Soccer-Spurs need winning mentality after Brentford thrashing, says De Zerbi

Tottenham Hotspur need to develop a winning mentality, manager Roberto De Zerbi said ​on Tuesday as his big-spending side seek to bounce ​back in a League Cup second-round clash with ‌Charlton ​Athletic after a heavy defeat in their Premier League opener. Spurs started their league campaign with a 3-0 loss at Brentford on Saturday despite a recruitment drive that has brought in midfielders ‌Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes plus defenders Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke.

The North London club strengthened further on Tuesday with the signing of Brazilian winger Savio from Manchester City. The deal took Tottenham's spending to £322 million ($439.08 million), including add-ons, as they overhaul ‌the squad after narrowly avoiding relegation by finishing 17th last season.

Asked about the importance of the League Cup, De Zerbi told ‌reporters: "For me it's like the Premier League. We are not in the position to make differences. We need to get used to winning the matches." De Zerbi, who was appointed on a long-term contract in March, successfully guided Spurs to safety after taking charge for the final seven games of last season.

"We have to ⁠change the ​mood. We can because we already ⁠did last season ...," the Italian said. "I think the environment has to change, the players inside and the people inside have to change this mentality. It's a ⁠challenge. When I said we have to become a team it's about this.

"The quality of the players we had enough of against Brentford to do ​much better." De Zerbi also spoke about Savio, whose full name is Savio Moreira de Oliveira. The 22-year-old, previously known as ⁠Savinho, has decided to wear "Savio" on his number 17 shirt.

"In terms of one-to-one, he's one of the best players, can play on either side," De Zerbi said. "If ⁠you ​analyse the best wingers in the world they score 10-15 goals a season and he has the qualities."

Spurs received a fitness boost ahead of the Charlton tie, with new captain Micky van de Ven set to return to the bench after recovering from ⁠an injury on the club's pre-season tour. Right back Pedro Porro will also be among the substitutes following his delayed return to ⁠pre-season training after helping Spain win ⁠the World Cup.

"I don't know if Savio is ready to play, if everything is ok to play or on the bench. Great news to have Van de Ven and Porro. (James) Maddison suffered a ‌small injury in ‌the shoulder," De Zerbi said. ($1 = 0.7334 pounds)