The Tottenham trio working on De Zerbi's transfer 'bomba' and Archie Gray's unfortunate mistake

Tottenham Hotspur's pre-season tours can be fraught affairs, logistical beasts that require compromise between the football, commercial and promotional aspects of visits across the globe. The 2026 edition though felt different, as laid back as the Aussies and Kiwis that the club encountered on their travels. Much of it is down to Roberto De Zerbi as well as the new focus from the club's hierarchy on the football rather than simply the finances. Spurs took 110 employees on the tour to the other side of the world. That's roughly the same as previous tours but this time it included a big squad of 35 players, meaning club staff numbers were trimmed. Putting football first also included fewer sponsor and community events for the players to attend in Auckland and Sydney, giving them more recovery time between De Zerbi's tough pre-season sessions.