Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi expressed cautious optimism about the club’s future despite the challenges of their ongoing pre-season tour, which has left him sleeping only four hours a night. Speaking from New Zealand, where Spurs recently played against A-League champions Auckland FC at Eden Park, the Italian manager highlighted the club’s ambitious transfer activity and long-term vision as key to restoring Tottenham’s status.

This summer, Tottenham has committed approximately £237 million to new signings, including a club-record £100 million acquisition, Sandro Tonali. In addition, three free transfers have joined the squad, with De Zerbi signaling his intent to add at least two more attacking players before the transfer window closes. This aggressive recruitment reflects the ownership’s desire to rebuild following the last two seasons, which saw the club finish 17th in their league.

“Were not finished yet,” De Zerbi said, emphasizing discussions with the club’s board and the Lewis family, who own Tottenham. “They want to build a very strong team for this season for sure, but to make the base for the future to become great again.”

The travel-heavy schedule has led De Zerbi to manage his senior players’ workload carefully. After a 30-hour journey to New Zealand, the coach fielded a lineup featuring a number of promising academy prospects against Auckland, who played in front of 40,112 spectators—the largest crowd for a men’s football match in New Zealand’s history.

Dane Scarlett opened the scoring early, capitalizing on a rebound from Manor Solomon’s saved shot to give Spurs the lead. The young winger Luca Williams-Barnett, 17, impressed throughout the match with his fearless ball control, while 18-year-olds Malachi Hardy and Mikey Moore also featured, the latter having earned recognition as Scottish Premiership Young Player of the Season during a loan spell at Rangers.

The match was secured in the second half when Mathys Tel, coming off the bench, energized the attack down the left flank before setting up fellow substitute Richarlison for a composed finish in the 70th minute.

De Zerbi praised his young players following the victory, noting the importance of youth development in meeting financial fair play regulations and European competition requirements. “We can’t forget the young players, especially for the new rules with financial fair play or the rules of the Champions League and Europa League. We have to improve our academy,” he said.

With the New Zealand match concluded, Tottenham’s squad quickly departed for Australia, where they are scheduled to face Sydney FC before making history with their first-ever derby against Chelsea held outside the United Kingdom this Saturday.