£100m star is now De Zerbi’s dream Spurs target

The ENIC Group decision-makers beamed down at an exultant (or maybe relieved) crop of Tottenham Hotspur players on the final day of the season, with safety secured at long last.

But the hard work starts now, with so many changes needed over the final few months of the season to avoid yet another lowly Premier League finish. In two consecutive campaigns, Spurs have slumped to a 17th-place finish, the latest of which brought genuine concerns of the drop.

Tottenham have lost their star quality. Even without the injury crisis, it’s hard to imagine the Londoners would have challenged for Champions League qualification.

Where have the Harry Kane’s and Heung-min Son’s gone? Where is Christian Eriksen pulling the strings, Mousa Dembele running the show from the centre?

De Zerbi makes Premier League star Spurs’ dream target

Tottenham escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth, and the Lewis Family have pledged to turn things around and send Spurs back up to the territory that fans expect – and understandably so.

The players have dragged themselves over the finish line, but now the board needs to back Roberto De Zerbi and sign players who can actually make a difference.

According to one well-placed Spurs insider, De Zerbi has informed the hierarchy that Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes is his dream target heading into the transfer window.

Even after Newcastle fell to a 12th-place finish, it’s still expected that Guimaraes will be priced at £100m this summer, especially when considering the sale of Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, and ongoing interest in Sandro Tonali from the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City.

This might feel like something of a far-fetched ambition, but Guimaraes would be the ultimate marquee signing for a side targeting resurgence.

Why Bruno Guimaraes can be Spurs’ new Dembele

Guimaraes knows a thing or two about loyalty, and there’s no question that it would be difficult to take him away from his captaincy at St. James’ Park and place him in a Tottenham team who have flattered to deceive for some time now. Still, De Zerbi has placed him above all other targets, and Tottenham would be wise to listen to the coach’s judgement.

He is an all-action midfielder and a leader of men. Lauded as “one of the best midfielders in the world” by Brazil teammate Gabriel Martinelli, the 28-year-old has been the heartbeat of Eddie Howe’s project, combative, creative and cultured on the ball.

There’s an echo of Dembele in there, if you listen closely, with the Belgian once described as being “like a vacuum” by one-time Tottenham player Jermaine Jenas, sucking in opponents and releasing the ball at the perfect moment. Timing and precision, these were elements that Dembele carried with him throughout his career.

Now, Tottenham could reinvent that role through Guimaraes, a player who is so good that he may even outstrip Dembele in his Lilywhites prime – and that’s no small feat.

Across four-and-a-half years on Tyneside, Guimaraes has been omnipresent in the Newcastle midfield, instrumental in driving the club to two Champions League campaigns and triumph in the 2024/25 Carabao Cup.

This season for Newcastle in the Premier League, he scored nine goals and provided five assists across 29 matches, winning over two tackles and just shy of six duels on average each match.

There aren’t many players who would transform Tottenham purely through their arrival this summer. This is a big rebuild at Johan Lange’s desk, but Guimaraes has the technical ability, leadership skills and experience at the highest level to make a significant difference.