Tottenham Hotspur’s trip Down Under ended with a dramatic, last-gasp Richarlison goal in a 2-1 win over Chelsea, their chief bogey side, to mark a fitting moment for a club intent on a fresh start.
After a 30-hour trip from London to Auckland, the players and coaches landed in New Zealand in the early hours of last Saturday morning, and started their first day with a cultural welcome from a local Maori tribe.
Ngati Whatua Orakei, the Auckland-based tangata whenua (people of the land), performed a powhiri, a traditional Maori welcoming ceremony, for Tottenham’s 35-man travelling playing squad, as well as senior members of staff. An elder statesman of the group explained the tradition, and how honouring and remembering their ancestors is a central part of the Maori belief system. He also joked that he hoped Auckland would “give (Tottenham) a good hiding” and remarked on the British sense of humour, prompting one or two confused looks from members of the squad, who appeared taken aback by his informality, perhaps expecting a more serious speech.
Club chief executive Vinai Venkatesham thanked the Ngati Whatua Orakei for their welcome before he, along with several senior members of staff and the playing squad, including Roberto De Zerbi, were invited to touch noses and foreheads with the tribe, a traditional Maori greeting, another symbolic gesture of unity.
Micky van de Ven during the traditional Maori welcome ceremony (Phil Walter/Getty Images)
The relaxed atmosphere at Tottenham’s Auckland waterfront hotel — which was also hosting A-list Hollywood actors Jack Black and Kirsten Dunst, who are on location in New Zealand shooting the Minecraft 2 film — set the vibe for a tour that the club will reflect on positively.
One player who made an impression in Auckland was Archie Gray, who captained the team in all three games on tour. De Zerbi and the performance staff approached the pre-season tour with sensible caution, ensuring the squad were not rushed into any unnecessarily heavy physical exertion a month before the start of the Premier League season — but Gray’s impressive condition was such that he played 62 minutes and captained a young side, days after the long-haul travel and starting in the 1-0 behind-closed-doors friendly win over MK Dons.
The 20-year-old started that game as a single deep-lying midfielder and looked a cut above in the first half, before captaining the side again a few days later in the 1-1 draw with Sydney as part of a midfield pivot with Lucas Bergvall.
But there were signs that midfield may not be the position he starts the season in. Pedro Porro is not due back until around a week before Tottenham’s first game of the season against Brentford, and while he is recognised as a physical outlier by club performance staff, he may not be ready to start the opener after celebrating his World Cup win with Spain.
In their final game of the tour, the 2-1 win over Chelsea, Gray started next to Jan Paul van Hecke at right-back, and close to Bergvall, who was the right-sided central midfielder in a pairing with Sandro Tonali. De Zerbi teased that system in front of a small crowd at the Allianz Stadium during an open session the night before.
Kinsky; Gray, Van Hecke, Davies, Robertson; Bergvall, Tonali; Solomon, Gallagher, Tel; Solanke
Swap Davies for Van de Ven, Bergvall for Fernandes and Solomon for Kudus (fitness permitting), and I think this could look something like the team we see at Brentford (“bombas” aside) pic.twitter.com/P50p9xyIqi
— Elias Burke (@EliasBurke) July 31, 2026
In that session, Bergvall was the standout. It can be difficult to read too much into training session performances, particularly weeks from the start of the season, but the Sweden international was inventive in possession, adding dynamism while Tonali sat back behind him. On the tour, De Zerbi said he had spent more time with Bergvall and recognised his best position as part of a midfield ‘pivot’ after “needing time to understand the characteristics”.
Before the tour started, Bergvall was the most eye-catching inclusion. The 20-year-old told the club that he would like to seek a new challenge away from Spurs in June, and has attracted serious interest from Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United.
De Zerbi was frequently asked about Bergvall’s future and insisted that he would like him to stay, but could not offer assurances about starting minutes in his preferred central midfield position. Despite the uncertainty, Bergvall remained professional on tour and was frequently spotted in Sydney with Gray, enjoying the sights on foot and by bike.
The adverse weather in Auckland limited the group’s freedom to explore, but there were no such constraints in Sydney’s winter sun. After spending last summer in the heat of Hong Kong and South Korea, where the Tottenham supporter base is large and fervent, opting for Australia and New Zealand offered a welcome change of pace. Players and staff explored Sydney Harbour and Bondi Beach before afternoon training sessions, and De Zerbi went for a walk in the Botanical Gardens, overlooking the Opera House, dressed in a Tottenham tracksuit on Friday afternoon.
The harmonious environment has been driven by the Italian, who was described by a dressing-room source, who prefers to remain anonymous to protect relationships, as “special”. Aside from his qualities as a coach, staff and players are privately raving about his ability to build strong personal connections in such a short time. The club is excited about a future with him.
Roberto De Zerbi is trying to build strong connections within the Spurs dressing room (Phil Walter/Getty Images)
Some bonds need less work, including Van de Ven and Van Hecke, who were already very close, having come through the Netherlands youth system together, and often accompanied each other for coffee around Sydney. They were often joined by James Maddison, who is recovering from an injury and was not risked during pre-season due to “a small problem”.
Spurs have seemed particularly cautious with players either recovering from injuries or without much pre-season training behind them. Like Maddison, Van de Ven wasn’t involved in any of Tottenham’s three matches, with De Zerbi explaining that the defender “feels fatigue, but nothing important”. He could be seen pitchside on an exercise bike while the rest of the group were training for the Chelsea game on Friday.
Antonin Kinsky and Martin Dubravka, who are anticipated to be Tottenham’s first- and second-choice goalkeepers when Guglielmo Vicario completes his expected departure, have developed a strong relationship in a short time, thanks to time spent together on and off the pitch bonding over their Slavic cultural ties.
De Zerbi views this tour as an opportunity to rebuild Tottenham’s style of play, after focusing on a mental revolution across his seven-game survival stint last term. While Kinsky is naturally inclined to play through pressure, a drill exhibited in open training where the goalkeeper receives the ball in his six-yard box under pressure, with passing options either side of him, is an example of the extreme risks Spurs may look to take on next season in possession.
One relationship De Zerbi is paying particular attention to is Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, who joined Spurs for record fees this summer. In a sit-down with reporters, including The Athletic, Tonali said De Zerbi wants their relationship to be “100 per cent, especially on the pitch, because off the pitch, our relationship is already top”. The duo have wowed club staff with their humble attitude, free of the stereotypical ego or baggage that often comes with big transfer fees.
But while Spurs have spent more than £230m on three signings to complement Dubravka, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi, who joined as free agents, De Zerbi made it apparent that there is still plenty of business to be done.
Prepare yourselves for plenty of heart-in-mouth, high risk/high reward, build-up play around Kinsky’s six-yard box next season… pic.twitter.com/eVB59aztA2
— Elias Burke (@EliasBurke) July 25, 2026
In an interview with a group of reporters, including The Athletic, on Thursday, De Zerbi revealed that Spurs are working on “another bomba” attacking signing, separate from their longstanding pursuit of Manchester City winger Savinho. When asked whether it was close, he responded: “I hope, but it’s not finished, for sure”.
After perhaps overstating the imminence of the deal, De Zerbi spoke to reporters the following day and suggested there may have been a misunderstanding, saying, “bomba in Italian is different from bomba in English”.
“I think Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Senesi, Robertson are bomba,” he responded, when asked to clarify the difference. “For me, top player for us.”
But while attention is understandably on outside additions, a few homegrown talents made an impression on tour. Mikey Moore joined the group after spending last season on loan at Rangers, and could depart again for the season, with Borussia Dortmund among his suitors. Highly rated England youth international centre-back Malachi Hardy played 79 minutes against Auckland and 78 against Sydney, and De Zerbi namechecked him as one “for the future of the club”.
Another who falls into that bracket is Luca Williams-Barnett, who is considered one of the most exciting academy graduates in years. After being selected to take the first penalty in the shootout against Sydney, the 17-year-old confidently chipped the ball down the middle and grinned at his team-mates as he strolled back.
After the game, De Zerbi described him as a “precious diamond”, with the potential to be a “special player”. As the coach sets out to rebuild the club, perhaps that chipped penalty tells us something about this new era at Tottenham. In celebrating the players who are not afraid to take risks, and taking time to nurture the rough diamonds at the club, the tour is the first step in De Zerbi stamping his footprint on a club that had lost its way in recent years.
