Pedro Porro Returns as Tottenham Aims for First Goal Against Aston Villa
Pedro Porro will be back for Tottenham this weekend, with Roberto De Zerbi insisting his side are close to sparking into life ahead of Aston Villa’s visit.
The Spanish full-back, a key outlet on the right, has missed Spurs’ last two matches with what the club described as a muscular issue. De Zerbi, speaking after Tuesday night’s 3-1 Carabao Cup third-round defeat at Liverpool, made it clear he expects Porro to be ready for Saturday’s early Premier League kick-off in north London.
It comes at a strange time for Spurs. Two games into the league campaign and they are still waiting for their first goal of the season. The performances have carried flashes of De Zerbi’s trademark attacking ideas, but the final touch has deserted them.
The Italian is not flinching.
“I believe in my players, I have a big confidence, a big opinion of my players,” he said. “And when we arrive to find the click, to win a game, I think we enjoy with these players.”
He needs that click soon. Villa arrive with European ambitions of their own, and Spurs’ attacking puzzle is only just starting to come together after a bruising year with injuries.
One major piece is back on the board. Mohammed Kudus made his first Tottenham start at Anfield since suffering a serious quad injury in January, a lay-off that ripped a hole in Spurs’ forward options. His return changes the picture.
De Zerbi’s eyes light up when he talks about the Ghanaian.
“Kudus is another (who is) great news for us, because he can play also as a number 10,” he said. “We can play with Savio, Kudus, (Dominic) Solanke and (Omar) Marmoush.”
That is a front line loaded with movement and technical quality. De Zerbi went even further, pointing to the sheer number of offensive-minded players he can throw onto the pitch at once. With his attacking full-backs and adventurous midfielders, he argued Spurs can effectively line up with “eight attackers”.
It is a bold claim, but it fits the manager. He has never been shy about flooding the final third, and the return of Kudus gives him the flexibility to rotate positions, overload central pockets and still threaten in behind.
Another comeback story could yet reshape this team entirely.
James Maddison, the man De Zerbi calls “a special player”, has not started a match since May 2025 after a cruciate ligament tear, followed by a shoulder fracture that delayed his full return. The England international has been eased back with three substitute appearances so far this season, carefully managed as he builds rhythm and trust in his body again.
“Maddison is for sure a different player, a special player,” De Zerbi said. “But he has to be fit, he has to be in the right physical condition, because the Premier League intensity, even tonight, is incredible. And then we can play with eight attackers.”
That is the vision: Porro raiding down the flank, Kudus drifting between the lines, Maddison pulling strings when fully ready, and a cast of forwards rotating around them. For now, it remains a plan on the cusp of reality.
Villa at home, with the first league goal of the season still to come, is exactly the kind of stage where that plan either catches fire—or the questions grow louder.
