James Maddison relishing Roberto De Zerbi’s front-foot Tottenham rebuild in Australia pre-season tour

James Maddison says Roberto De Zerbi’s attacking philosophy is a perfect fit for his game and believes Tottenham can emerge from a difficult spell under the Italian’s aggressive summer rebuild.

Speaking to the media in Sydney ahead of Spurs’ next pre-season friendly, the England midfielder described himself as “excited” about working under De Zerbi, who took charge in March after the dismissal of interim manager Igor Tudor.

Tottenham were winless in the Premier League in 2026 when De Zerbi arrived, but he dragged them to safety, clinching 17th place with a tense 1-0 victory over Everton on the final day of the season.

Maddison, who is reportedly in line to be named Tottenham’s new captain and missed most of last season with a serious knee injury, said the new head coach had brought a clear identity and ambition.

“The manager is very clear, the goal is to be better, to play better football, to be passionate, to be proud to play for this club,” Maddison said.

“I’m still learning the way he plays. But as a player, he’s a coach you want to play for because he loves everything with the ball. He’s very attacking, and I’m really excited.”

Spurs step up Australian schedule

Tottenham began their pre-season tour with a lively 2-0 win over A-League champions Auckland FC in New Zealand on Sunday, with Dane Scarlett and Richarlison on the scoresheet.

They have now moved on to Australia, where they face Sydney FC on Wednesday before taking on London rivals Chelsea in Sydney three days later as De Zerbi continues to shape his side.

Maddison said the tour was being used to embed De Zerbi’s ideas ahead of the Premier League kick-off, with Spurs opening their campaign away to Brentford on 22 August.

“First game of the season, Brentford. It’s a big season for us under a new manager. We want to have a successful season,” he said.

“We need to be better than the last couple of seasons. So it’s kind of all just preparation leading to that first game.

“We’re just stepping up what we’ve been working on and creating the team, how we want to play and the style we want to play.”

De Zerbi overhaul gathers pace

De Zerbi has already overseen a significant turnover in personnel, with Tottenham investing heavily to reshape the squad in his image.

His marquee arrivals so far include midfielders Mateus Fernandes from West Ham and Sandro Tonali from Newcastle, bolstering the spine of the team.

The Italian has also turned to his former club Brighton, bringing in centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke to strengthen his defensive options.

In addition, Spurs have added experience on free transfers, with full-back Andy Robertson, centre-back Marcos Senesi and goalkeeper Martin Dubravka all joining as the club refreshes its core.

The influx of signings is part of an attempt to move on from back-to-back underwhelming campaigns and provide De Zerbi with the players to implement his possession-based, attack-minded approach.

Maddison, now back to fitness and eager to play a central role, said the squad understood the need to raise standards after recent struggles and were focused on being ready for the new season.

With De Zerbi’s methods being drilled in during their time in New Zealand and Australia, Spurs’ pre-season fixtures are doubling as auditions for places in the starting XI and as a live test of the team’s emerging style.