Tottenham's New Era: Van Hecke and Robertson Await Debuts

Tottenham’s new era is still waiting for two of its headline acts.

Jan Paul van Hecke and Andy Robertson again watched from the sidelines as Spurs eased past A-League champions Auckland FC 2-0 in the early hours of Sunday morning, their pre-season debuts delayed for a second successive game.

Robertson, the former Liverpool stalwart, arrived on a free before Scotland’s World Cup campaign began, a statement signing at right-back. Van Hecke followed from Brighton during the tournament, another piece in a summer rebuild that has already cost Tottenham over £200m, with Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali among the arrivals tasked with reshaping the midfield.

This tour, though, is being run on Roberto De Zerbi’s terms. After a 30-hour journey to the other side of the world, the head coach has refused to gamble with his senior players’ fitness. He kept his rotation tight again against Auckland, resisting the temptation to unleash his new recruits despite the relatively gentle rhythm of a 2-0 win.

The message is clear: fitness first, spectacle later.

For Van Hecke and Robertson, it meant another 90 minutes spent in tracksuits, watching, waiting, learning. Two games gone, no minutes yet in Spurs colours, no chance so far to feel the weight of the shirt or the tempo of De Zerbi’s system from inside the pitch.

Their next window opens on Wednesday.

Tottenham face Sydney FC at 10.45am BST on July 29, a date ringed for both players as the likely moment to step into this remodelled side. De Zerbi will hope by then to have every new signing available, integrated enough to cope with the demands he places on his defenders and full-backs.

If that chance slips away, attention turns to an even sharper stage: Chelsea on Saturday, August 1, again a 10.45am kick-off for UK viewers. A London rival, global spotlight, and the perfect backdrop for two long-awaited first steps into Tottenham’s new season.