Tottenham’s New Signings Van Hecke and Robertson Yet to Make Debut
Tottenham’s new boys Jan Paul van Hecke and Andy Robertson remain stuck on the runway.
Both watched from the sidelines again as Spurs eased past A-League champions Auckland FC 2-0 in the early hours of Sunday morning, their wait for a first appearance stretching into a second pre-season game.
Robertson, the high-profile arrival from Liverpool on a free transfer before Scotland’s World Cup campaign, has yet to pull on a Spurs shirt in anger. Van Hecke, prised from Brighton during the tournament, is in the same boat. Two signings, zero minutes.
It is not for lack of ambition from the club. Tottenham have thrown more than £200m at this window, reshaping Roberto De Zerbi’s squad with headline additions such as Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali to refresh the heart of midfield and signal a serious tilt at the season ahead.
De Zerbi, though, is in no mood to gamble. After a 30-hour haul to the other side of the world, the head coach has refused to give any of his senior players extended minutes, prioritising fresh legs and intact muscles over spectacle. The Auckland win, professional and largely untroubled, arrived without any real strain on the core of his squad.
That conservative approach has a cost. Van Hecke and Robertson have now endured two full friendlies as spectators, boots laced but unused, watching their new teammates bed in while their own integration is delayed.
Upcoming Matches
The next window opens on Wednesday. Tottenham face Sydney FC at 10.45am BST on July 29, a date De Zerbi will have ringed as the moment he wants his full complement of signings fit, available and ready to step in.
If that comes too soon, the spotlight sharpens further on Saturday, August 1. Chelsea await, again with a 10.45am kick-off for UK viewers, and by then the patience of two new recruits — and the curiosity of supporters — will be tested. How long can Spurs’ summer rebuild stay on paper before Van Hecke and Robertson finally step onto the pitch to justify it?
