The New York Times

While Mateus Fernandes was fast asleep in Sydney, there was a social media meltdown developing at home.

Scarred by injury crises in recent seasons, Tottenham Hotspur fans are understandably more anxious than usual about their players’ conditions, so when Fernandes was absent from training videos that the club posted on social media, some supporters feared the worst.

In the early hours of the morning in Australia, theories about potential long-term knee injuries began to gain traction online, with fans scrambling to find the truth about his absence. You can only imagine his surprise when he woke up to a flood of texts and missed calls from his friends at home, asking if he was OK.

“I saw my friends,” Fernandes told reporters at Spurs House, a dedicated fan space in Sydney showcasing the club’s identity and history. “They started to call me to ask, ‘What’s happened? What’s happened? You’re injured?’.

“‘No, I’m just a little bit fatigued, but hopefully it’s not too serious, and now I’m ready’.”

Fernandes sat out Tottenham’s final game of their summer tour against Chelsea, but he is expected to be involved as normal when Spurs ramp up their preparations back in north London on Wednesday, when Roberto De Zerbi can begin building a midfield duo that could become the envy of the Premier League.

Tottenham acted quickly and aggressively to bring Fernandes from West Ham United, despite significant interest from Manchester United. A fee of £85million ($115m) may sound extortionate for a 22-year-old with just one senior cap for Portugal, but Fernandes is rated as one of the most exciting midfield talents in the world.

Last season, he ranked in the top five for tackles won (67; third), ground duels won (180; third) and accurate switches of play (23; fourth) in the Premier League, and was in the top 10 for total distance covered among midfielders, but the data hardly scratches the surface. He is as comfortable dribbling through the midfield as he is breaking lines with passes, which should help to solve Tottenham’s longstanding issues with central progression. De Zerbi pulled out all the stops to get the deal over the line.

“The desire of playing for a big club, winning games, to fight for the Premier League, for the first place,” Fernandes responded when asked how De Zerbi sold the club to him. “The way he spoke with me and my family was very important for me.

“He was calling me every day, so I’m very happy to work with him, and hopefully we can do great things.”

His sales pitch included a meeting with Fernandes’ parents, where he promised to be his “second dad”.

“It was more about (forming a) connection, because my dad and my mum don’t speak English very well,” he says. “It was more about feelings. He said he would take care of me, that he would be my second dad in England. I’m very happy to work with him.”

Tottenham had another ace up their sleeve to ensure Spurs won the race for Fernandes’ signature: Pedro Porro. The duo were team-mates at Sporting CP in Lisbon before Porro moved to Tottenham, and started two games together. The 26-year-old agreed a new long-term contract this summer, but before he became a World Cup winner with Spain, he helped broker the deal with a well-timed chat.

“He called me one day — I didn’t answer because I was sleeping — he said, in Portuguese, ‘Come on Mateus, you need to play with us, we want you’,” he said. ‘It was me that told the manager to bring you’.

“Then when everything was done, I spoke with him a bit about the club, the mentality in the team, the team-mates as well. He’s an important player. He’s one of the best right-backs in the world. He’s a top guy.”

While Fernandes’ stock has risen rapidly over the past two seasons, his emergence has been despite wider team struggles. In his debut Premier League season, he played 36 times for Southampton as they were relegated in 20th place with 12 points. He left the south coast to join West Ham United last summer for around £40million, where he developed into one of the brightest midfield talents in the Premier League, but could not help Spurs’ fierce London rivals escape the drop.

Back-to-back relegations never reflect well on any player, but Fernandes’ performances rarely slid, particularly last season. He was a major part of why West Ham’s results improved in 2026, pushing a once-seemingly inevitable relegation to the final day. And while Tottenham have no intention of finishing anywhere near the drop zone next term, he looks back on those seasons as valuable learning opportunities.

“This is football, this is life,” he says. “You need to learn about everything. The first season, at Southampton, was the most difficult because I was living alone in another country. I didn’t speak English, and I didn’t have anybody there who spoke Portuguese or Spanish, so it was a little bit difficult.

“It was important to go to West Ham and prepare the season well. These two seasons, I learned a lot off the pitch — take my time after games, do other things, and I’m much more ready now than two years ago.

“I was very happy at Southampton and West Ham. They always showed me a lot of love, and they took care of me. I’m ready for this step as well.”

All being well, it’s a step that should help him achieve one of his biggest targets: becoming a regular for Portugal. Fernandes was left out of Roberto Martinez’s World Cup squad after making his debut in a friendly against the United States in March. Portugal are stacked with world-class talent in midfield, and there is no shame in losing out on a spot to Vitinha, Bernardo Silva, Joao Neves or Bruno Fernandes. Still, he admits it was a major disappointment not to be selected.

“Yeah, one of my targets last season was playing for Portugal in the World Cup,” he says. “It was very disappointing not to be there, but that’s not a thing I can control, so I don’t take too much time on that.

“It was very difficult because the midfielders in Portugal are very good, so I need to show my quality now. I believe, I fully believe, and hopefully the next World Cup I will be there.”

Roberto De Zerbi says Tottenham Hotspur “do not know” whether forward Richarlison will stay at the club as he “sometimes” wants to leave.

The 29-year-old has entered the final year of his contract with the north London club, and scored a stoppage-time winner in Spurs’ 2-1 pre-season win against Chelsea on Saturday.

Speaking after the match, De Zerbi said Tottenham “have to respect” what the Brazil international wants to do this summer and admitted the striker himself is uncertain.

“I don’t know, I didn’t understand well, because sometimes he said to stay, sometimes he leaves,” De Zerbi said.

“We have to speak anyway, there is not any problem, he’s a lovely guy. All of us love him, the team-mates, the club, the staff, because he works hard every day, seriously every day, and we can’t say anything on the pitch.”

Richarlison was the club’s top scorer in the league last season with 11 goals (12 in all competitions), two of which coming after De Zerbi’s appointment in March.

The 47-year-old Italian said he likes Richarlison “as a player, as a guy” and praised his “unbelievable” attitude and behaviour.

“Every one of us knows what he wants to do,” De Zerbi said. “But for me he’s still an important player, because it’s not so easy to find another striker like Richarlison, because Richarlison scores goals and he knows the way.

“The new striker, we don’t know. The other striker, we don’t know. He scored 12 goals last season, not through luck, because he feels the way to score.”

Tottenham have had a busy summer transfer window with Sandro Tonali joining from Newcastle United for £100million ($135m), alongside Mateus Fernandes signing from West Ham in a deal worth £85m ($115m) and Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton & Hove Albion for £52m ($70m). Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka have all joined on free transfers.

Spurs have yet to recruit a striker in the transfer window, leaving Richarlison and Dominic Solanke their primary options, while academy product Will Lankshear departed in a permanent move to Championship side Middlesbrough.

Roberto De Zerbi says he expects “two, maybe three” more arrivals at Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

Spurs have had a busy start to the window, breaking their record transfer fee twice and completing six signings. Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka signed as free agents, before they spent £52 million on Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton and Hove Albion, a then-club record £85m fee for Mateus Fernandes, and then £100m (including add-ons) to bring Sandro Tonali to the club from Newcastle United.

But when asked how many further incomings he expects at Spurs this summer, De Zerbi said he is targeting a few more before the window shuts on September 1.

“I think two, maybe three,” he told reporters in his pre-match press conference on Friday before Tottenham’s pre-season friendly against Chelsea in Sydney on Saturday. “We have to see.”

De Zerbi also confirmed that midfielder James Maddison, who missed the majority of last season due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, will not be risked during Spurs’ pre-season tour due to a “small problem.”

He said: “I don’t want to take any risks, especially in this part of the season and especially for James because he suffered a long injury last season. He’s an important player for us and it is not the right moment to take risks. We will work again when we are back in London.”

In a roundtable interview on Thursday, De Zerbi told reporters, that the club is working on a “bomba” signing. It is understood that this deal is separate from their pursuit of Manchester City winger Savinho, which the club are confident of completing.

“Bomba in Italian is different from bomba in English,” he said. “You can write what you want, no problem, no pressure. But I said we have to complete the transfer market. I think we have some other players to complete the squad, and the player will be here in the next days are for me, top player. I don’t know if the expectation are bigger than two days ago, but we have to go forward and to think to the good of the team, of the club, of the squad, But in Italian it’s a different word.

When asked to clarify what “bomba” means, De Zerbi described it as a “top player”, in the ilk of some of their major summer signings.

“I think Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Senesi, Robertson are bomba,” he said. “For me, top player for us.”

Spurs have spent more than £230 million on three transfer fees for Tonali, Fernandes and Van Hecke, and are positioned to continue spending in the window, a notable departure from their transfer strategy in recent years under former executive chairman Daniel Levy. Referencing the activity of some of their ‘big six’ competition, De Zerbi says spending of this magnitude is a requirement for clubs to compete at the “highest level”.

“Zero pressure,” De Zerbi responded when asked whether the club-record fees increase the pressure to compete this season. “You know why? Because one day the taxi man in London stopped me to congratulate me on the transfer market. He said, “Eh, you are spending a lot of money”. I said, “But who are you a fan of?” “Arsenal”. You have spent the money for a long time in the last three or four years.

“I think Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, to stay at the top of the table, they have spent money. If you want to compete, now, for the top of the Premier League, and to put Tottenham in the highest level, I think we need to bring top players, like we are doing.”

Lucas Bergvall started Tottenham’s 1-1 draw (4-2 on penalties) against Sydney FC on Wednesday, but he has been linked with a move away, with Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest among his suitors. Guglielmo Vicario is expected to depart, as is current club captain Cristian Romero, both of whom have attracted interest from Serie A clubs. These potential departures may help to facilitate incomings.

Sandro Tonali officially became a Tottenham Hotspur player on July 6, but Roberto De Zerbi had laid the groundwork for this transfer months before.

After reading that Newcastle United expected to lose his fellow Italian this summer, De Zerbi made immediate contact with a mutual friend to help grease the wheels in his pursuit of the eventual club-record £100million ($133.8m at the current rate)signing.

“The story is very simple,” De Zerbi told reporters in Sydney during Spurs’ ongoing pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia. “I saw Sandro wanted to leave before the end of the season and we have one friend in common; the team manager of Brescia.

“I sent a message to my friend to say, ‘Hey, inform Sandro, if we stay up, I’ll go to him’. After 10 minutes, my friend answered me, ‘I said to Sandro, and he’s open’. I said, ‘Now we have to win one game to stay up!’

“I watched Newcastle’s game against West Ham, 90 minutes (indicates sweat coming down his face), and Sandro played very well in the first half. I said (to myself), ‘If I stay up, I come to you, I come to you, I come to you’.”

Tonali played his part as Newcastle beat Spurs’ fellow relegation candidates West Ham United 3-1 that day on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season, a result which meant De Zerbi and company needed just a point from their final two matches, away to Chelsea and at home against Everton.

After a 2-1 midweek loss at Stamford Bridge, Spurs confirmed their top-flight status for 2026-27 with a 1-0 win on the final Sunday.

In his post-match press conference afterwards, De Zerbi said that the work of assembling a squad for this season would start the very next day, and proved true to his word. Tonali was one of the first people he contacted to set up a meeting in Brescia, the northern city where De Zerbi grew up and where the midfielder spent more than a decade as a player before joining Milan in 2020.

“When we won the last game with Everton, the day after the game, at 4pm, I sent a message to Sandro, ‘Sandro, I want to speak with you’,” De Zerbi revealed. “After 10 minutes, we spoke, and after two days, I came back to Italy, and we met in his home.”

For Tonali, the move to Tottenham after three years at Newcastle made sense on many levels — for a start, there was that natural connection with De Zerbi.

While De Zerbi spent only half a season playing for Brescia while on loan from Napoli, he was born and raised there and still visits in the summer. His father used to organise away days for Brescia’s ultras, during which he watched Tonali develop from academy kid into one of the most in-demand and exciting midfield prospects in the world.

Tonali spends time there in the off-season too, and can’t help but run into local legends, not just De Zerbi, but perhaps the most iconic Roberto in Italian football.

“Brescia is so small,” the 26-year-old told reporters in a roundtable interview in Sydney. “I spent two weeks there, and (De Zerbi) as well. I met him two or three times in the city, with the car. But not just him. I met my old team manager in Brescia. (and) I met Roberto Baggio twice.

“I spoke with him (De Zerbi) when he was (managing) in Sassuolo, and at Brighton and Marseille; we spoke every time, because we are Italian, we are from Brescia, and it’s a mini-connection together.”

For Tonali, who describes himself as a “normal person” who likes “normal people” and is happiest spending time with those closest to him, including his grandmother and nephew in his hometown, his family’s happiness and contentment were top of mind.

He had considered a move back to Italy, but Serie A clubs could not afford the level of transfer fee Newcastle wanted. After feeling De Zerbi’s desire to work together and hearing Tottenham’s pitch, it became evident that this would be the best option for him, despite serious rival interest from Manchester City.

“I spoke with Tottenham,” he said. “When you speak with one team, the first impression is a big thing. My first impression was really positive. I spoke after two minutes with my wife and my family, and I said, ‘Probably it will be one of the best decisions of my career’. She told me, ‘You have 100 per cent control over this decision’. I wanted to speak with her because it’s our life.

“So my first impression was really positive. When you are happy after a 10-minute speech, it’s everything, everything is perfect. The gaffer was Italian, Roberto. I knew him. Roberto really cares about his work, his football. He said, ‘The project will be tough but will be perfect for me, for you, for the city, and we can do one of the best seasons, because we have big players. We just have to put a lot of work in’.”

The mini Italian revolution led by De Zerbi on the lilywhite side of north London certainly helped, as well.

Countryman goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is expected to leave Spurs in this window, but Tonali was accompanied on their long journey from London to Auckland by another compatriot in defender Destiny Udogie, who joked he was sitting next to “Mr £100m” on his Snapchat story. De Zerbi has Italians on his backroom team too in assistant Marcello Quinto, who he had as a player at Foggia in 2016, fitness coach Marco Marcattilio and new strength and conditioning coach Agostino Tibaudi.

Tonali grinned that he now hears as much Italian about the place as he does English.

“It’s nice,” he says. “So many staff, three Italian players… It’s funny because sometimes we speak more Italian than English. But it’s fine, because I was at Newcastle for three years and I spoke just English for three years! I only spoke Italian in my house with my wife. So it was a bit different.”

While at Newcastle, Tonali says he managed to head home twice a month, returning for two or three days when the players were given time off.

While the home comforts in north London provided by De Zerbi and his staff played a part in swaying him to Tottenham, Tonali has fond memories of Newcastle, a city that “lives for football”, and wanted to ensure he got the best deal for the club, who supported him through a 10-month ban in 2023 and 2024 for placing illegal bets on football matches.

“The first thing was to get the best deal for Newcastle. I met there some of the best people for football, for their work in the training ground,” said Tonali, speaking hours before it was revealed by The Athletic on Thursday morning that head coach Eddie Howe is to leave the club.

“When I decided to move, I told my agent and (sporting director) Ross Wilson that I wanted the best deal for Newcastle because they deserve everything, and if I have to move, then I can say hello to you or Eddie (Howe) in two or three years. If we meet in 10 years, I want to have a good dinner with the staff, with Ross, because they are very great people.”

While Tonali’s fee meant he overtook fellow newcomer Mateus Fernandes as Tottenham’s record signing mere days after the 22-year-old Portugal international joined from relegated West Ham, hopes are high at the club that they can become an outstanding midfield partnership on an equal footing. The pair have already hit it off away from football, which should only help their understanding flourish.

“(De Zerbi) wants our relationship to be 100 per cent, especially on the pitch, because off the pitch, our relationship is already top,” Tonali says. “We have to keep our football, our work on the pitch, because it’s tough. We played in two different teams last season, two different shapes, two different football (styles). Now we are together, and we have to find our shape, our football.

“Sometimes it’s not easy. Maybe you need two or three weeks. But after four or five days, me and Mateus said, ‘It’s not really difficult, this football, because we know the rules about this shape’. We played in the past with two midfielders, and if you play with two midfielders, you already know everything. You know the offensive phase, the defensive phase, and it’s a little easier. You need less time.”

Tonali spent much of last season operating as a No 6 for Newcastle due to team-mates’ injuries, but has often played his best football as a dynamic No 8. While Fernandes is also capable in both roles, Tonali thinks his new running mate’s qualities should allow him to have more influence higher up the pitch.

“I don’t know, we don’t decide already, but I think him,” he said, when asked who will be the sitting midfielder in their partnership. “For me, I played at No 6 last season, but for him, I think his characteristics are more No 6 than No 8.”

And if there’s any worry that Tonali now thinks he’s top dog at the club because of what Spurs are paying for him, he is very happy to allay those concerns. Then again, it’s no wonder that someone who is not interested in the glamour of being a superstar footballer could not care less about being one of the latest inductees into the Premier League’s £100million club.

“If I was another player, sometimes it’s tough, sometimes the pressure is different, but you have to understand that this is football,” he says. “The price is different now than 10 years ago. I know I have a lot of pressure, but I know I’m a football player, I know my responsibilities, I know this team, I know the people here. I have to play like I’m a normal player, a normal Tottenham player, with passion, putting my energy in every day.

“If you put this into the pitch every day, it’s different; it’s not £1million, £10m, or £100m. You just have to be a passionate player for this gaffer. Put everything onto the pitch.”

Tottenham Hotspur are working on “another bomba” transfer, according to head coach Roberto De Zerbi, who says he is “like a shark” when he wants a player in the transfer market.

Spurs have made six signings this summer, breaking their transfer record twice, first for Mateus Fernandes (£85million) from West Ham United, followed by a deal worth up to £100m for Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United. They are now focusing on attacking reinforcements to bolster a forward line weakened by long-term knee injuries to Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Dejan Kulusevski, and De Zerbi has suggested their big business is far from done.

“No, at the moment, no,” De Zerbi replied when asked whether there are any players on his list of targets that Spurs have not been able to sign. “But the transfer market, it’s not finished for sure. We have completed 60 per cent of our project in the transfer market. Now we have another bomba.”

When asked whether the “bomba” deal was close, De Zerbi said, “I hope, but it’s not finished, for sure.”

Manchester City winger Savinho is a long-term target, and Tottenham are confident that they can complete a deal for the 22-year-old Brazil international in the coming weeks. The “bomba” signing is expected to be separate to the pursuit of Savinho, and relates to another major attacking addition.

“In the transfer market, when I want one player, I become like a shark,” De Zerbi added. “No chance to say no.

“I love working in the transfer market. It’s not pressure; it’s one of the nicest parts of my work, my job.”

Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson were identified as free agent additions before De Zerbi joined the club, while Tottenham were also working on a deal to bring Jan Paul van Hecke before De Zerbi’s arrival.

“The list of the players for the transfer market was born before I joined Tottenham, he added. “Because after Marseille, I spoke with Vinai (Venkatesham, CEO), with Johan Lange (sporting director), but I didn’t want to come before, because I suffered on my way out from Marseille.

“But with Johan, we were working on the plan, so a lot of players you are watching now on the pitch started from March, mid-March. And then, normally, when you work with the players, you can change your opinion, maybe for the human quality, for the character, for the quality as a player also, because a lot of players are different than I thought.”

Robertson has joined Destiny Udogie, Souza and Ben Davies as options from the left, while Djed Spence, who impressed for England under Thomas Tuchel this summer, may serve as a back-up to World Cup winner Pedro Porro, whom De Zerbi rates as the “best right back in the world”.

“We have four, at the moment, great full-backs,” De Zerbi said. “Maybe the four most important full-backs in the world — because I think Pedro Porro is the best right back in the world — with Udogie, Robertson, and Djed Spence can play right and left.”

There are several expected outgoings this summer, including Cristian Romero and Guglielmo Vicario, following the departure of Luka Vuskovic, who joined Brighton & Hove Albion for a club-record fixed fee of £46m, plus add-ons.

Antonin Kinsky won the No 1 shirt from Vicario last term, impressing in De Zerbi’s seven matches while Vicario was sidelined after undergoing hernia surgery and helping Tottenham avoid relegation.

“At the beginning of my time, in April I had, I don’t know, one million individual meetings, and they told me their idea,” he told reporters, when asked whether any players had come to him and asked him to leave during that period. “I said: Yes, help me to stay up, and then I help you to leave. If you don’t help me to stay up, you stay underwater with me.”

Roberto De Zerbi says he would like Lucas Bergvall to remain at Tottenham Hotspur, but he cannot guarantee him a starting role and doesn’t want to “convince anyone to stay”.

Bergvall informed the club of his desire to seek a new challenge in June, and Tottenham have fielded interest from Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest for his signature.

Before Tottenham’s game against Auckland last Sunday, De Zerbi said he had not spoken to Bergvall, but after handing the Sweden international his first minutes of pre-season in their 4-2 (1-1 in regular time) penalty shoot-out win over Sydney FC on Wednesday, the Italian said he would like the 20-year-old to remain at the club.

“I’m always being very clear with him and with you,” De Zerbi said in his post-match press conference. “I would like that he stays with us. I think he’s potentially a top, top, top player. But then I don’t want to convince anyone to stay. Tottenham is already, without me, a top club and we are not to convince anyone to stay. He can find the space if he stays with us.

“The competition within the players will be very strong because we are Tottenham and we have to build a strong squad. Not just 11 players. Especially considering a lot of injuries we suffered in the last two, three seasons. Football is going in a clear direction – to compete for the highest places in the table, you have to manage 22, 23, 24 players. I don’t want 24, but 21, 22, of a high level, for sure.”

In an injury-hit season last term, Bergvall was in and out of the side under Thomas Frank, Igor Tudor and De Zerbi, and was used in various positions. Bergvall typically played as one of two players at the base of midfield under Ange Postecoglou in his debut season at Tottenham, where he won the club’s player of the year award, and after experimenting with him in several roles, De Zerbi says he now recognises that position as his strongest, but he cannot give him assurances over consistent starting minutes.

“It’s very clear, his idea,” says De Zerbi. “He wants space. He wants to play as a double pivot as a position. I can’t give, for any player in the world, the place in the first XI guaranteed. Especially for me. I want to be honest with the players. I want to be clear. I don’t want to make the first mistake. In terms of position, I can’t give guarantee. It’s right when he wants to play as a central midfielder. But to play as a central midfielder, sometimes it is to attack, sometimes to keep the holder, to move the ball faster.

“He has to improve. He’s a 2006 (born player). I would like that he stays. But if he doesn’t want, then what can I do? Nothing. He has to speak with (chief executive) Vinai (Venkatesham) or (sporting director) Johan Lange. To stay with us, we have to have the right spirit to stay. He’s a good guy. We will see in the next weeks.”

According to De Zerbi, Bergvall has not directly had a conversation with him about wanting to depart. He also added that they spoke during the World Cup, but having time together in pre-season, where they can talk face to face, is “better”.

“No, never,” De Zerbi responded when asked whether Bergvall had ever told him directly that he wants to leave. “I’m speaking with him before the end of last season and during the World Cup two times, but now we are speaking better. On the face (face to face). Without competition, in this moment, I have started to work like my style. Because in the last season we prepared the game working on the mentality more than the style of play.

“His position is very clear for me now, also because I needed time to understand the characteristic of the players, but I would like him to stay with us. He’s a very young, very good player. Good guy. It’s not so easy and so fast to find a young player of that level.”

Bergvall is one of many central midfielders Tottenham had at the club before the summer, and they have since broken their transfer record twice for Matheus Fernandes (£85million) from West Ham United, followed by a deal worth up to £100m for Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United.

Tonali was a second-half substitute and dispatched his penalty in the shootout, but Fernandes was left out of the squad, along with several senior players, including Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso, Jan Paul van Hecke and Dominic Solanke.

While the rest of the group could be involved in Saturday’s fixture against Chelsea, De Zerbi does not expect Fernandes back until they return to pre-season training in London next Wednesday due to a fatigue issue in his calf.

“(His injury is) just fatigue, the calf,” he said. “Also for him we took the decision to not take any risk and to recover. But next Wednesday when we start the pre-season in London, he will be ready to work.”

Tottenham Hotspur beat Sydney FC 4-2 on penalties after drawing 1-1 in regular time, continuing their positive start to pre-season.

Unsettled midfielder Lucas Bergvall was handed his first start of pre-season alongside Archie Gray, who captained the side for the second time in as many matches ahead of senior players like Ben Davies, Conor Gallagher and Richarlison.

Mathys Tel opened the scoring for Spurs with a free kick from 25 yards, before Takahiro Sekine levelled in the 55th minute for the A-League side after defender Kota Takai inadvertently poked the ball into his path. With the game drawn in normal time, starlet Luca Williams-Barnett ensured Tottenham started strongly in the shootout with a Panenka penalty, but Martin Dubravka was the hero, saving the decisive penalty from Alexandar Popovic.

The Athletic dissects the main talking points.

How did Bergvall do?

Bergvall has been heavily linked with a move this summer and boasts several suitors across the Premier League. Newcastle United had a £46million ($61.2m) bid rejected earlier this month, while Nottingham Forest have had multiple approaches rebuffed.

Despite the growing likelihood that the Sweden international will depart, Roberto De Zerbi included him in his 35-man squad for the pre-season tour, and he earned his first minutes of the trip in Sydney.

Bergvall started alongside Gray, who wore the captain’s armband for the second time in four days, and brought a sharp first touch and dribbling quality to the midfield before being taken off at half-time for Sandro Tonali.

The 20-year-old sees his best position as a No 8 and is keen to play there more often in the coming season after deputising in various midfield roles and on the wing last season. On the evidence of his performance at the Allianz Stadium, his desire to play more consistently in his preferred position is not without justification, though Sydney in pre-season is no comparison to Premier League competition.

But it seems likely those minutes will come away from north London. After being asked whether Bergvall’s inclusion indicates his future belongs at Spurs, De Zerbi told reporters he wanted “proud” players and those who are not “happy” or proud to stay at the club “have to leave”. But while Bergvall may be on his way out, his inclusion from the start suggests De Zerbi has not washed his hands of him completely yet.

What system did Spurs play?

Long-term injuries to Dejan Kulusevski and Xavi Simons, as well as a minor issue for James Maddison — who was sidelined for the majority of last season — mean Spurs are without any of their natural No 10s.

Gallagher deputised in that position under De Zerbi last season, and Williams-Barnett is among the club’s most exciting prospects from the academy, but there does not seem to be an obvious candidate to play that role if the Italian opts to stick with his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation next term.

De Zerbi went with a single pivot for Tottenham’s 2-0 win over reigning A-League champions Auckland FC on Sunday, with Gray sitting behind two No 8s — a system the head coach could revisit in the early weeks of the Premier League season. Rodrigo Bentancur asked to return for pre-season training a week later than originally scheduled after a demanding season last time round, but De Zerbi insists he is a crucial part of the squad and firmly in his plans.

There is a chance he sees the Uruguayan operating alongside or behind their two record-breaking midfield signings, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali.

De Zerbi returned to a double pivot against Sydney, using Gray and Bergvall in the first period before Tonali and Jamie Donley came on in the second half. As in the latter stages of last season, when Pedro Porro would invert and play high in the opponents’ half when Spurs had possession, De Zerbi instructed Rio Kyerematen and Tye Hall — both typically midfielders — to occupy a similar role, suggesting that dynamic will continue into the new campaign.

Where does Tel fit in?

De Zerbi has made no secret about his desire to add attacking reinforcements to the squad, with Tottenham currently prioritising additions in the wide areas.

Manchester City and Brazil winger Savinho, 22, is among their top targets, resuming their long-standing interest from last summer. But Tel, who started on the left wing today, showed why he shouldn’t be overlooked.

Tel started every game from the left wing after Xavi suffered an ACL injury in the 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in late April, and wowed and frustrated in relatively equal measure. It was his brilliant strike that opened the scoring in the 1-1 draw with Leeds United in Tottenham’s penultimate home game of the season, but it was also his wild attempted clearance that Ethan Ampadu threw his body in front of to earn a penalty and prevent Spurs from taking three much-needed points in the relegation fight.

A brilliant free kick in the first half opened the scoring against Sydney — another demonstration of his obvious talent and excellent ball-striking ability.

Should he improve his decision-making and consistency, there’s no reason why Tel should not continue as an important contributor under De Zerbi next term, regardless of potential additions.

Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season campaign continues today as they face Sydney FC in Australia.

Spurs winger Mathys Tel scored a brilliant free kick to give the Premier League side the lead just before the half-hour mark.

Sydney striker Mathias Macallister's lob from long range and then a chip over Martin Dubravka both drifted narrowly wide.

Spurs XI: Dubravka (GK); Tye Hall, Hardy, Davies, Kyerematen; Gray (c), Gallagher; Solomon, Bergvall, Tel; Richarlison.

Watch: Paramount+, Spursplay

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Despite Tottenham dominating that first half, they needed a moment of magic to get their noses in front.

That moment of magic came from Mathys Tel in the 29th minute as he whipped a superb free kick into the top corner.

Gus Hoefsloot had no chance of keeping it out.

And while we’re handing out credit, let’s give some to Sydney FC too. After barely getting a kick in the opening 15 minutes, they grew into the first half and seemed to shed some of their nerves to eventually start threatening themselves.

Mathias Macallister has led that threat, but it’s also fair to think that this Sydney side looks more passive and a bit short compared to what Western Sydney Wanderers were capable of last night against Chelsea.

Credit to Tottenham there. They dominated the early exchanges and Sydney barely had a kick.

High-quality chances have been in short supply, but the goal was an excellent free kick from Mathys Tel and Spurs’ hosts have been kept at bay mostly.

The passing has been neat too, with Spurs finishing the half on 69 per cent possession.

I’ve spotted Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall cycling around Sydney harbour together in recent days, and they have looked pretty tidy together at the base of midfield tonight.

Although Bergvall could depart, De Zerbi’s decision to stick with Gray as captain looks a smart one thus far.

And again from Macallister, who has come to life here. He races onto the lengthy through ball down the left, beats both Dubravka and the defender to it and prods the ball towards the empty net.

Sadly, it’s just wide and Ben Davies is on hand to watch the loose ball out of play.

A couple of chances for Sydney to respond here.

Oh my goodness. Mathias Macallister receives the ball on the halfway line, spots Dubravka off his line and goes for the ridiculous.

And I can tell you, I thought that was going in.

In the end, it just drifts past the right post — but what a moment and what an effort. Love that.

Conor Gallagher could have had a hat-trick already! He wipes his face with his hand, disappointed with his third miss of the match.

The first was a miscue from a very promising position with lots of space, blocked, the second that horribly ballooned effort with the goal gaping after Gus Hoefsloot’s slip.

That time, he got the right contact and shape on the ball, but it struck the base of the post.

He’s getting closer!

Woah! Conor Gallagher now strikes the outside of the post with a side-footed effort. So at least he’s getting closer, after fluffing his contact with a similar chance earlier.

Youlley then gets another look at goal from range but balloons his shot, before we do finally see the yellow card as Alexandar Popovic flies through Richarlison.

I’m sure Gus Hoefsloot is enjoying the experience but now he’s just slipped as he takes a routine clearance, sends the ball straight to Conor Gallagher — and the midfielder can’t take advantage under pressure as his shot flies over and behind the goal.

Meanwhile, I hope you’re enjoying the lack of hydration breaks!

What a wonderful goal that is. Mathys Tel takes the free kick from about 22 yards and central — and he hits it with bend and dip to fly into the top corner past Hoefsloot who was left diving for thin air.

Tel puffed out his cheeks at the sight too. I think he liked that! Stunner.

Well, after Tottenham’s early domination, Sydney FC have settled into this now and it’s all got a big bogged down in midfield.

Takahiro Sekine then tries to catch a piggy-back ride off Manor Solomon without his permission and that concedes the silliest free kick I’ve seen in a while.

Tel to take from a promising position outside the box.

Lovely effort from the busy Youlley, which forces Dubravka into a smart stop down low to his right.

It all came from Archie Gray being too slow on the ball in front of his back four and getting robbed of the ball.

Gray had been doing OK to that point, but you do need to be sharper than that, even in a friendly.

Sydney midfielder Rhys Youlley is enjoying throwing his legs around here. He catches Archie Gray’s ankles and then fouls Conor Gallagher as Spurs build again.

The free-kick delivery is poor but another chance arrives shortly after as the low cross from the right finds Gallagher on his own, 12 yards out.

And he completely fluffs the effort, which is blocked.

That should be 1-0. Or maybe we’re already at 2-0 in the ‘should be’ scoreline. Either way, it remains goalless.

Some have achieved greater heights at the club and elsewhere, but very few, if any, are more “Tottenham” than Ledley King.

Outside their part of north London, King is perhaps not spoken about as much as he should be, but around White Hart Lane, the street in the district that gave the club’s former stadium its name, he is as revered as anyone.

The 25-foot-high mural of him on nearby Tottenham High Road is a celebration of one of the finest players Spurs ever produced; a one-club man who played through the pain as a chronic knee issue that plagued his career, and eventually forced him into an early retirement in 2012, aged 31.

His name demands respect among the neighbours, too, with Arsenal icon Thierry Henry describing King as one of the best central defenders he ever faced, praising his ability to win the ball without committing a foul.

After a brief period as an assistant coach on Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham staff in 2020-21, the now-45-year-old is active in his role as a club ambassador.

King has travelled with the squad to Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney, Australia, for their ongoing pre-season tour, and helped deliver a community football session in the latter, in partnership with social enterprise Creating Chances’ Football United programme. The initiative uses football to strengthen social cohesion, belonging and leadership among young people from culturally diverse communities.

Listening to him reflect on his career in a question-and-answer session with the children involved at the end of the session, it was evident that the love Tottenham fans shower King with to this day is reciprocated.

Speaking to local fans a few days earlier in Auckland, King admitted that he had spoken to other former Spurs players about what, if anything, they could do to help the club navigate the unthinkable and unprecedented prospect of a first relegation since the 1970s last season.

As it transpired, Roberto De Zerbi, Spurs’ fourth head coach in less than a year, kept them up via a 1-0 home win against Everton on the final day of the Premier League campaign, and King was pleasantly surprised by how straightforward survival was in the end, given the circumstances.

“Before the game, I was really nervous,” King tells The Athletic. “But actually, when we kicked off, and the game was in flow, I felt pretty comfortable. I felt like we handled the occasion pretty well. We kept Everton away from our goal and limited their chances. I think we were as comfortable as you can be in that situation.”

“It was a tough season, of course. For me, it showed how much a lot of the ex-players still cared about the club, because when things were not going well, so many people reached out to see if there was anything they could do, in any way, to try to support.

“It’s tough when you’re at every home game, and your home form is not good, and you’re searching for results. Everyone feels it at the club. It was a tough, tough season, but we got through it in the end, and things are looking a lot more positive now.”

Backed by the Lewis family, the majority owners who have ramped up their commitment to investing in transfers after sacking long-serving executive chairman Daniel Levy last September, Spurs have been one of the Premier League’s most active sides in the summer transfer window.

They twice broke their transfer record in early July, first signing West Ham’s Matheus Fernandes for £85million, followed by fellow midfielder Sandro Tonali (up to £100m) from Newcastle days later. Centre-backs Marcos Senesi (Bournemouth) and Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton) have signed to bolster De Zerbi’s options in defence, as has Liverpool stalwart Andy Robertson, a player who was recruited as much for his experience and standards as for his quality from left-back.

Ahead of Spurs’ 2-0 win over Auckland FC at the city’s Eden Park on Sunday in the opening match of the tour, De Zerbi said he believed the club needed more players in Robertson’s mould because, as the Italian put it: “We need to increase experience, we have to improve in mentality, we have to be stronger.”

The 97-time Scotland international and long-time captain had nine trophy-laden years at Liverpool, including winning the Premier League twice and a Champions League, before leaving this summer at the end of his contract, and King can spot some similarities with the impact Edgar Davids had when he joined Tottenham from Inter of Italy in summer 2005, also as a 32-year-old free agent.

“Edgar, in terms of what he’d won, definitely had an impact on us as a young group at the time,” King says of the Netherlands international, who won a Champions League with Ajax in the Netherlands and three Serie A titles with Juventus and also played for Milan and Barcelona before coming to England. “Andy, I’m sure, can have that on the group. You know what it takes to win, setting the standards, and Edgar definitely did that, so I can see that similarity.

“Edgar had been at (big) clubs and won trophies. Immediately when he came into the building, the first question that he asked me when we sat down at lunch was, ‘Can we win things?’ That was his mentality straight away. I think he helped a young group of players become better players by his standards on the training pitch and after training. He spent a lot of time with young players.”

Davids did not increase his silverware collection during the two years he spent with Tottenham (though many of the young players he helped nurture were part of Spurs’ League Cup-winning side of 2008), but Robertson will no doubt be keen to add more medals to his cabinet.

Few would have predicted the club would have to wait 17 years before they next tasted glory after King lifted that League Cup as captain in 2008. But with De Zerbi now at the helm, and a squad who finally reached the summit again with the Europa League triumph under Ange Postecoglou in May 2025, King believes they are not as far away from challenging for trophies again as back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League over the past two seasons might suggest.

“I think it was important to get one over the line,” King adds. “To have that feeling. We did it in 2008, and got to the (League Cup) final again the next season and lost on penalties. This group of players, the majority of them have done that, so I think that puts them in good stead going into any tournament. It’s an exciting prospect.

“Of course, there’s a lot of hard work to be done. There are a lot of good teams in the league thinking along the same lines. We believe we have a really talented group of players, and when they perform to their level, we can be right up there.”

Within the Tottenham fanbase, green shoots of belief that the club could be on to something special are beginning to sprout.

Several of the usual suspects at the top of the league table are entering transition phases with new managers, and while De Zerbi falls in that bracket having only been appointed in late March, he will benefit from the time spent on the training ground during those weeks at the end of last season and the strong bond he formed with many of the players as they dodged relegation.

“We made our change last season,” says King. “There are a few teams that made their change and are starting from fresh now. For Spurs, it’s just about starting the season as well as possible, trying to get some momentum off the back of last season, and then taking each game and month as it comes and seeing where you land.”

Reinforcements in attack, with De Zerbi publicising his desire for two or more “first-level” forward players to make a difference in the final third, will be essential if Spurs are to embark on a special season, but the squad looks stacked with difference-makers in defence.

Pedro Porro was a key player as Spain won the World Cup, while Senesi and Cristian Romero (albeit the latter is expected to leave the club in this transfer window) are scheduled back at Hotspur Way not long before the start of the season after reaching that July 12 final with Argentina. However, arguably none of them raised as many eyebrows in their home nation during the tournament as full-back Djed Spence, who was England’s breakout star of the World Cup as they finished third.

His standout moment, a tackle on Giuliano Simeone of Argentina in the semi-final, drew comparisons to one King made on Chelsea forward Arjen Robben in 2006. In King’s view, it was a challenge that typified Spence’s athletic quality and desire to dig in and defend.

“I thought Djed was really good,” King says. “He surprised some people away from Tottenham, probably. It didn’t surprise me, as I’ve seen him throughout the season, so I knew what he brings to the table. I thought he grew into the tournament and gained confidence, and the tackle was a great one. As defenders, you’re always taught to run back as hard as you can, and I think when you’re a defender of Djed’s speed, you always believe that there’s a chance to get back.

“I think that’s why he was picked for the squad. Especially his one-on-one ability. He can play on both sides; players like that are always important to the squad.”

Near-mastery of the art of defending is what endeared King to the Spurs faithful, and it’s what he enjoys looking out for now in young prospects.

Tottenham are blessed with an outstanding crop of academy-level youngsters who play at centre-back, with Malachi Hardy, 18, and Jun’ai Byfield, 17, considered two of the best in the nation among their age group.

And while King is understandably hesitant to put any undue pressure on their teenage shoulders, he can’t help but get excited by a future heir to his crown — perhaps even one worthy of his unofficially retired No 26 shirt.

“I love seeing it,” he says. “I take a big interest in young defenders at the football club. But at the same time, I realise how difficult it is. I don’t like to put any pressure on young players. We’ve always had great talent coming through, but a lot of it is up to them and their dedication and discipline. And of course, you need a good manager who has belief in you.

“So it’s up to them to put in the hard work now, and we’ll hopefully see them in the future.”

Roberto De Zerbi set out his criteria for a Tottenham Hotspur player early in his tenure. Passion, determination and dedication to the club and his cause are non-negotiables. Age, however, is not a factor.

“I’m used to working with young players,” De Zerbi said in his press conference before Tottenham’s 2-0 win against Auckland FC on Sunday. “I gave in my career big time and space for young players, but they have to show me they are able to play and they are good players.

“I never start from the age of the players. From the qualities? Yes. From the attitude and behaviours? Yes. But not for the age.”

The Italian named a remarkably young starting line-up in front of a New Zealand record men’s football crowd of 40,112 here at Eden Park, allowing his senior players time to acclimatise after a long trip. Archie Gray captained a team with an average age of just 20.

Academy graduate goalkeeper Brandon Austin, who has only made three senior competitive appearances for the club, was the oldest of De Zerbi’s starters at 27 — four years older than Antonin Kinsky, who is expected to be the Italian’s No 1 for the upcoming season. Ahead of him was a selection of Tottenham’s most exciting academy talents, as well as Gray, 21-year-old Kota Takai, and Manor Solomon, the oldest of the outfielders, who turned 27 this week after spending last term on loan at Villarreal and Fiorentina.

While Tottenham have targeted prime-age players this summer as they aim to put the nightmare of last season behind them, it would be unwise to lose sight of the future. De Zerbi’s 35-man travelling squad, propped up by youngsters, offers an early look at who could make an impact.

Though many of the starting line-up are his peers, Gray stood out on the team sheet and on the pitch. He made 35 appearances across all competitions last term but was an unfortunate casualty of De Zerbi’s need to strengthen the midfield with experience and seniority, eventually losing the spot he earned under Igor Tudor to Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha after starting the Italian’s debut 1-0 defeat at Sunderland in April.

Gray now appears to be De Zerbi’s fourth-choice central midfielder after the record-breaking signings of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali. Still, De Zerbi backed Gray to be a future captain of the club in May, and his performance at the base of midfield against Auckland — helping set up Dane Scarlett’s opener with an outstanding pass to Solomon — should serve as a reminder that he is not just a long-term talent, but also a player who can make a big impression this season.

Gray may yet get his chance as soon as the opening game of the season, given Pedro Porro and Djed Spence are not due back at Hotspur Way until around a week before the start of the Premier League after their World Cup campaigns. De Zerbi may rely on Gray at right-back in the opening game against Brentford on August 22. While there is a development plan to help Gray specialise in midfield, his versatility remains among his most important attributes.

“It’s lucky when you have a player who can play in different positions,” De Zerbi said in his post-match press conference. “OK, it’s important for Gray to fix one favourite position, but he has to be open to covering different positions on the pitch. He can play as a right-back, a left-back, a midfielder. Nothing changes.

“He’s a smart player. He is improving his knowledge on the pitch because changing positions means you change your body shape and direction when you receive the ball and give the ball. But he is an important player, even if he can play in different positions.”

De Zerbi stuck with the young core for an hour before more experienced players came on in the second half, with Richarlison scoring Tottenham’s second in the 70th minute. Among the most impressive were 17-year-old Luca Williams-Barnett, whom De Zerbi described as a “big talent”, and 18-year-old Mikey Moore, who spent last term on loan at Rangers and has been linked with another loan move away this summer, with suitors including Borussia Dortmund.

Whether Moore will get his opportunity to make an impression in north London largely depends on the club’s summer business, with Tottenham targeting reinforcements in wide areas. Should Spurs land a couple of key attacking signings, another season-long loan could be best. Moore told reporters after the game that he “still (has) so much more to improve” after impressing in Scotland.

De Zerbi is wise to the importance of the academy in the modern game, reflecting its players’ values as assets for “financial fair play” and in keeping with “the rules of Champions League and Europa League”. “We have to help them to produce more players because we need it,” he added. “It’s important for the club.”

As much as the focus should be on ensuring Tottenham return quickly to competing at the top of the Premier League, the club has spent several years prioritising youth in the market, and it would be nonsensical to throw that away.