Tottenham's New Signings Await Debut After Pre-Season Wins
Tottenham’s new era is already airborne, halfway around the world, but two of the club’s headline summer arrivals are still waiting to step on board.
Jan Paul van Hecke and Andy Robertson again watched from the sidelines as Spurs eased to a 2-0 win over A-League champions Auckland FC in the early hours of Sunday morning, their debuts delayed for a second straight pre-season outing.
Robertson, the former Liverpool stalwart and Scotland captain, arrived on a free before his country’s World Cup campaign. Van Hecke followed from Brighton during the tournament, a deal that underlined Tottenham’s determination to reshape the spine of the team. Both signings were billed as key pieces in a squad overhaul. Both remain unused.
They are part of a lavish summer in north London. Tottenham have pushed past the £200m mark in spending, reinforcing heavily in midfield with the arrivals of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali among others, as the club backs Roberto De Zerbi to retool a side expected to challenge on multiple fronts.
De Zerbi, though, is refusing to rush. The Italian has kept his senior players on a tight leash so far on this tour, wary of the physical toll of a 30-hour journey and a demanding schedule. Against Auckland FC he again resisted the temptation to throw his big names into the fray for extended minutes, prioritising caution over spectacle.
The strategy is clear: avoid soft-tissue injuries now, reap the benefit when the real games start. It does, however, leave Van Hecke and Robertson pacing the touchline, boots on but unused, as Spurs’ pre-season rhythm starts to build without them.
Upcoming Fixtures
Their next window opens on Wednesday. Tottenham face Sydney FC at 10.45am BST on July 29, a fixture De Zerbi will hope to attack with a fuller deck, assuming his travelling squad comes through training unscathed and the new arrivals hit the required fitness levels.
If that chance slips by, attention turns to an even more charged occasion. Chelsea await on Saturday, August 1, another 10.45am kick-off for UK viewers and the kind of opponent that tests both systems and personalities.
For Van Hecke and Robertson, it would be quite a stage to finally pull on Spurs colours for the first time.
