Ange Postecoglou has taken a large squad of Tottenham Hotspur players around the world as he takes a longer look at some of them.
The Australian named a 31-man touring squad to travel to Australia, Thailand and Singapore to take on West Ham, Leicester City and Lion City Sailors in friendlies on the other side of the world.
The Spurs squad has already started training in Perth and the names involved in the trip to the other side of the globe surprised many people due to the fact that many players who were expected to leave the club have yet to be cast aside by the new head coaches, where previous managers have often left various players at home to find new moves for themselves.
This summer, only club captain Hugo Lloris has been given permission by Postecoglou, while five injured players – Rodrigo Bentancur, Fraser Forster, Ryan Sessegnon, Bryan Gil and Troy Parrott – have stayed at home to undergo their rehabilitation.
Here are seven players who look set to have one last chance to make their case to remain in Postecoglou’s squad.
READ MORE: What Ange Postecoglou is already doing differently at Tottenham to help his chances next season
Tanguy Ndombele
It is strange to think that this is only Ndombele’s second pre-season tour with Tottenham since his first when he arrived in 2019. This is partly due to the pandemic and partly because he was not part of Antonio Conte’s plans last year when the squad flew to South Korea.
There is some hope at Spurs that Postecoglou and his midfield trio can finally be the man to get the best out of the French midfielder, who many players have often described as one of the most gifted players at the club in recent seasons .
Yet it is as much up to Ndombele himself and how he buys into the Postecoglou way and gives his all to the cause.
“Tanguy has been good. He works hard in training, to be fair they all have no chance,” the Australian told football.london. “Again, I take things as I see them. For me, of course, he is a very talented footballer, he was part of the team that won Serie A last year, and in that context I am happy to have him here and a of the group.
“What that means long-term, again, I won’t get into that because a lot of it will depend on how the team shapes up and how he shapes up.
“He may decide this is not for him. I’m not sure. Like I said, the group I’ve had so far has been really good at embracing the change in direction, the way we’re doing things. It’s going to be great to see how everyone measures up and decisions will be made going forward about who will be involved and who won’t.”
Ndombele joined Spurs as a 22-year-old and is now 26, having spent time on loan in France and Italy in recent years after falling out of the international reckoning. This is the time for him to prove that he is more than an incredible talent who never really lived up to his potential.
Young Lo Celso
Postecoglou will also have the opportunity to watch Lo Celso this summer. Another expensive Tottenham signing from 2019 that the club have never seen the best of, there was high expectation that the Argentina international would leave this summer due to interest in him from various clubs.
Yet he boarded that flight to Perth as one of Postecoglou’s party. Some might suggest that Lo Celso’s inclusion is a stance that suggests to the outside world that they are not desperate to sell him, so no bidding club should attempt a cheeky low offer.
Such is the case with Spurs’ decision to leave several players at home in previous summers. It was essentially an informal transfer list saying to other clubs “please just take them off our hands”.
Regardless of the reasoning behind his inclusion this summer, Lo Celso offers an interesting prospect for Postecoglou. The player has excelled for his country in a midfield three and also has the versatility to play further up the pitch, as he often did for Villarreal last season around the injury that kept him out of the World Cup.
The Argentine could still leave this summer, but Postecoglou wants to give everyone a fresh slate and he might just find a good fit in Lo Celso.
Sergio Reguilon
Reguilon may take some hope from the fact that he finally has a manager again who plays with a back-four, as he was not suited to the wing-back position under Conte.
However, the Spaniard’s biggest problem could be his competition. Destiny Udogie has finally arrived as one of the most highly rated young Italian full backs in Serie A. Then there is Ben Davies who is the experienced option and a trusted head for every manager he has played under.
However, Reguilon has a chance to prove himself and put behind him a frustrating year, which he lost most of to injury, a brief spell in hospital with stomach problems and barely played on loan at Atletico Madrid.
If Spurs eventually sign Micky van de Ven, who can play at left-back as well as a centre-back, then Reguilon’s days may be further numbered, but right now he has a chance to catch the eye, unless Postecoglou sees off clubs weighing up , whether they should take a step.
Ivan Perisic
A year into his two-year deal, it was always thought unlikely that 34-year-old Perisic would remain at the club beyond Conte’s reign.
He has been linked with a return to Croatia with Hadjuk Split, while a number of Serie A clubs will no doubt be monitoring his situation.
Perisic showed beyond doubt amid the Newcastle debacle that he is not a full-back, leaving only a winger role available to him should he remain under Postecoglou.
On the left he is in competition with Son Heung-min and the new Manor Solomon, while on the right he is up against Dejan Kulusevski, Bryan Gil and potentially Pedro Porro and Richarlison.
Perisic feels most likely to leave this pack, especially if Spurs want his hefty salary from the wage bill, and there are plenty of other options in his position. However, it is still a chance for Perisic to show that age has not yet caught up with him and that his time in England was not a waste.
Peter-Emile Højbjerg
For the Dane and the Australian, it is more about whether they can find a reason to become inseparable.
Hojbjerg is believed to be open to leaving Tottenham this summer, with Atletico Madrid among those interested in taking him out of the Premier League. From the outside, the Danish national team player does not seem to fit naturally into the roles in a Postecoglou midfield trio.
Still, Hojbjerg’s intense demeanor and strong work ethic are likely to rub off on the new head coach, and the 27-year-old is another leader in the dressing room who could be lost alongside Lloris.
Hojbjerg often gets a hard time from the fans because he has been seen as a master of everything, but he has been a good Premier League midfielder for a number of seasons now and Spurs have often looked worse without him in the middle of the pitch. .
The new midfield, where Yves Bissouma will become a key player, will also dictate how big a role Hojbjerg will play. He will not be a tiny player.
Grandpa Spence
It looked like this chance might pass Spence as he cut it close to recovering from the knee injury that ended his time at Rennes and saw him miss England Under-21s’ delight in Georgia.
However, the 22-year-old made it in time for this tour and was duly named in the squad for the overseas tour.
Postecoglou will know about Spence’s ability to get forward, but his main focus will be on both the player’s defense and his attitude and the way he perceives not being first or potentially second choice.
Emerson Royal and Pedro Porro, who completed his £40m move. this summer, will likely remain ahead of him in the pecking order. How Spence responds to that could define the next step in his career.
The young full-back needs to show that it won’t get him down and he needs to take every chance this month to impress his new manager or any potential clubs.
Joe Rodon
The Wales international, who was on loan at Rennes with Spence, could, like others, make his last attempt to forge a career at Tottenham.
Rodon has interest from clubs both in the Premier League and in France, but Postecoglou will want to have a look at how comfortable he is on the ball in his system and how he handles squeezing space on the pitch.
The competition remains tough for Rodon, not least with new arrivals expected in central defence, but at least he has this opportunity to remind people that he never really had a proper run in a Spurs shirt and that he could would have contributed more if given the chance.