Tottenham’s £237m Reset Under De Zerbi: Injury Concerns Linger
Tottenham step into a new Premier League season on Saturday evening with a new manager, a new mood and a squad rebuilt at huge expense. The question is whether Roberto De Zerbi will have enough fit players to show what this revamped side can really look like at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium.
This is his first full campaign in charge and Spurs have backed him aggressively, spending £237million on fresh faces. After back-to-back 17th-place finishes, the club are trying to slam the door on mediocrity and walk into something far more ambitious under the Italian.
Yet the old problems have followed them into this supposed new era. Injuries, again, are biting hard.
Key doubts all over the pitch
At the back, concerns start with Micky van de Ven. Fresh from signing a lucrative new contract, the Dutch defender did not feature at all in pre-season after returning late from World Cup duty. His exact issue remains unclear, and his absence from Tuesday’s training pictures only deepened the mystery. For a side trying to build a new defensive platform, it is hardly ideal.
There was at least a flicker of good news at Hotspur Way. Destiny Udogie, James Maddison and Mateus Fernandes all trained ahead of the short trip across London. Each case, though, comes with an asterisk.
Udogie has not played a minute in pre-season. A series of muscular problems last term forced Spurs to handle him carefully, and De Zerbi has refused to rush him. He is closer, but still a doubt.
Maddison is walking a similar tightrope. The England midfielder, in the frame to become club captain after Cristian Romero’s departure, is still edging back to full sharpness following the anterior cruciate ligament injury that ended his previous campaign. Training pictures offer encouragement; medical caution offers a warning. His involvement at Brentford remains uncertain.
Up front, Dominic Solanke is another concern. The striker, 28, has been used sparingly over the summer after a season ravaged by ankle trouble and a late hamstring issue that kept him out of the relegation run-in. Spurs want him as a focal point this season. They may have to wait.
New £85m signing under watch
Mateus Fernandes, the headline summer arrival from West Ham at £85m, has also been on the treatment table. A calf problem picked up on Spurs’ pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia has disrupted his start. The hope inside the camp is that he will be available on Saturday, but De Zerbi has made it clear he will not gamble with fitness after last year’s injury crisis shredded their campaign.
That stance is likely to cost Mohammed Kudus a place in the squad. The winger is back in training but has not played a single minute since January because of a serious quad injury. Throwing him into a Premier League opener would be a major risk, and De Zerbi is not in the mood for gambles.
Without Kudus, an opportunity may open for Mikey Moore on the right flank. The highly rated youngster is expected to leave on loan before the window closes, yet that move is on hold while Spurs scramble to land their own attacking targets.
Their long-running pursuit of Savinho has dragged through the summer, with little sign of a breakthrough in talks with Manchester City for the Brazilian. Until that stalemate shifts, Moore remains in limbo — and potentially in De Zerbi’s XI.
Fitness questions even for the fit
Even those without injuries are not fully in the clear. Pedro Porro, a World Cup winner, has only just returned to training and faces a race to reach the required sharpness for the weekend. The Spanish right-back is available in theory, but match fitness is another matter entirely.
Long-term absentees Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Dejan Kulusevski are already ruled out, limiting De Zerbi’s options in the final third and out wide.
Despite the uncertainty, a likely shape is emerging. Tottenham’s predicted XI at Brentford is: Kinsky; Gray, Van Hecke, Senesi, Robertson; Fernandes, Tonali; Moore, Gallagher, Tel; Richarlison.
For a club that has spent heavily and talked boldly, the opening night will not be about fireworks or flourishes. It will be about who can actually make it onto the pitch at 5.30pm on Saturday — and whether De Zerbi’s new era can withstand its first test before it has truly begun.
