Spurs stayed up on the final day of last season’s Premier League campaign, and their work in the summer transfer window makes it clear they have no desire to flirt with danger again this year.

A relegation scrap was the last thing Spurs would have expected 12 months ago, after lifting the Europa League and appointing Thomas Frank.

The brutal truth, however, was that they needed a win on the final day to preserve their Premier League place after a miserable 12-month spell. The debate over who was responsible is likely to run on for some time, but one thing is beyond doubt: in 2026-27, there must be no talk of the ‘R’ word again.

Supporters feel it is hard to imagine things getting worse than back-to-back 17th-place finishes, Mick McCarthy meme aside, and that alone offers some grounds for optimism.

Thankfully for Spurs, their finances remained healthy after they avoided relegation, and they acted swiftly to strengthen the squad. Marcos Senesi is regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the top flight, Jan Paul van Hecke looks a dependable partner alongside him, and Andy Robertson will help keep standards high.

Midfielder Mateus Fernandes then joined from West Ham for £85m, a club-record fee that was soon surpassed when Spurs agreed a £100m deal for Sandro Tonali. Roberto De Zerbi is now in a position to mould a new-look squad. The transformation he oversaw in rescuing Spurs’ season should not be underestimated, and the additional time he will now get on the training ground ought to help Spurs push into the top half at the very least – ideally before what looks like a very spicy run in May.

If Roberto De Zerbi’s opening months are any indication, this season should be much more entertaining for Spurs supporters, and in a positive way. His first achievement, dragging an underperforming side into shape, was hugely impressive, and even his fiery personality feels preferable to dull pragmatism.

Before injury brought his season to an end in January, Mohammed Kudus was delivering exactly the sort of decisive moments Spurs needed and later badly missed. Was he consistent? No, but the Ghana international is outstanding in one-on-one situations and could thrive in De Zerbi’s style of football.

PREMIER LEAGUE: 17th

FA CUP: Third Round

LEAGUE CUP: Fourth Round

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Last 16

Richarlison scored 12 goals in all competitions for Spurs last season.

The priority is to assemble a squad deep enough to cope with injuries and a demanding fixture list. In some ways, having no European football this season may not be a bad thing for Spurs, considering they have suffered an injury crisis unlike almost any other over the past two years. But that also brings an expectation of a serious cup run, when midweek rotation must not lead to a noticeable drop in the quality of the starting XI.

They also need to maintain their knack of taking points off Manchester City while ending their miserable returns in the North London Derby. Spurs have collected only one point from their last eight Premier League meetings with Arsenal, and they simply have to improve that record, if only to make life a little harder for their rivals in the title race.

Another challenge is to keep selling out the stadium regularly. The bond between club and fans has taken a hit, and a handful of new signings alone will not repair that. The away following remains superb, but persuading supporters to pay for the second-most expensive season ticket in the league after just three home wins is no easy task. At least tourists seem to enjoy it.

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

This season will be different because Roberto De Zerbi has earned the right to oversee a very strong summer, having saved us from financial and reputational disaster with what was effectively a mid-table Championship squad to choose from. The question now is whether he can build on what he put together in just two months.

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

Look out for young striker Will Lankshear. He enjoyed a decent loan spell in the Championship, and there is an opening for a homegrown centre-forward to make himself a hero.

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 season’s forward options may have been the worst we have seen in the Premier League era.

Fans think our owners are incompetent, at best.

The ground I’m least looking forward to visiting is the Emirates. Going 16 years without a league win there is unacceptable.

Our biggest grudge match will be against anyone and everyone who wanted us to go down last season – so all of them are on the list.

We’ll finish 8th.

AUGUST

22 Brentford (A)

29 Newcastle (H)

SEPTEMBER

5 Nottingham Forest (A)

12 Everton (H)

19 Aston Villa (H)

OCTOBER

10 Manchester United (A)

17 Coventry (H)

24 Chelsea (A)

31 Crystal Palace (H)

NOVEMBER

7 Leeds (A)

21 Ipswich (H)

28 Sunderland (A)

DECEMBER

2 Fulham (H)

5 Arsenal (H)

12 Hull City (A)

19 Liverpool (A)

26 Bournemouth (H)

30 Brighton (H)

JANUARY

2 Manchester City (A)

6 Fulham (A)

16 Leeds (H)

23 Crystal Palace (A)

30 Sunderland (H)

FEBRUARY

6 Ipswich (A)

10 Manchester City (H)

20 Brighton (A)

27 Liverpool (H)

MARCH

3 Bournemouth (A)

13 Nottingham Forest (H)

20 Everton (A)

APRIL

10 Brentford (H)

17 Newcastle (A)

24 Hull City (H)

MAY

1 Arsenal (A)

8 Chelsea (H)

15 Coventry (A)

23 Manchester United (H)

30 Aston Villa (A)

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

FourFourTwo verdict: Tottenham Hotspur to finish 8th.

The upturn in performances after De Zerbi’s late appointment was striking, so it is easy to wonder what he might achieve with a full pre-season and a stronger, fitter group of players available to him. That is the theory, at least.