Tottenham chief executive Vinai Venkatesham has backed Roberto De Zerbi despite the club sitting bottom of the Premier League after five matches.

Spurs are still searching for their first league win of the campaign following a summer in which more than £380 million was committed to new signings.

The results have increased pressure on De Zerbi after successive 17th-placed finishes, but Venkatesham believes there have been encouraging signs beyond the points total.

“The club had made significant changes over the summer, both on and off the pitch, and recognised that these might take time to take full effect,” Venkatesham said.

He also “expressed confidence in Roberto De Zerbi, in the players brought in and in the changes made, noting the considerable work under way behind the scenes.”

Venkatesham explains Tottenham’s financial constraints

Venkatesham also outlined the financial situation facing Spurs despite their huge summer expenditure.

The Lewis family, Tottenham’s majority owners, injected another £120m of capital into the club last month, but Venkatesham said financial regulations continue to influence their transfer strategy.

“The club needed to improve as a seller of players, having achieved limited returns in previous years and doing so is important in modern football for compliance with financial regulations,” Venkatesham said.

“Financial regulations represented a genuine constraint. The club had not recorded a profit since 2019 and its costs were rising through investment in the men’s team in wages and transfer fees.

“Successive 17th-placed finishes and the absence of European revenue this season had also affected the club’s revenue position.”