De Zerbi’s First Look at New Spurs in Pre-Season Friendly

Tottenham’s summer revolution takes its first step on Wednesday evening, out of sight but under intense scrutiny.

Behind closed doors at Hotspur Way, Roberto De Zerbi will finally get a live look at his reshaped Spurs as they face MK Dons in their opening pre-season friendly. No cameras, no crowd, but for a squad rebuilt at a cost of more than £200million, the stakes are obvious enough.

De Zerbi’s first look at his new Spurs

Two weeks of training have laid the groundwork. Patterns of play, fitness blocks, early impressions. Now comes something closer to reality: a match, tackles that bite a little more, decisions made at full speed rather than on the training pitch.

De Zerbi inherits a club that has spent aggressively to accelerate his vision. Six signings are already through the door, and two of them – Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali – are expected to feature in some capacity against MK Dons.

For both, this is the soft launch. A first touch in Tottenham colours, a first instruction barked from the touchline, a first sense of where they fit in the pecking order.

Tonali’s involvement, though, is likely to be carefully managed. The Italian midfielder joined pre-season late because of work permit issues and is still playing catch-up. De Zerbi will want to see him, but not risk him.

New faces, delayed arrivals

Martin Dubravka has also been in the thick of training, another fresh face settling into new surroundings. Yet this is far from a full-strength Tottenham group.

Those who went deep into the summer’s World Cup are still on their post-tournament breaks. Pedro Porro, who started for Spain in their 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina in Sunday’s final, will not be involved. Nor will fellow finalists Cristian Romero and Marcos Senesi, both also granted extended rest after a gruelling campaign.

On Tuesday, though, there was a notable arrival at Hotspur Way. Scotland captain Andy Robertson reported for his first day as a Spurs player after completing a free transfer from Liverpool. He will not be rushed into this opening friendly, but his mere presence underlines the scale of the club’s overhaul. A Champions League and Premier League winner now walks the corridors in N17.

Djed Spence, fresh from an impressive World Cup as England finished third, is another who will sit this one out as he enjoys a delayed return.

Injury comebacks on their own timelines

Not all absentees are on holiday. Some are simply not ready yet.

Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert, both recovering from serious anterior cruciate ligament injuries, have been seen around the training ground but remain some distance from a competitive return. Their work is still largely individual, their timelines longer.

Mohammed Kudus is in a similar position. The attacking midfielder is following his own rehabilitation programme after a significant quad injury, easing back towards full intensity rather than being thrown into a pre-season opener.

Dejan Kulusevski’s situation is even more delicate. The Swede did not play a single minute last season because of a persistent knee problem, and Tottenham will not gamble on him in a low-key July run-out. His path back has to be measured, not rushed.

Young talent under the microscope

If some senior names are missing, that only widens the door for others.

Mikey Moore has trained with the first team across pre-season and could get his chance against MK Dons. The forward returns highly rated after an eye-catching loan spell at Rangers, his reputation growing beyond academy circles. De Zerbi has not yet decided whether Moore will stay with the senior squad this season, and Wednesday’s game offers a valuable data point: can he handle the step up, or does he need more time elsewhere?

Academy forward Jamie Donley has also been heavily involved in recent sessions and is understood to have impressed the new head coach. His energy and intelligence in training have not gone unnoticed. A competitive outing, even in a friendly, would be another marker of his progress.

With fitness the priority, De Zerbi is expected to rotate heavily across the 90 minutes, handing minutes to as many players as possible. This is not the night for a settled XI. It is the night for auditions.

Early clues in a quiet setting

Standard Sport’s predicted line-up reflects that blend of new arrivals, squad players and emerging talent: Kinsky; Takai, Phillips, Davies, Udogie; Fernandes, Tonali; Yang, Donley, Tel; Solanke.

It is only an educated guess, but it captures the tone of this stage of pre-season. Senior figures like Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie offering structure, new signings such as Fernandes and Tonali beginning to bed in, younger attackers like Donley and Tel given room to express themselves.

Kick-off is at 5pm BST on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, on the training pitches of Hotspur Way. No roar, no fanfare, no public unveiling.

For De Zerbi, though, this is where the real work starts. In the quiet, away from the noise, he begins to decide who will carry his Tottenham into the new Premier League season – and who will be left behind.