Tottenham's Key Defensive Absences Ahead of Brentford Clash
Tottenham travel to Brentford on Saturday without one of Roberto De Zerbi’s key defenders, but with a bench that suddenly looks a lot deeper – and a manager who insists the club are not finished reshaping his squad.
Van de Ven ruled out, Porro also missing
Micky van de Ven will miss Spurs’ Premier League opener at the G-Tech Stadium, De Zerbi confirmed in his pre-match press conference. The centre-back has not played a single minute in pre-season and has been absent from training for weeks, leaving little room for risk on the opening weekend.
“Micky is not on the list tomorrow like Pedro Porro,” De Zerbi said.
Porro, fresh from winning the World Cup with Spain, has only just rejoined training and will also sit this one out. His return has come too late for De Zerbi to consider him ready for competitive action.
The absences force an early defensive reshuffle, but De Zerbi was quick to point out he still has options.
“Today he worked with us, with the group and he is going very well,” he said of Van de Ven. “He suffered a problem during the pre-season of Australia, I don’t know if it was the flight, but not a big problem.
“We have Senesi, we have Ben Davies and in the right condition to play the game tomorrow.”
Maddison, Solanke and Udogie in contention
The picture is brighter elsewhere. James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Destiny Udogie and Mateus Fernandes are all in the squad for the trip across London.
“James Maddison is inside, Solanke inside, Udogie, Fernandes also,” De Zerbi confirmed.
Pape Matar Sarr, though, will not feature. The midfielder has felt some pain and will be kept out as a precaution.
“Sarr not because he felt some pain, but nothing big,” the head coach added, easing fears of a serious setback.
So Spurs head into the late kick-off with a patched-up defence, a near-full complement in attack, and a bench that should still carry threats if the game becomes stretched.
De Zerbi: Spurs “not finished” in transfer market
The team news was only half the story. De Zerbi also made it clear Tottenham’s summer rebuild is still in motion.
Spurs have already pushed through a flurry of signings: Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka have all arrived to reshape the spine and add depth. The squad that lines up at Brentford will look and feel very different to last season’s version.
And there is more to come.
“We have not finished in the transfer market. It's an important part,” De Zerbi said.
Tottenham are closing in on a deal for Man City winger Savinho, with a fee reported at £75 million plus £10 million in add-ons and a medical expected before the Brazilian signs a long-term contract. De Zerbi refused to be drawn on the specifics.
“It's not right to speak about players until they are official. Just to say I'm very happy,” he said when asked about Savinho and the wider business.
What he did outline, clearly, were the demands he will place on any new arrival.
“So far we have brought in some great players, great spirit and great personality. You know better than me you don't win the games with big names and big players, you have to deserve to win the game.
“To do that we have to reach the level in character, intention and value and style of play.”
Names on a teamsheet won’t be enough. De Zerbi wants edge, identity and a squad that can impose itself from the first whistle of the season.
Brentford away, with key defenders missing and expectations rising after an aggressive summer, is a sharp first test of whether Tottenham are really built for that fight.
