This time it was supposed to be different. After multiple false dawns for Tottenham Hotspur, the club had a manager with proven Premier League experience, and had handed him a £300m+ war chest - easily the biggest in its entire history.

Instead, Spurs find themselves bottom of the table after five games for the first time in 18 years, with their only goals a pair of consolation strikes on another dismal afternoon against Aston Villa at the weekend.

Things aren't quite as bad as the table suggests and had Tottenham taken any of a number of presentable first-half chances against Villa, they would have gone into the three-week international break silencing some of the noise around the club. But instead, two points from five games and such a dismal record in front of goal has kept the spotlight firmly on them.

Though it is only five games, their struggles to find consistency have extended into a third consecutive season. Tottenham have now picked up just 18 points in 2026 and, since the start of 2024/25, still one fewer than a West Ham side who were relegated at the end of last season. Roberto De Zerbi cannot avoid scrutiny forever, especially after a summer where he was given relative carte blanche in the transfer market.