Positivity has very much engulfed Spurs this summer. Two games, three goals and two cleansheets for Roberto De Zerbi's Tottenham Hotspur in pre-season. It's not a bad start, is it?

That's not to mention the work done behind the scenes to improve the squad either. The Lilywhites have been the most active Premier League side in the transfer market to date, welcoming three defenders in the form of Marcos Senesi, Andy Roberton and Jan Paul van Hecke.

We're yet to see any of them in action just yet following their duties at the World Cup but we have seen the big-money signings of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali play their first minutes across the two games with MK Dons on Wednesday evening and against Auckland FC of New Zealand in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The main talking points from pre-season so far for Spurs

Naturally after spending the best part of £185m on Tonali and Fernandes, there has been much excitement around what they can offer to De Zerbi's midfield.

Sure, it may only be pre-season and against weaker opposition at that, but it has been a promising start for Fernandes, in particular.

The Portuguese made his bow in midweek against MK and it only took him three minutes to find the net. It was a beauty too. The defence failed to clear the lines and when the ball fell to the £85m man on the edge of the area, he ripped a volley into the back of the net. It's unlikely he'll ever score a better goal than that for Tottenham.

For Tonali, it's been a slightly less eye-catching start. He played the opening 45 minutes against MK alongside Fernandes but missed out on the squad against Auckland after a long-haul flight.

Pre-season always represents an opportunity for those on the fringes to make their mark. A host of youngsters have appeared over the course of the two games so far with young centre-back Malachi Hardy one of the standout names at centre-half.

Selling Luka Vuskovic this summer has raised a few eyebrows but Hardy has stepped into proceedings nicely with many of Tottenham's first choice defenders not yet in contention to play. He won three of his four duels against MK and then completed 97% of his passes in a 2-0 win over Auckland on Sunday.

That game was hardly a thriller but there some vibrant performances from Manor Solomon and Mathys Tel on the flanks. Solomon's initial shot in the first half was saved and then turned home by the lesser spotted Dane Scarlett on 12 minutes before Tel set up Richarlison with 20 minutes to go to seal the win.

The new signings will undoubtedly be the main discussion point before the season begins but there is a certain teenager who's tearing up the script.

Spurs have found their own Kroupi in pre-season

Tottenham have spent a bucketload of cash in the transfer market already but they are not slowing down. Bournemouth do want to sell Eli Junior Kroupi but that is not deterring suitors, of which Spurs are one.

Last season, Kroupi was not just one of the most exciting young players in the Premier League, but he was also one of the best teenagers in the whole world.

Now 20 years of age, the Frenchman was 19 throughout the 2025/26 campaign and scored 13 goals in the top-flight. No teenager has ever scored more in their debut Premier League season. He was that good.

One of Kroupi's main strengths is his versatility. He's a centre-forward by trade but can also play out wide or as a second striker/number 10. That's a quality he shares with another wonderkid Luca Williams-Barnett and boy has he been good in pre-season.

The 17-year-old made his first-team debut for the Lilywhites last season and has been billed as their answer to Arsenal superstar Max Dowman. It's clear to see why.

Against MK a few days ago, the young midfielder was the star of the show. He was the talking point, even if Tonali and Fernandes were making their debuts.

In that clash, the teen played in a slightly deeper midfield role than he is usually acustomed to but that mattered not, he still made an almighty impact. Williams-Barnett simply glided across the turf. He was playing balls in behind for fun and really should have had an assist when he set up Yang Min-hyeok after a delightful ball over the top of the defence.

The young prodigy was not quite as impactful against Auckland over night as he started and played just over an hour but it was another impressive performance nonetheless.

On this occasion, he was playing in his favoured role as a number 10 and looked really comfortable when it came to exchanging little passes on the edge of the box. As Football.London's Alasdair Gold put it post-game, he 'might have had a goal or two on another day'.

During his time on the pitch, the academy graduate completed his one and only dribble, won five of his six duels and had a whopping five shots. Always looking to make things happen, perhaps Spurs are better off investing their time into Williams-Barnett than Kroupi this summer.

Like the Frenchman, he can play through the middle or out wide and they both have the world at their feet as two of English football's most exciting young players.