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Tottenham have left Dejan Kulusevski and Mohammed Kudus out of their pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia, with both players still working their way back from long-term injuries. Kulusevski has not played for the club since the 2024-25 season, while Kudus has been sidelined since January.

Injury problems keep troubling Tottenham’s key pair

Tottenham supporters have received disappointing news as the club gets ready for its trip to the southern hemisphere, with Kulusevski and Kudus both excluded from the travelling squad. Roberto De Zerbi’s side are scheduled to play three matches across Auckland and Sydney, following their recent 1-0 win over MK Dons.

The situation around Kudus is especially frustrating, because there had been hope that he was nearing a return after not featuring for Tottenham since badly injuring his quad against Sunderland in January. The former West Ham man had recently been seen back in the gym at the Spurs training base, but the decision has been taken to keep him in London so he can continue his recovery rather than be exposed to the demands of a long transcontinental tour.

Kulusevski still a long way from coming back

The outlook is even less encouraging for Kulusevski, who is still not present at Tottenham’s Enfield facility at all, increasing concern about the condition of his knee. The Swedish winger has now gone 14 months without playing a competitive match, after undergoing patella surgery that followed an injury suffered just before Spurs lifted the Europa League in May 2025.

That 14-month spell on the sidelines is a significant worry for the coaching staff, especially as the winger was once viewed as a key part of Tottenham’s attack. Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons are also staying in London to continue their rehabilitation from their own injuries.

New signings ready for first tour outing

Although injuries are dominating the headlines, there is also plenty of excitement around the new arrivals who have been named in De Zerbi’s 35-man squad. The standout names from the summer window include the high-profile £185 million pair Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes.

Andy Robertson, Jan Paul van Hecke and Martin Dubravka will also make their first trip with Spurs, while Marcos Senesi has been given extra time off after reaching the World Cup final with Argentina. Guglielmo Vicario, who has been linked with a move to Napoli, also misses out after suffering a minor knock in training recently.

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De Zerbi’s rebuild goes on

Tottenham narrowly avoided relegation last season, surviving a tense battle at the bottom before finishing 17th in the Premier League for the second straight campaign. That run of results eventually set the stage for the ambitious rebuild now taking shape under De Zerbi. Since then, the club have been among the busiest in the Premier League transfer market, moving quickly to strengthen across the pitch as they aim to close the gap on the division’s leading sides, having already committed £237 million to new signings this summer.

Even with that spending, De Zerbi has made it clear that the rebuilding job is still not complete. “I feel very good because we are working well. I think we are building a very good team, with some very important new players, and we are starting the project in another part of the history of the club,” the Italian said, speaking to SpursPlay. “Now we have to finish, as it is not finished yet, our transfer market, in and out, but at the moment I am very happy, very proud and very positive.”