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

Tottenham’s new era is already airborne, halfway around the world and £200m deep, but two of the club’s headline arrivals are still waiting to take off.

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 first pre-season tour minutes still on hold.

Robertson, the former Liverpool stalwart, arrived on a free before Scotland’s World Cup campaign began, a move that added proven Premier League pedigree to Tottenham’s right flank. Van Hecke followed from Brighton during the tournament, a deal that underlined the scale of the club’s summer rebuild.

They are part of a lavish outlay that has already topped £200m, with Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali drafted in to reshape a midfield that had grown stale. Tottenham are not tinkering. They are ripping up the old structure and starting again.

For now, though, Roberto De Zerbi is keeping his new toys in the box.

The Italian has refused to hand extended run-outs to his senior players so far on this tour, even as Spurs comfortably handled Auckland. The reasoning is simple: a 30-hour flight to the other side of the world is no time to gamble with key legs and fragile hamstrings.

That caution has a cost. Van Hecke and Robertson have now gone through two friendlies without a single competitive touch in Tottenham colours, reduced to observers as the squad around them begins to find rhythm.

Upcoming Fixtures

The next window opens on Wednesday.

• Spurs meet Sydney FC at 10.45am BST on July 29, a fixture De Zerbi will target for sharper minutes and stronger line-ups as pre-season moves into its serious phase.
• Chelsea await on Saturday, August 1, another 10.45am kick-off for UK viewers and a far more high-profile stage for any debut.

For Van Hecke and Robertson, it is the kind of fixture that can fast-track acceptance, set a tone, and show exactly why Tottenham went to such lengths to bring them in.

Two games gone, no minutes yet. The tour is young, but the clock has started on their Spurs story.