Tottenham’s New Era: Van Hecke and Robertson Await Debuts
Tottenham’s new era is already in motion, but two of the club’s headline arrivals are still waiting to take a single step on the pitch.
Jan Paul van Hecke and Andy Robertson watched from the sidelines again as Spurs eased past A-League champions Auckland FC 2-0 in the early hours of Sunday morning, their wait for a debut stretching into another week of pre-season.
Robertson, the former Liverpool left-back and Scotland captain, arrived on a free transfer before Scotland’s World Cup campaign began, a shrewd piece of business to add experience and steel on the flank. Van Hecke’s move from Brighton was confirmed during the tournament, a deal that underlined Tottenham’s intent to reinforce their defence with a ball-playing centre-back entering his prime.
Those moves came as part of a lavish summer overhaul. Tottenham have spent over £200m, reshaping the core of the side and, in particular, flooding the midfield with fresh talent such as Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali. It is a squad being rebuilt at speed and at significant cost.
Yet Roberto De Zerbi is in no rush to show all his cards.
The Italian has taken a cautious approach on this long-haul tour, resisting the temptation to hand extended minutes to his senior players after a gruelling 30-hour journey to the other side of the world. Against Auckland FC, that caution held. Spurs controlled the game, did enough to win it, but did so without exposing key signings to unnecessary risk.
The logic is clear: fitness now, fireworks later. The downside is obvious too. Van Hecke and Robertson have now watched two pre-season friendlies from the touchline, boots on but unused, as the rest of the squad begins to find rhythm and relationships on the pitch.
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, sharper group. By then, the expectation inside the camp will be that his major signings are fit, available and ready to be folded into the structure he is building.
If that chance slips by, attention turns immediately to an even more charged occasion: Chelsea on Saturday, August 1, again with a 10.45am kick-off for UK viewers. A London rival, a global audience, a squad under reconstruction. It would be quite a stage for two long-awaited first appearances.
