£350m spent, zero goals: What is going wrong for Tottenham under De Zerbi?

Tottenham Hotspur have spent more than £350m rebuilding Roberto De Zerbi's squad, but three Premier League matches into the season, they are still waiting for their first goal.

Saturday's 0-0 draw away to Nottingham Forest at least delivered Spurs' first point of the campaign.

However, the result also extended a worrying attacking run.

Tottenham failed to register a single shot on target at the City Ground and have now gone three league matches without scoring.

It is the first time in Premier League history that Spurs have failed to find the net in their opening three games of a season, while they had not made such a goalless start to a league campaign since 1974-75.

For a club that invested heavily during the summer, the contrast is difficult to ignore.

Why are Tottenham struggling in the final third?

De Zerbi does not appear to believe that Tottenham's problems are purely structural.

The Italian was encouraged by parts of the performance against Forest, particularly after previously criticising his side for losing too many duels and second balls against Brentford.

His main concern instead centred on decision-making in attacking areas.

Highlights: Nottingham Forest 0-0 Spurs ? pic.twitter.com/HqKfmQroRs

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 5, 2026

Omar Marmoush provided the clearest example.

The former Manchester City forward had three attempts and missed a big opportunity, but De Zerbi was more frustrated by one occasion when he chose to shoot rather than use teammates in better positions.

"I think we played well, but we have to play better in the final third," De Zerbi said.

"We have to make better decisions.

"For example, in the chance with Marmoush, when he shoots, we have Robertson going forward. If we had played Robertson in, Kudus would have been free on the other side."

That sequence sums up one of Tottenham's early-season problems.

The attacking talent is there, but the combinations are not yet functioning consistently enough.

New players are still learning one another's movements, and Spurs have not established the patterns required to turn promising situations into clear chances.

© Iconsport / PA Images / Iconsport

Is Tottenham's £350m rebuild already a concern?

There is an obvious temptation to judge the summer spending against immediate results.

More than £350m has been committed to strengthening De Zerbi's squad, and the expectation after such an outlay is naturally high.

Yet three matches remain a very small sample size.

Tottenham are still adapting to a new-look squad and a different attacking structure, while De Zerbi is attempting to establish his preferred style.

The Forest performance did at least offer signs of progress in other areas.

Spurs competed better physically and showed more aggression in duels, addressing one of the coach's complaints from the defeat to Brentford.

The issue is that none of those improvements will matter much if the team continues to lack conviction around the penalty area.

Marmoush has already found himself at the centre of that debate, but the responsibility is wider than one player.

Tottenham need sharper movement, quicker decisions and better coordination between their attacking options.

Until that arrives, the numbers will continue to attract attention.

Three games, no goals and more than £350m spent is an uncomfortable combination, even at this early stage of the season.

Tottenham are even already facing decisions over whether further attacking investment will be required, with Mykhaylo Mudryk's long-term future among the questions still to be resolved.

De Zerbi still has time to make the rebuild work, but the pressure to find an attacking solution will only increase if Tottenham draw another blank.