Tottenham's Pre-Season Wrap-Up: Maddison and Fernandes Return
Tottenham closed out their pre-season schedule on Sunday with a behind-closed-doors run-out against Hoffenheim at Hotspur Way, but the final dress rehearsal came with a familiar caveat: key names still missing, and questions still hanging over their readiness for Brentford next weekend.
Twenty-four hours earlier, Spurs had swept aside the same Bundesliga side 3-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a game lit up by youngster Mikey Moore. This time, the spotlight shifted. Roberto De Zerbi used the second meeting to roll out a very different XI, one designed less for spectacle and more for answers.
Maddison finally back on the pitch
The headline was clear the moment the teams were confirmed: James Maddison starts.
The playmaker, who missed the bulk of last season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, had been held back in recent weeks by an unspecified issue after his initial recovery. On Sunday, De Zerbi put him straight into the starting side for his first minutes of the summer.
No fanfare, no build-up. Just his name on the team sheet and a quiet but significant step towards the new campaign.
Big-money Fernandes returns
Alongside him, another important sight: Mateus Fernandes in from the off.
Tottenham’s £85million signing from West Ham has had a stuttering start to life in north London. A minor calf problem cut short his involvement on the pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia, limiting his integration into De Zerbi’s plans.
Here, though, he was back in the thick of it. For a club that has invested heavily in its midfield, getting Fernandes moving before the Premier League kicks off is non-negotiable.
Engine room reinforced, defence patched together
The spine of the team looked stronger on paper than it has at any point this summer. Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr both returned to the side in Enfield, bolstering a midfield that will carry much of the tactical load under De Zerbi.
On the left, Brazilian full-back Souza started again. Signed in January and already the subject of speculation about a potential move away, he remains a curious subplot to this squad – in the team, in the rumours, and still trying to nail down a clear role.
At centre-back, Kevin Danso was handed another chance to settle after his chaotic cameo in Sydney, where he was sent off shortly after coming on in the dramatic 2-1 win over Chelsea. Ben Davies, the dependable veteran, lined up alongside him, offering experience in an otherwise experimental set-up.
Brandon Austin took the gloves in goal, with De Zerbi again leaning on youth in the supporting cast. Luca Williams-Barnett, Tye Hall and Damola Ajayi all started, while the bench underlined the club’s faith in its academy with highly-rated 15-year-old goalkeeper Mikel Jack among the substitutes.
Big absences refuse to go away
For all the positives, the team sheet also told a more worrying story.
Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie were missing again. Neither defender has played a single minute of pre-season. For a side that leans heavily on its full-backs and relies on Van de Ven’s pace and aggression at the back, their continued absence is a major concern with the trip to Brentford just days away.
Up front, Dominic Solanke was also nowhere to be seen. The striker has not featured since getting 45 minutes against Chelsea on August 1, his second outing of the summer. With no action since, his sharpness for the Premier League opener is now a genuine doubt.
Mohammed Kudus, meanwhile, remains in the waiting room. The forward has re-joined training after recovering from a serious quad injury but is still not deemed ready to play. Dejan Kulusevski is in a similar holding pattern: back on the grass after a knee injury that has kept him out since May 2025, but his competitive return is expected to take longer.
On the opposite flank, Pedro Porro has not featured at all in pre-season. The right-back only reported back this week after an extended break following Spain’s World Cup triumph, leaving De Zerbi to juggle options and rhythm without one of his most attacking outlets.
Brentford on the horizon
So Tottenham finish pre-season with two wins over Hoffenheim in two days, a returning Maddison, a fit-again Fernandes and key midfielders back in the fold. Yet the back line remains patched up, the first-choice full-backs are still sidelined, and their attacking options are not fully up to speed.
The work at Hotspur Way is done for the summer. The real questions get answered at Brentford.
