Tottenham’s £200m Reboot Begins with De Zerbi Era

Tottenham’s summer of upheaval finally meets a football pitch this evening, even if nobody is there to see it.

Behind closed doors at Hotspur Way, Spurs face MK Dons in their first pre-season friendly, a low-key setting for a club that has just spent more than £200million and handed the keys of the project to Roberto De Zerbi. For the Italian, this is the first live look at what his ideas actually look like in a match, rather than on the training pitches he has prowled for the last two weeks.

This is where reputations start to shift.

Big money, first glimpses

Six new signings have arrived, and two of them are expected to get their first taste of Tottenham life in a Spurs shirt tonight.

Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali are both in line for minutes against MK Dons, early auditions in front of the only man who really matters right now: De Zerbi. Fernandes, energetic and front-foot by nature, fits the manager’s aggressive blueprint. Tonali, the headline addition, brings pedigree and presence to the middle of the pitch.

The club will tread carefully with the Italian midfielder, though. Tonali joined pre-season late because of work permit issues, so his game time is likely to be controlled rather than generous. De Zerbi will want to see him, but he will not risk him.

Martin Dubravka has also been training with his new teammates and is another fresh face in the group, even if he may have to wait his turn for a debut appearance.

World Cup absentees and a familiar face in a new shirt

Not everyone is back yet. Those who went deep into this summer’s World Cup remain on their breaks and will not feature.

Pedro Porro, who started for Spain in their 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina in the final, is resting up. So too are Cristian Romero and Marcos Senesi, both granted extended holidays after their exertions on the biggest stage. Djed Spence, impressive as England finished third, is another missing from tonight’s squad.

One World Cup face has already reported in, though. Scotland left-back Andy Robertson walked through the doors at Hotspur Way on Tuesday for his first official day as a Spurs player after joining on a free from Liverpool. He will not be rushed into action, but his presence underlines just how different this Tottenham side will look when the Premier League starts.

Rehab group bides its time

De Zerbi’s options remain trimmed by a sizeable rehab group.

Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert are both working back from serious anterior cruciate ligament injuries. They have been seen around the training ground but are still a long way from competitive action. Mohammed Kudus is another notable absentee from the matchday plans, following an individual programme as he recovers from a major quad problem.

The same story applies to Dejan Kulusevski. The Swede did not play a single minute last season because of a persistent knee issue and continues to build up carefully. None of that quartet will be involved against MK Dons.

Young stakes: Moore and Donley under the microscope

If the established names are easing in, the younger ones are accelerating.

Mikey Moore has trained with the first team and could be handed minutes tonight. His loan spell at Rangers turned heads and raised expectations, and now De Zerbi wants to see how that promise translates when surrounded by senior Spurs players and his own tactical demands.

The manager has not yet decided whether Moore belongs in the first-team squad for the coming season. A behind-closed-doors friendly in July might sound insignificant, but for a teenager on the brink, it can be decisive.

Jamie Donley is another academy product making noise. The forward has been involved with the senior group and is understood to have impressed De Zerbi over the last fortnight. A strong showing against MK Dons would only strengthen his case at a time when the manager is forming first impressions and long-term plans.

Rotation, rhythm and a first sketch of De Zerbi’s Spurs

Pre-season openers rarely offer clean answers, and this one will be no different. De Zerbi is expected to rotate heavily, spreading minutes across the squad to build fitness and avoid early setbacks. Spurs will look more like two different teams across the 90 minutes than a settled XI.

Even so, the predicted lineup offers a glimpse of what the evening might look like: Kinsky; Takai, Phillips, Davies, Udogie; Fernandes, Tonali; Yang, Donley, Tel; Solanke.

Experience in Ben Davies, youth in Donley, new energy in Fernandes and Tonali. A sketch, not a final draft.

Kick-off is at 5pm BST on Wednesday July 22, 2026, at Hotspur Way. No fans, no cameras, no noise. Just a new manager, a reshaped squad and the first clues as to what Tottenham might become under Roberto De Zerbi.

For some of these players, this quiet friendly could be the loudest statement they make all summer.