Tottenham's New Era Begins in Auckland Against Auckland FC
Tottenham’s summer reboot steps into the spotlight on Sunday, as Roberto De Zerbi’s reshaped side begin their pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia against Auckland FC at Eden Park.
The work has already started. A 1-0 win over MK Dons in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Wednesday gave De Zerbi his first low-key look at this new squad. Now the curtain comes up properly. Travelling supporters finally get to see, and judge, what more than £200million of investment actually looks like on the pitch.
Big spend, bigger expectations
Tottenham have not been shopping quietly. Six new signings through the door, an outlay north of £200m and a clear signal that two successive 17th-place finishes in the Premier League will not be tolerated again.
Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Andy Robertson, Jan Paul van Hecke and Martin Dubravka have all made the trip as part of a 35-man squad. Only Marcos Senesi, the Argentina centre-back, has stayed behind from the new arrivals, the sole fresh face not on the plane.
This is not a gentle reset. It’s a hard swing at a new identity.
Key absentees and transfer shadows
The squad list is strong, but not complete. Guglielmo Vicario misses out with what the club have called a “minor knock”, while midfielders Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur are absent after being granted extended leave following their World Cup exertions.
Others who went deep into the tournament – Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero and Djed Spence – have also been left at home. Their absence is explained by workload, but in two cases the questions run deeper.
It is unclear whether Vicario and Romero have already played their last games for Spurs. Both are heavily linked with moves away, and each match they miss only sharpens the speculation.
Back at Hotspur Way, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert continue their rehabilitation from long-term injuries. Four players who would walk into most Premier League line-ups are instead working in the gym and on the treatment tables, not under the lights in Auckland.
Chance for the kids
Those gaps in the squad have created opportunity. Against MK Dons, Luca Williams-Barnett caught the eye, and he is joined on tour by Mikey Moore, another highly regarded youngster who now has the stage to show he belongs in De Zerbi’s plans.
Pre-season often flatters youth. The tempo is lower, the stakes are softer. But this feels slightly different. With several senior players missing and a new coach intent on reshaping the style, the door is genuinely ajar.
De Zerbi will want more than just a run-out. He will want to build on that opening win, to imprint patterns, to see which players can carry his aggressive, front-foot football when the opposition bites back.
Eden Park awaits
Auckland FC finished third in the A-League last season and will not simply turn up to admire the visitors. A record crowd is expected at Eden Park, a stadium more used to rugby epics than Premier League rebuilds, but ready to welcome one of English football’s most scrutinised projects.
Spurs are likely to field different XIs in each half, a familiar pre-season rhythm that suits both fitness and experimentation. For the locals, it means two looks at De Zerbi’s thinking in one night. For the players, it means no hiding place: 45 minutes to impress, then someone else gets their shot.
From New Zealand, Tottenham head to Australia to face Sydney FC and then London rivals Chelsea next week. The opposition sharpens, the travel continues, the questions grow louder.
Predicted Tottenham XI vs Auckland FC
Kinsky; Takai, Van de Ven, Van Hecke, Udogie; Fernandes, Tonali; Yang, Moore, Tel; Solanke.
Kick-off is set for 4am BST on Sunday July 26, 2026, at Eden Park in Auckland. A long way from north London in distance, but for De Zerbi’s new-look Spurs, it might be even further in terms of what this season has to become.
