Tottenham’s Revival: Injuries and Key Player Updates

Tottenham’s revival gathers pace, but the treatment room stays busy. Roberto De Zerbi has finally injected some life into a wretched start, yet every step forward on the pitch seems to come with a fresh wince off it.

Back-to-back league wins – first against newly-promoted Coventry at home, then a statement victory at Stamford Bridge over Chelsea, only their second there in 36 years – have dragged Spurs off the bottom and out of the relegation zone. The mood has shifted. The medical bulletin has not.

With another London derby against Crystal Palace looming and Arsenal on the horizon in early December, De Zerbi is juggling form, belief and a squad still stitched together by physio tape.

James Maddison

James Maddison’s last 18 months have been a grim reel of setbacks. He fought his way back from a ruptured ACL late last season, only to suffer a shoulder fracture at the start of this campaign.

Now, just as he was starting to look like himself again, another blow. Maddison was forced off in the second half at Stamford Bridge with a groin problem, sitting on the turf, visibly devastated, team-mates closing in around him as he received treatment.

The images were worrying; the aftermath slightly less so. Maddison was later seen walking unaided away from the ground and joined the squad on the pitch for the post-match celebrations. Subsequent reports have suggested the groin issue is not thought to be serious, and De Zerbi echoed that cautious optimism after the game, stressing how “special” Maddison is to this team and how badly Spurs “need him”.

The exact diagnosis will rest on medical checks, but there is hope he could be back in early November. For a side that finally has momentum, keeping their chief creator on the grass is non-negotiable.

Potential return date: Unknown, potentially early November

Destiny Udogie

Destiny Udogie has been missing from both of Tottenham’s league wins, his absence reduced publicly to a “fitness issue” by De Zerbi, but the detail is more specific – and more frustrating.

A knee injury picked up against Manchester United has kept the former Udinese full-back from training altogether. De Zerbi has not hidden his irritation at being unable to work with a player so central to his aggressive, front-foot style.

Ahead of the Chelsea trip, the head coach confirmed Udogie was still unavailable and still in pain, with Spurs and their medical staff searching for the right way to manage the problem. The tentative hope is that he could rejoin the group next week.

Potential return date: November

Tosin Adarabioyo

Tosin Adarabioyo’s full league debut in a Spurs shirt against Coventry offered a glimpse of why the club moved for him – composed, authoritative, a natural fit. Then, in familiar Tottenham fashion, it came with a sting.

A suspected calf issue cut short that first start and, although De Zerbi initially played down the severity in the build-up to Chelsea, the defender did not even make the matchday squad at Stamford Bridge.

If the recovery continues as expected, Crystal Palace at home is the target for his return, a chance to restore some stability at the back just as the fixtures begin to open up.

Potential return date: Saturday October 31, vs Crystal Palace (H)

Lucas Bergvall

Lucas Bergvall’s stop-start introduction to Premier League life hit a bump at Old Trafford. The Swedish midfielder picked up a knee knock in the draw against Manchester United, an injury De Zerbi later traced back to the very first chance he created for Dominic Solanke.

Bergvall felt pain, played on, then reported to the training ground the next day and was ruled out for two weeks. The good news for Spurs is that the timeline has held. He is expected to be back in contention this weekend after his short spell on the sidelines.

For a manager who wants technical security and energy between the lines, having Bergvall available again is a quiet but important boost.

Potential return date: Saturday October 31, vs Crystal Palace (H)

Savio

Savio’s start to life at Tottenham has been delayed before it has really begun. The summer signing became the third casualty of that bruising 1-1 draw with Manchester United and has not featured since.

De Zerbi has labelled it a muscle injury, picked up just before the squad left for their training camp in Marbella. The precise nature of the problem remains unclear, but the head coach has already resigned himself to being without the Brazilian “for some weeks”.

Spurs have pencilled in the home game against Ipswich on November 21 as a realistic target. Until then, one of the club’s most intriguing attacking options stays on hold.

Potential return date: Saturday November 21, vs Ipswich (H)

Mykhailo Mudryk

Mykhailo Mudryk’s loan from Chelsea promised edge, pace and a touch of theatre. So far, Spurs fans have barely seen a cameo.

The Ukrainian has made just one appearance since arriving on Deadline Day, his progress halted by what De Zerbi bluntly called a “stupid” ankle injury in training last month. No further specifics have been given, but the initial six-to-eight-week estimate from mid-September points towards an early November return.

Even if he had been fit, Mudryk was ineligible to face his parent club at Stamford Bridge. Tottenham have handled injuries conservatively this season and, given Mudryk has not played back-to-back competitive games since November 2024, they are unlikely to rush him now.

Potential return date: Early November

Wilson Odobert

Wilson Odobert is one for the longer view. The winger is still working his way back from the ACL tear he suffered in February during defeat to Newcastle, an injury that halted his progress just as he was beginning to find rhythm.

Rehabilitation at Hotspur Way has intensified since surgery, with positive noises around his general progress. Yet De Zerbi has been honest: Odobert has not started working with the main group and there is no firm date for that next step.

December remains the broad target. Until then, his recovery continues away from the spotlight.

Potential return date: December

Xavi Simons

At the far end of Tottenham’s medical chart sits Xavi Simons. The midfielder’s ACL rupture in April placed him firmly in the long-term bracket, and nothing since has altered that outlook.

Spurs do not expect him back in competitive action until early 2027.

Potential return date: Early 2027

Tottenham’s league position finally reflects their ambition rather than their anxiety. The question now is whether De Zerbi can keep this surge going while waiting for a sizeable chunk of his squad to limp back into the picture.