SerpApi.Org
The futures of three Tottenham Hotspur stars may well have been decided by their absence from a 35-man squad that is heading to New Zealand for a pre-season tour on Thursday.
Having recorded a 1-0 win over MK Dons in the club’s opening pre-season friendly on Wednesday, courtesy of a stunning debut strike from £85million signing Mateus Fernandes, the club have now confirmed the squad that will travel to Down Under.
Tottenham have actually been back in pre-season training for almost a fortnight, although some of the players who were at the World Cup have only linked up over the last few days.
Indeed, new signings Andy Robertson and Jan Paul van Hecke have now taken to the field, alongside the likes of Micky van de Ven and Lucas Bergvall, and will be on the plane.
However, the four Spurs players who were in the World Cup semi-finals – Pedro Porro, Marcos Senesi, Djed Spence and Cristian Romero – are not part of the trip to New Zealand, although the latter is fully expected to move on this summer.
The club have also confirmed that Mohamed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert will remain at Hotspur Way to continue their rehabilitation ahead of the new campaign, although it’s hoped that Kudus and Kulusevski will be good to go once the new campaign gets underway.
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Exit-linked trio left out of New Zealand squad
Interestingly, Spurs revealed that midfielders Pape Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur have been granted ‘extended leave’ after their World Cup participations.
Sarr featured for a Senegal side that crashed out of the tournament at the last-32 stage, the same as Van Hecke and Van de Ven with the Netherlands and Bergvall with Sweden, while Bentancur was in a Uruguay team that didn’t get beyond the group stage, the same as Robertson with Scotland.
That begs the question as to why they have been omitted from the trip, although the writing was almost certainly on the wall as soon as Tonali and Fernandes walked through the door.
Sarr has been heavily linked with an exit since the summer window opened, while De Zerbi was impressed by Bentancur during the Italian’s relegation-saving stint in charge last season. However, concerns have been raised over his lack of mobility and whether he can actually return to being the same player who was so impressive prior to suffering an ACL injury in February 2023.
The fact that both players are now heading Down Under suggests there is every chance that transfers could be imminent, while goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has also remained at Hotspur Way.
Spurs have officially said that the Italy international suffered a ‘minor knock’ in training, although it’s no secret that Vicario wants out amid talk of a return to Serie A.
Indeed, we revealed recently that Juventus and Napoli are currently going head-to-head for the stopper, who lost the No.1 spot to Antonin Kinsky after having hernia surgery towards the end of last season.
The arrival of Dubravka also made it pretty clear as to De Zerbi’s thoughts on Vicario’s future in north London, especially with Kinsky now in the hotseat as the Italian’s first choice.
Meanwhile, it’s also being reported that Manchester United are considering moving for another Tottenham star, who is also being shown the exit door.
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