Tottenham schedule behind-closed-doors friendly to assess players in transfer window

Tottenham Hotspur are set to play a behind-closed-doors friendly against MK Dons next month, giving new manager Roberto De Zerbi another opportunity to assess his squad ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

Spurs have confirmed the match will take place on July 22 as part of their pre-season schedule.

With the Premier League season starting later than usual on August 22 because of the World Cup, Tottenham’s first-team players are expected to return to training in stages during July.

They’ll start with medical and fitness tests before full training sessions start the following week.

The fixture against MK Dons would give De Zerbi another chance to assess his squad, with Tottenham set to be active during the transfer window.

The squad will be dominated by players who aren’t involved in the World Cup, as well as those returning from long-term injuries, such as James Maddison.

The club will also be monitoring the progress of Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski. The game is important for Tottenham’s academy talents and those returning from loan spells.

Prospects such as Mikey Moore, Will Lankshear and Jamie Donley could get opportunities, while Manor Solomon and Ashley Phillips will be hoping to impress the new manager.

MK Dons will arrive in London in positive spirits after earning automatic promotion back to League One under manager Paul Warne.

Tottenham have previous pre-season experience against the Buckinghamshire club, winning 3-1 at Stadium MK five years ago with goals from Heung-min Son, Dele Alli and Lucas Moura.

Shortly after taking on MK Dons, Spurs will travel to New Zealand for a fixture against Auckland at Eden Park on July 26 before heading to Australia to face Sydney at Allianz Stadium three days later.

Tottenham will then take part in the 2026 Sydney Super Cup, where they’ll face Chelsea in a friendly London derby contest at the 83,500-capacity Accor Stadium on August 1.