Roberto De Zerbi has two clear targets after Tottenham fixtures confirmed | OneFootball

The new manager must maintain momentum after avoiding relegation

Tottenham look set to navigate a difficult winter period next season after the 2026/27 Premier League fixtures were released on Friday morning.

The north London club are looking to build towards a new era under Roberto De Zerbi after successive 17th-place finishes, and kickstart their campaign away to Brentford at 5:30pm on August 22.

Following a testing opening day fixture, Spurs then host Newcastle before a trip to Nottingham Forest, where they were comprehensively beaten 3-0 last season.

Roberto De Zerbi

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De Zerbi’s side then host Aston Villa, before travelling to play Manchester United and Chelsea, in between welcoming newly promoted Coventry City to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

There appears little opportunity for Spurs to build momentum, but will count November and January among their more favourable months on paper.

That said, they famously went without a league win until April after the turn of the year last season as they were sucked into a relegation battle.

The north London derby fixtures will currently take place on December 5 and May 1, though these dates are subject to change due to TV scheduling. Spurs will host Arsenal first before travelling to the Emirates with five games to go.

Spurs face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on October 24 before hosting Xabi Alonso’s side a week after the north London derby on May 8.

Spurs will hope to be fighting for Europe come the end of the season. But with their final five fixtures seeing them play Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Aston Villa, they face a tricky run-in to end the campaign.

Determined to learn from the mistakes of last season, Spurs have been aggressive in the transfer market as they try to rebuild their squad in De Zerbi’s image.

They sealed their third signing of the window on Thursday as they announced the arrival of Brighton centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke for £52million, and will be confident of making a push towards the European spaces despite last season’s struggles.