Football Daily

What the report says

BBC Sport Football’s Football Daily episode, published on Radio 5 Live on 18 August 2026, looks ahead to Tottenham Hotspur’s 2026/27 Premier League season and asks whether Roberto De Zerbi can reverse the club’s recent struggles. The discussion centers on Spurs’ summer transfer business, the manager’s profile, and whether the squad has been strengthened enough to improve after two difficult campaigns.

The programme features former Tottenham winger Andros Townsend, former Spurs fullback Chris Hughton and supporter Flav Bateman, with Aaron Paul hosting. BBC Sport tactics correspondent Umir Irfan examines De Zerbi’s playing style and the identity he is trying to build at the club. The episode also assesses how incoming players Sandro Tonali and Matheus Fernandes may fit into the team.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire is brought in to explain Tottenham’s spending position this summer, giving the episode an off-field context as well as a footballing one. The show also considers whether the absence of European football could help Spurs manage the season better, especially after an injury-hit previous campaign.

Overall, the episode frames Tottenham’s new season as a test of De Zerbi’s coaching ideas, recruitment and ability to restore momentum. The broader background, not specific to this programme, is that clubs without midweek European fixtures often have more time to prepare and recover during the domestic season.