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Richarlison and Dane Scarlett were both on target as Tottenham eased past Auckland FC in the first match of their pre-season tour of Asia and Oceania.

Their hosts, the newly-crowned A-League champions, posed a curious opposition but Spurs made no mistake at Eden Park, putting on a composed performance.

De Zerbi named a youthful starting lineup featuring eight academy graduates and Archie Gray wearing the captain’s armband before adding more experience later in the match.

It took just 12 minutes for Spurs to open the scoring as a creative Gray pass unlocked the Auckland defence, playing Manor Solomon in behind. His shot was saved but fell for Scarlett to fire home on the rebound, and Tottenham took that advantage into half-time.

One Brandon Austin intervention was required to keep a clean sheet as he was quick off his line to deny Sam Cosgrove one-on-one.

Richarlison was introduced shortly after the hour mark alongside Ben Davies, Mateus Fernandes, Conor Gallagher and Mateus Fernandes, and soon picked up the second, finishing from a Mathys Tel cross.

Disappointingly for those 40,112 Kiwi Tottenham fans who braved the winter rain to attend, there were no debuts for Andy Robertson or Jan Paul van Hecke. Summer signing Sandro Tonali was not involved, either.

James Maddison was not involved in the match. He tore his ACL on Tottenham’s pre-season tour last summer, and De Zerbi confirmed he was simply unwilling to risk the player as he builds back to full fitness: “He's not working the last five days, I think, like Udogie, but they have not a big problem, just to stay focused, don't take any risks and then for the next game, the next friendly game against Sydney.

“Maybe we play with Tonali, with other players, maybe, we've got to see.”

De Zerbi continued, insisting the 20-year-old Gray was fully deserving of the captain’s armband: “Archie is young, but he's an old player, as a mentality, as a performance, as an experience, as a career.

“But the young players have to push, because with me as a coach, they have the chance to play. Logically, they have to show me they are ready, they have qualities, they have a mentality to play in this club.

“But when I decide the players, when I decide the squad, I never see the age of the players.”

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More than 23,000 people reported feeling a 5.9 magnitude earthquake in the early hours of Saturday morning that hit 146 miles south of Auckland, New Zealand, where Tottenham Hotspur arrived just hours before on their pre-season tour.

Fortunately there have been no reports of injuries or damage to buildings from the earthquake, which struck 5km south of Taumarunui in the Manawatu-Whanganui region at 4.51am (5.51pm Friday UK time), at a depth of 9km, or the weaker aftershocks that followed, but it was reported by huge numbers of people across the country's north island.

While safely away further up north from the earthquake, Spurs arrived in the early hours after their long flight to the country and head coach Roberto De Zerbi and his players would have only been in bed for a couple of hours before receiving the notification on their phones from the earthquake alert system, with instructions of what to do if affected.

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Thankfully, despite the quake being labelled 'severe' by Geonet, which measures the numerous such events in the country, only minor slips in roads around the affected Manawatu-Whanganui area have so far been reported. However, thousands of residents from Auckland and above as far as Whangarei and all the way down to the affected area felt the shake.

The New Zealand Herald reported numerous Kiwis claiming it was the biggest such quake they had felt in some time with those closer to the area reporting their homes shaking. One of the largest earthquakes to hit the country in the past century was the Kaikoura Earthquake in 2016 which resulted in two deaths and 618 injuries.

On Saturday, Manawatu-Whanganui Emergency Management Group advised that multiple aftershocks were expected to continue throughout the morning. Emergency services and roading crews were "currently assessing the situation".

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It should be stressed that earthquakes are rare in the actual city of Auckland itself and this one almost 150 miles south would not affect Tottenham or their plans in the coming days as they play Auckland FC at Eden Park on Sunday before flying on to Sydney to continue their summer tour.

They take on Sydney FC at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday before finishing the trip to the other side of the globe with a match against Chelsea at Accor Stadium next Saturday.

De Zerbi named a 35-man squad for the trip Down Under, with a blend of first team and academy players, including 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 and Yang Min-Hyeok.

Mohamed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert have remained at Hotspur Way to continue their rehabilitation, while Guglielmo Vicario sustained a minor knock in training and will undergo treatment at our Training Centre.

Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr were granted extended leave following their appearances at the World Cup, while Pedro Porro, Marcos Senesi, Cristian Romero and Djed Spence also do not travel after reaching the latter stages of the tournament.

A new era at Tottenham officially begins this evening with a pre-season friendly against MK Dons.

After finishing 17th in successive Premier League campaigns, Spurs are looking to kick on under Roberto De Zerbi and today is the first step towards achieving that target.

Tottenham’s players who were not involved at this summer’s World Cup have been put through their paces in training at Hotspur Way for the last two weeks and now De Zerbi gets a chance to see how his team is shaping up.

Summer signings Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali are expected to play some part against MK Dons, though supporters may have to wait for a first glimpse of Andy Robertson in a Spurs shirt having had just one training session since joining on a free transfer.

Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski and Mohammed Kudus are all absent through injury, but the likes of Mikey Moore and Jamie Donley are set to be handed an opportunity to impress De Zerbi.

MK Dons, meanwhile, are gearing up for a season in League One following their promotion and are hopeful of an improvement from last Friday’s 2-1 loss to NK Istra in their first pre-season friendly of the summer.

This will be the third friendly meeting between Spurs and MK Dons - the first in five years - and both sides have one win apiece.

Here’s everything you need to know about where to watch the match...

How to watch Tottenham vs MK Dons

TV channel: In the UK, the game will not be televised live.

Live stream: UK viewers can also catch the contest live online via SPURSPLAY. A subscription starts at £45.

Roberto De Zerbi has been reunited with Andrew Crofts after appointing him as his assistant head coach at Tottenham.

The arrival comes just 24 hours after highly-rated coach Stuart Lewis left Spurs to join Premier League rivals Ipswich Town.

Former Premier League midfielder Crofts worked with De Zerbi at Brighton and joins from the south coast side, having worked under Fabian Hurzeler. The new arrival is also part of the Wales set-up under Craig Bellamy.

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It now seemingly completes De Zerbi's coaching set-up at Spurs, joining Bruno Saltor (assistant coach), Andreas Georgson (assistant coach), Marcattilio Marcattilii (first-team fitness coach), Marcello Quinto (senior professional development phase coach), Cameron Campbell (individual development coach), Fabian Otte (goalkeeping coach) and Dean Brill (assistant goalkeeping coach).

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As well as announcing Crofts' arrival, Spurs also confirmed the appointments of Ali James (head of medical services), Tom Tombleson (head of athletic development) and Agostino Tibaudi (strength and conditioning coach) to their performance department.

In a statement, Spurs said: "We are delighted to announce the arrival of Andrew Crofts to Roberto De Zerbi's staff as Assistant Head Coach.

"A former midfielder who played in the Premier League with Norwich City and racked up over 450 appearances for the likes of Gillingham, Wrexham, Charlton and Brighton, Andrew is now reunited with Roberto having spent time together at Brighton.

"Capped 29 times by Wales, Andrew joined Brighton's Under-21 coaching team in 2019, becoming U21 head coach in 2021. He was appointed Brighton's interim head coach following Graham Potter's departure in 2022 and then onto the coaching staff on Roberto's arrival."

Crofts appointment comes after Lewis left Spurs, with the coach saying his time at Tottenham was a “dream come true”.

Former Wycombe and Gillingham midfielder Lewis has spent the last decade coaching at Spurs and won three trophies in charge of the under-18s across a four-year spell before he earned a promotion into the first-team set-up last summer.

Lewis, 38, spent the 2025-26 campaign in a newly created first-team academy transition coach role and helped Jun’ai Byfield and Luca Williams-Barnett make their professional debuts for Tottenham, after previously developing the highly-rated Mikey Moore, but will now join Ipswich as a first-team coach.

“Returning to my boyhood club as a coach 11 years ago was a dream come true,” Lewis told the official Spurs website.

“Having supported Tottenham Hotspur since I was five years old and previously represented the club as a young professional, it was a privilege to come back and help develop the next generation of players.

“My family and I have supported the club all our lives, so I have always understood what it means to represent Tottenham Hotspur and the identity our teams should embody; brave, attacking, front-foot football.

“I have made so many special memories during my time at the club, building relationships that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

“I would like to thank everyone at the club for their support and for allowing me to pursue this fantastic opportunity at Ipswich Town, which enables me to fulfil my ambition of coaching in the Premier League.

“I leave with immense pride, gratitude and lifelong memories, and I wish everyone connected with Tottenham Hotspur every success in the future.”

Tottenham Hotspur are bracing themselves for an improved club-record bid from Nottingham Forest for Lucas Bergvall, according to reports.

Spurs head coach Roberto De Zerbi faces a fight to hang onto the 20-year-old after splashing out £185 million on his new central midfield pairing of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. The duo's arrival has pushed Bergvall further down the pecking order and the Swede looks set to depart this summer.

Football.london understands Bergvall asked to leave the club as he wants a new challenge after watching his game time decline last season. The youngster signed a new contract in April 2025, which boosts Spurs' position at the negotiating table.

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The Telegraph report that Forest are now preparing a second bid worth £45m for Bergvall. The outlet reports Forest lodged an opening offer of around £38m last week, which was turned swiftly rebuffed by the north London club.

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Spurs' valuation is said to be closer to £50m, which would represent a huge profit on the initial £11m invested to bring Bergvall to the Premier League two years ago. However, they could be willing to let the midfielder leave for the right price.

Meeting that figure would represent a club-record fee for Forest, who set the bar when they captured Omari Hutchinson from Ipswich Town for £37.5m in 2025.

Forest have significant funds to spend to bolster Oliver Glasner's squad after selling Elliot Anderson to Manchester City for £116m, a British transfer record. They are looking to recruit a promising midfielder to fill the void left by Anderson and Bergvall is their top target.

And with the Anderson money set to be reinvested into the squad, Glasner may be able to get his man. He is looking to sign four new players this summer, with a centre-back also on his radar.

Bergvall joined Spurs from Djurgardens in 2024 after bursting onto the Swedish Allsvenskan scene at the age of 16. He has gone on to make 78 appearances for Spurs, scoring two goals and providing nine assists, but struggled to lock down a regular place in the team under Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank.

De Zerbi has made a concerted effort to convince Bergvall to remain at the club following his return from international duty with Sweden at the World Cup. But with no guarantee of first-team football, he looks set to head for the exit - providing a club is willing to meet Spurs' valuation.

In addition to his new signings, De Zerbi has Pape Matar Sarr, Conor Gallagher and Archie Gray able to fill into central midfield. That means Bergvall will face rife competition for a place in the first team, with Spurs not in Europe next season after finishing 17th.

If Spurs do end up extracting their desired fee for the highly-rated Swede, it could enable De Zerbi to land his top target. The Italian boss is keen on signing Junior Kroupi from Bournemouth this summer, but the Cherries are demanding around £100m to sell the talented forward.

Spurs have already spent £227m on Tonali, Fernandes and centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke, while selling Luka Vuskovic to Brighton for £46m. Offloading Bergvall would once again boost their coffers and represent a significant profit on the balance sheet, potentially giving them the green light to pursue a record deal for Kroupi.

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Rodri has avoided a ban over his extraordinary outburst that followed Manchester City’s clash with Tottenham.

The Spanish midfielder made headlines last month with his comments about officials that followed the dramatic 2-2 draw away at Spurs in the Premier League, but has escaped with a fine and a warning.

Rodri said referees “have to be neutral” and that it “wasn’t fair” after Tottenham’s first goal against City was awarded despite Dominic Solanke appearing to kick through the back of Marc Guehi’s leg to score, with the incident checked and cleared by VAR.

Solanke’s superb second goal then earned struggling Spurs a surprise share of the spoils as early efforts from Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo were cancelled out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

"I know we won too much and the people don't want us to win but the referee has to be neutral and for me honestly, it's not fair,” the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner told Australian broadcaster Stan Sport.

“It's not fair because we work so hard in these situations and now to make these decisions, we have to move on.

“Of course you need to come back but at the end, when everything is finished, we are frustrated because it’s so clear, the foul.”

Rodri was charged by the Football Association (FA) with misconduct, alleging that he “acted in an improper manner during a post-match media interview by making comments that imply bias and/or question the integrity of a match official and/or match officials, contrary to FA Rule 3.1.”

He admitted the charge and has now been fined £80,000 and warned as to his future conduct following an independent regulatory commission hearing.

Rodri will therefore be available for the entirety of City’s run-in as they have nine games remaining in which to chase down Premier League leaders Arsenal’s seven-point lead in the title race, with Pep Guardiola’s side playing host to the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium next month as well as in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on March 22.

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