League One side Reading are Tottenham's first opponents when they get their pre-season fixtures under way on Saturday. It is set to be a busy period for Thomas Frank and his players as they have two domestic games and four games abroad before they begin their Premier League campaign with a home encounter against Burnley.
Reading are first up for the Lilywhites on Saturday, July 19, before they travel to Kenilworth Road to face Luton Town the following weekend. Spurs then head off to Asia to play Arsenal in Hong Kong and Newcastle United in South Korea prior to a pre-season showdown against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
Tottenham's first competitive game of 2025/26 takes place on Wednesday, August 13 when they go head-to-head with Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup final in Udine, Italy. Following the appointment of a new head coach and arrival of some new players, Tottenham will certainly have a different look about them.
Ahead of this weekend's game against Reading, we have taken a look at five things that supporters need to look out for at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
Vuskovic and Takai debut
Frank's Tottenham team at Reading is sure to contain a few debutants following the club's business in the transfer market. Almost two years on from agreeing a deal with Hajduk Split for Luka Vuskovic, the talented centre-back could potentially make his Spurs bow in Berkshire.
The Croat has made a huge impression over the past two seasons and he looks set to be a big player for Tottenham in the years ahead. Then there is Kota Takai, who recently joined from Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale in a £5million move.
Spurs have plenty of centre-backs on the books at present but the youngster will be intent on making his case for a starting spot with whatever minutes come his way in pre-season. Saturday should also see Mohammed Kudus make his Tottenham debut following his £55milliion move from West Ham.
The Ghana international can play in a number of different roles in the final third and it will be interesting to see where Frank plays him to begin with.
Gibbs-White wait
The wait for Morgan Gibbs-White to become a Tottenham player goes on. Looking set to wrap up a deal for the Nottingham Forest ace last Friday with a medical lined up after matching his £60million release clause, the East Midlands club have since pulled the brakes on a transfer exit for their main man and right now the transfer remains in limbo.
Even if a move is to go through over the coming days, it would almost certainly be too late for him to feature in the Reading match as he will have had next to no time with his new teammates. If the transfer is finalised, it would be nice to have Gibbs-White at the Select Car Leasing Stadium so he can be with his new teammates and get a look at his new side on the pitch.
A chance for the loanees
Frank currently has a lot of players to work with at Tottenham after the return of the club's loan stars for the beginning of pre-season training. Quite whether some of them remain part of his plans for the new season remains to be seen.
Jamie Donley caught the eye for Leyton Orient last season and Spurs fans are desperate to see one of their own in action. Alfie Devine will be determined to make his case after time in Belgium with Westerlo, while wingers Manor Solomon and Yang Min-hyeok will be fighting it out in for a spot amongst Frank's talented attackers.
George Abbott should hopefully get some more pre-season minutes after an excellent season with Notts County and Ashley Phillips will be keeping his fingers crossed that he can catch the eye of his new head coach as he bids to finally make his first Tottenham senior appearance.
Midfield pairing
Frank used a number of different systems at Brentford last campaign and it's not clear yet what his formation of choice will be at Tottenham. Many will be expecting him to go with 4-2-3-1 given that's what he mainly used at Brentford in 2024/25 and Spurs have a number of players who could thrive in that setup.
If it is to be 4-2-3-1, all eyes will be on his midfield pairing as he has options galore at his disposal. Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall will probably be leading the way to start the new season, unless of course a new midfielder is brought in to address the troublesome No.6 role.
Yves Bissouma, Archie Gray, Pape Matar Sarr, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are all further options in midfield for the new term.
Maddison fitness
Maddison unfortunately missed out on Tottenham's Europa League final success back in May due to a knee injury sustained in the semi-finals against Bodo/Glimt. Tottenham's No.10 has been putting in the work to get back to full fitness as he bids to cement his place in the Spurs XI under Frank.
Maddison has been spotted back on the training pitch with a ball at his feet and his current fitness levels should become clear in the next few days. Whether he is to be part of the squad at Reading or not, to see him back on the grass using a football is a big positive.