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Tottenham have confirmed that full-back Andy Robertson will wear number three during his time at the club.

This is common for left-backs but it is not the Scotland international's go-to number; at his past three clubs (Liverpool, Hull City and Dundee United), Robertson opted to wear number 26.

"When I came here, I knew that the number 26 hasn't been used since the legend that is Ledley King and I wanted to respect that. He was an unbelievable player and has done so many good things for this football club.

"Number three means a lot to me – that's my national team number. I've had so many good memories as number three for Scotland so when I knew it was going to become available, it was a no-brainer for me.

"The number 26 is a really important number to me in my life and it will always stay like that, but number three is just as important and hopefully I can make as many memories in the number three shirt as I did in the 26."

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Spurs confirm pre-season squad for New Zealand and Australia

Tottenham have confirmed a 35-man travelling squad for their pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia - with five injured senior players left behind.

Mohamed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert and Guglielmo Vicario will remain in England and continue their rehabilitation.

AS a result of their World Cup schedules, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Pedro Porro, Marcos Senesi, Cristian Romero and Djed Spence will miss the trip.

Out of the 10 Spurs players who featured in the World Cup, only Kevin Danso, Antonin Kinsky, Andy Robertson, Micky van de Ven and Lucas Bergvall will take part.

Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke, who joined Tottenham this summer, have all been named in the squad.

Spurs will play A-League champions Auckland FC at Eden Park on Sunday (04:00 BST kick-off).

Following that, they will then travel to Australia to take part in the Sydney Super Cup.

Tottenham's pre-season tour squad:

Damola Ajayi, Brandon Austin, Lucas Bergvall, Harry Byrne, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies, Jamie Donley, Martin Dubravka, Mateus Fernandes, Conor Gallagher, Archie Gray, Tye Hall, Tyrese Hall, Malachi Hardy, Antonin Kinsky, Rio Kyerematen, James Maddison, Mason Melia, Mikey Moore, Richarlison, Andy Robertson, Reiss Russell-Denny, Dane Scarlett, Dominic Solanke, Manor Solomon, Kota Takai, Mathys Tel, Dylan Thompson, Tyler Tingey, Sandro Tonali, Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven, Jan Paul van Hecke, Luca Williams-Barnett, Yang Min-hyeok.

Spurs' pre-season schedule:

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Pogon Szczecin have agreed a deal for Tottenham defender Alfie Dorrington to move to Poland in permanent transfer.

The 21-year-old's move remains subject to personal terms but Pogon have permission to conduct a medical.

Dorrington spent last season on loan at Salford City in League Two, narrowly missing out on promotion through both the league proper and later the play-offs, having also had two spells at Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen.

He has made a single appearance for Spurs since joining in 2018 and is an England under-19s international.

Pogon finished ninth in the Polish top-flight last season but typically harbour ambitions to compete for trophies and the European places at the top of the league.

Roberto De Zerbi says he wants to build a team with "soul" at Tottenham and insists the summer spending is "not finished yet".

Spurs have already spent £237m on Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke, while Martin Dubravka, Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi have also signed as free agents.

De Zerbi believes everyone is fully bought in to the "project", after he guided Spurs to safety at the end of last season with a final day win over Everton.

"I feel very good because we are working well," the Italian told club media.

"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.

"I spent a lot of time [understanding the club] before joining in April and I knew very well the ideas of the owner of the club and the plan was clear before the Everton game.

"Now we are inside (the project), we are excited with the idea to build a very strong team. 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.

"To build a soul, to build a new team with the qualities for sure but with soul, with passion, with all the values we have.

"Football now is not just on the pitch, it's not just with the ball, it is before in the private life, it is how many hours during the day you think you are doing your job and they have to be happy and proud to stay in Tottenham."

After consecutive 17th-place finishes, De Zerbi harbours higher ambitions for next season.

"I think Tottenham deserve to compete for the top of the Premier League," he added.

"I know very well the Premier League is very tough, but if you have a good motivation inside of the players, a good organisation on the pitch and outside of the pitch, I think you work well and at the end you reach your target."

Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal are all plotting a move for Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, 28, but the Old Trafford hierarchy do not want to sell him to another English club. (The I - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Middlesbrough have agreed a deal for Tottenham striker Will Lankshear that could rise to a club-record £20m.

The initial deal is worth around £10m with an additional £10m due in add-ons based on various incentives.

The 21-year-old has yet to agree personal terms amid reported rival interest.

Lankshear spent last season on loan at Oxford United, scoring 11 goals and making four assists in 44 Championship games.

It follows a starring role in Spurs' youth team having joined from Sheffield United in 2022.

The England youth international scored 23 goals for the Under-21 side that won the 2023-24 Premier League 2 title, and he was named the competition's player of the season.

Lankshear made his senior debut in October 2024 against Ferencvaros in the Europa League. The striker scored his first senior goal and was later sent off in his next appearance in the competition away at Galatasaray.

It would be Middlesbrough's fourth signing of the summer after securing Miles Peart-Harris from Oxford on a free transfer, along with Jeremy Sarmiento from Brighton and Kyle Joseph from Hull City.

It follows the exit of midfielder Hayden Hackney to Everton for around £16m. Middlesbrough will also receive a sizeable sell-on fee if Chelsea complete the £117m signing of their former attacker Morgan Rogers.

Tottenham have signed France international defender Alice Sombath for a club record transfer fee from Lyon.

The 22-year-old joins for an undisclosed fee and the length of her contract is unknown.

The previous club record signing is believed to have been Norway international Signe Gaupset's arrival for around £375,000 last year.

Sombath has spent five seasons at European giants Lyon, making 102 appearances and breaking into the France senior squad.

During her time in France, she won five consecutive Premiere Ligue titles and was part of the successful 2021-22 Women's Champions League squad.

"I want to do my best here at Tottenham. I think the league is very competitive, every game is tough and that's what I'm most excited about," said Sombath.

"I saw that Spurs had a very good season last year. My qualities can bring something to the team, even though I know they already have a lot."

Sombath came through Paris FC's academy and joined Paris St-Germain's youth team set-up before her move to Lyon in 2020.

She can play at centre-back or right-back and has represented France at every age group from the under-16s to the senior squad.

The defender featured in all of France's matches at Euro 2025, starting three games in the group stages.

"She's a player we've followed closely for some time and one who fits the profile of what we're building here," said Tottenham manager Martin Ho.

"She has already shown real maturity in her performances, and we believe she has all the qualities to continue developing into a top player within our environment.

"Alice is an aggressive defender who is comfortable in possession, competitive in her duels, and has the ambition to keep improving every day.

"This is another important addition as we continue building for the future. We can't wait to get started with Alice and welcome her into the group."

Tottenham have been successful in the pursuit of their key targets during the transfer window, bringing in six additions including Sombath.

They have also signed Shekeira Martinez, Kirsty Hanson, Victoria Pelova, Caitlin Dijkstra and Selma Panengstuen, getting their business done early.

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Roberto de Zerbi is set to add Brighton's Andrew Crofts to his Tottenham coaching staff before the 2026-27 season.

Crofts is the Seagulls' assistant head coach under Fabian Hurzeler and also works as part of Wales boss Craig Bellamy's staff.

The 42-year-old has spent his entire club coaching career with Brighton, rising through the academy ranks before being appointed to the first-team staff in August 2024 following the arrival of Hurzeler.