the drop, and they moved quickly to add players to their squad. Marcos Senesi is among the top flight's best centre-backs and Jan Paul van Hecke a reliable partner for him, while Andy Robertson will maintain standards.

Midfielder Mateus Fernandes then arrived from West Ham for £85m, a club record fee quickly eclipsed when a deal was agreed to bring in Sandro Tonali for £100m. Roberto De Zerbi can now shape a new squad. The miracles that the Italian boss worked in turning around Spurs' season cannot be underestimated, and the time he'll get on the training pitch should set up Spurs to climb into the top half, at least – ideally before a very spicy May schedule.

The Coach

If Roberto De Zerbi's first few months are anything to go by, this season could be far more entertaining for Spurs fans (in a good way). Galvanising an underperforming team was an impressive opening act, and even his combustible nature is preferable to drab pragmatism.

Key Player

Before injury ended his season in January, Mohammed Kudus was providing the sort of game-changing moments his side needed, and subsequently missed. Was he consistent? No, but the Ghanaian is brilliant in 1v1 situations and can benefit from De Zerbi's style of play.

Last Season's Results

PREMIER LEAGUE: 17th

FA CUP: Third Round

LEAGUE CUP: Fourth Round

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Last 16

Top Scorer

Richarlison bagged 12 goals in all competitions for his Spurs side last season.

Lessons From Last Year

Build a squad big enough to deal with injuries and a busy schedule. Not having European football this season is arguably no bad thing for Spurs, who have faced an injury crisis like no other over the past two years. But with that comes the expectation of a deep cup run, where midweek changes cannot reduce the overall quality of the XI.

Most Likely To...

Continue their tradition of taking points from Manchester City while struggling to get anything from the North London Derby. They've picked up just one point from their last eight Premier League matches against Arsenal – they must do better, if only to make their rivals' title charge a bit more difficult.

Least Likely To...

Consistently sell out their stadium. The relationship between the club and the fans has been damaged – a few signings won't fix that. The away support is fantastic, but convincing fans to buy the league's second-most expensive season ticket – after three wins there – is a big ask. At least tourists love it…

View From The Stands

Words by: TOM HAYWARD

Last season was utterly embarrassing, pathetic, cowardly – take your pick.

This season will be different because Roberto De Zerbi has earned the right to a very strong summer, by saving us from financial and reputational ruin with a mid-table Championship squad to pick from. Can he now build on what he cultivated in two months?

Our key player will be James Maddison. I hope he can return to his best level. We badly missed his quality and character.

Look out for young striker Will Lankshear. He had a decent season on loan in the Championship, and there's an opening for a homegrown hitman to make a hero of himself…

The opposition player I'd love here is Morgan Rogers – absolute class.

I won't be happy unless we sign three or four attackers. The quality and availability of last term's forward options might have been our worst in the Premier League era.

Fans think our owners are incompetent, at best.

A social media account to follow is Change For Tottenham (CFT), AKA @ChangeForSpurs, which is a fan group dedicated to holding owners ENIC to account for the first time.

The ground I'm least looking forward to visiting is the Emirates. No league wins there in 16 years is unacceptable.

Our biggest grudge match will be against anyone and everyone who wanted us to go down last season – so they're all on our list.

We'll finish 8th.

Fixtures

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JANUARY

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MARCH

APRIL

MAY

Title Odds

Tottenham Hotspur to win the Premier League title odds: 50/1

FFT Verdict

FourFourTwo verdict: Tottenham Hotspur to finish 8th.

The improvement in performances following De Zerbi's late arrival was remarkable, so imagine what he can do with a pre-season and better, fitter players at his disposal. That's the theory, anyway…