Five things we learned from Tottenham’s pre-season tour squad announcement

Three games have been scheduled for this trip, with the first coming against Auckland FC on 26 July, followed by a clash against Sydney FC on 29 July, and finally Chelsea on 1 August.

Ahead of their tour, Roberto De Zerbi has now confirmed his 2026 pre-season squad, with as many as 35 players included.

However, there were still a couple of omissions and a few surprises in his selection, and now we have highlighted five things we learned from it.

Tottenham take 15 academy players and graduates on tour

It is not entirely surprising to see youngsters included in the pre-season squads of teams, and for Tottenham Hotspur it is no different.

However, a big chunk of this squad is made up of academy stars, with 15 included, while the senior players number 20.

Several of the youngsters who featured against MK Dons were also part of this squad, with the likes of Luca Williams-Barnett, Mikey Moore, Tye Hall, Malachi Hardy and Harry Byrne named in the 35-man squad.

This will surely be a good opportunity for many of them to impress the gaffer and possibly stake a claim for first-team involvement or earn a loan move this summer.

Tottenham omission shows Mohammed Kudus is still not ready

Among those omitted from the squad is Mohammed Kudus. The Ghana international is still nursing his injury following surgery after missing out on the World Cup.

Tottenham stated that Kudus and the other injured stars, Dejan Kulusevski, Simons and Wilson Odobert, have been left behind at Hotspur Way to continue their rehabilitation.

It makes sense that the club are not rushing things with the wide forward, as doing so could cause the injury to worsen.

His omission also hints at where he is in his recovery and suggests that he is still not fit enough to return to the pitch.

Perhaps it is a lesson learned after James Maddison suffered an ACL injury during pre-season last term, with Spurs keen to avoid a repeat of that situation.

Guglielmo Vicario absence raises fresh transfer questions

One other player left out of the 35-man squad was Guglielmo Vicario, with Spurs stating that he sustained a ‘minor knock’ in training and will undergo treatment at the club’s Training Centre.

Surely, if it is only a minor knock, he could have made the trip to New Zealand and Australia and continued his recovery there.

However, with Vicario the subject of significant transfer speculation, his omission does suggest that perhaps a move could be on the cards in the coming weeks.

Vicario has not been short of options, with Juventus and Napoli both keen on the Spurs goalkeeper. The Italian also did not make the bench against MK Dons.

Extended leave for Bentancur and Sarr catches the eye at Spurs

Another thing that certainly caught the eye was Tottenham’s explanation for Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr‘s omission from the squad.

The north London club stated in their announcement that Bentancur and Sarr had been granted ‘extended leave’ following their appearances at the World Cup.

It is worth noting that Bentancur was eliminated relatively early during the group stage of the tournament, while Sarr was knocked out in the round of 32.

Other Spurs players who exited the competition at a similar stage have since returned to training and were also included in the pre-season squad.

We know Sarr has been attracting interest from Brentford, and the extended leave could allow him to find a new club. Perhaps the same could also apply to Bentancur.

James Maddison and Destiny Udogie inclusion eases Tottenham injury fears

A big sigh of relief for Tottenham will be the inclusion of both James Maddison and Destiny Udogie in the pre-season squad.

The pair were among the absentees against MK Dons and, given their lack of involvement at the World Cup, their absence would surely have left fans worried.

Given their recent injury records, supporters would naturally have feared they had picked up another knock.

However, their inclusion in the 35-man squad has done much to ease those concerns. Maddison is reported to be the next captain and, if those reports are true, it will be even more important for him to play a full part in pre-season as he continues to regain his sharpness after missing most of last season.