Tottenham confirm notable omissions for pre-season tour
Tottenham have been forced into two significant omissions after confirming their squad for the club’s pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia, reports BritPanorama.
Roberto De Zerbi will take a 35-man travelling party to Auckland and Sydney following Wednesday’s 1-0 victory over MK Dons, but Dejan Kulusevski and Mohammed Kudus have both been left behind as they continue lengthy recoveries from injury.
The absence of the pair represents a setback for Spurs, who had hoped at least one of the attackers would be available to build fitness before the new Premier League campaign. There had been growing optimism surrounding Kudus after the Ghana international was recently seen stepping up his rehabilitation at Tottenham’s training ground.
The forward has not featured since suffering a serious quadriceps injury during a meeting with Sunderland in January, and a return during pre-season had been viewed as a realistic possibility. Instead, Spurs have decided against taking any risks, with Kudus remaining in north London to continue his recovery programme.
Kulusevski’s situation appears even more uncertain. The Sweden international has not played for Tottenham in 14 months after undergoing surgery on the patella in his right knee, having sustained the injury shortly before the club’s Europa League triumph in May 2025. Unlike Kudus, Kulusevski has yet to be seen taking part in outdoor training, adding to concerns over the length of his rehabilitation.
Tottenham are also without Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons, with both players remaining at the club’s Enfield training base as they continue recovering from cruciate ligament injuries. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is another notable absentee after picking up what Spurs described as a minor injury in training before the squad departed.
While several senior players are unavailable, De Zerbi will still have the opportunity to assess a number of high-profile arrivals during the tour. Big-money midfield pair Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes have both made the trip, with Fernandes travelling after scoring the winner against MK Dons in Tottenham’s latest friendly.
Summer recruits Andy Robertson, Jan Paul van Hecke and Martin Dubravka have also boarded the flight for their first overseas tour as Spurs players. Marcos Senesi, however, has been granted additional time off after representing Argentina at the World Cup, where he helped his country reach the final.
Robertson has already become the target of some dressing-room humour following his move from Liverpool. James Maddison shared a photograph of the Scotland captain looking less than impressed before the team’s long-haul journey, joking on Instagram: “He better liven up if he’s my company for this 26-hour flight.”
Tottenham’s pre-season schedule now moves to the southern hemisphere, where De Zerbi will continue preparations for his first full campaign in charge while hoping several of his injured stars edge closer to long-awaited returns. In sport, often, it’s the absentees who cast the longest shadows; how Spurs navigate this tour amidst such challenges may define the early tone of their season.
