Tottenham's Fitness Woes: Hope for a Triple Boost

Tottenham’s season could hardly have opened in darker tones. A 3-0 hammering at Brentford, questions over fitness, and a treatment room packed with first‑team regulars have left Roberto De Zerbi with problems everywhere he turns.

The new head coach did not sugar-coat it at the Gtech Community Stadium. He admitted his players are not yet physically ready for the demands of the Premier League. It showed. Spurs were second best, sluggish, and miles off the high‑tempo football De Zerbi wants.

Yet this week, there is at least a sliver of light.

With a Carabao Cup tie against Charlton on Wednesday and Newcastle arriving in north London on Saturday for the first home league game of the campaign, Spurs are pinning hopes on a trio of significant boosts.

Van de Ven ready to lead at last

New club captain Micky van de Ven could finally step over the white line.

The Dutch defender watched the Brentford defeat from the sidelines after a pre-season setback in Australia left him without a single minute of action before the campaign began. For a player handed the armband, it was a brutal way to start.

De Zerbi, though, sounded encouraged when he spoke last week.

“He worked with the group [on Friday], he's going very well,” the Italian said. “He suffered a problem during the pre-season in Australia, I don't know, the flight, I don't know, something, not a big problem, but not right to work.”

The issue has been about caution, not crisis. Now, with full training under his belt, Van de Ven is pushing to be involved against Newcastle on August 29, 2026. Spurs badly need his pace, authority and presence at the back.

Porro closing in after delayed return

Alongside him, another member of the new leadership group is edging closer.

Pedro Porro, appointed first vice-captain, also missed the trip to Brentford and did not feature at all in pre-season. His late return after Spain’s World Cup triumph left him short of preparation time, and Spurs have been building him up gradually.

Porro is now back in training and working on his sharpness after three weeks off. The target is the same as Van de Ven: Newcastle at home on August 29, 2026. De Zerbi wants his attacking thrust from right-back, and Spurs’ build-up play has clearly lacked his energy.

If both leaders return for the first home league game, the mood around the stadium will shift in an instant.

Kudus “almost ready” after long lay-off

Mohammed Kudus is the third major positive on the horizon.

The Ghanaian has not played since January after undergoing surgery on a quad injury, and his absence has stripped Spurs of one of their most inventive forwards. He briefly stepped away again last week, returning to Ghana following a family bereavement, but is now back in training.

“Kudos is almost ready, that is a big point for us,” De Zerbi said, stressing the need for patience. “It's important also the management of the players, when the players have some problem, we have to stay calm, don't take risks.”

The plan is to have Kudus available for Nottingham Forest away on September 5, 2026. For a team crying out for creativity and cutting edge, that date is already circled.

Maddison scare clouds Charlton tie

Not all the news is uplifting.

James Maddison, still working his way back to full sharpness, is a doubt for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie against Charlton after landing awkwardly on his shoulder during the Brentford defeat.

He came off the bench at the weekend but could not drag Spurs back into the contest. Now, a fresh knock threatens to slow his climb towards full fitness again. De Zerbi will give an update at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, with Spurs wary of losing another key creator so early in the season.

The hope is that Maddison can still feature against Newcastle on August 29, 2026, but every setback feels heavier in a squad already stretched.

Sarr setback deemed “nothing important”

Pape Matar Sarr’s absence at Brentford was another unwelcome twist.

The midfielder, who has attracted transfer interest, picked up a hamstring problem late last week and was ruled out of the opener. He had played during pre-season, only to see that work undermined by what the club insists is a minor issue.

De Zerbi tried to calm fears on Friday. “He felt pain in his hamstring two days ago. Nothing important, but we don’t take risk with him and especially in this moment,” he said.

Spurs expect Sarr to be available for Newcastle at home on August 29, 2026. Given the current midfield balance, that return cannot come soon enough.

Kulusevski’s long road back

Dejan Kulusevski’s story is more drawn out, and more emotional.

It has been almost 18 months since the Sweden international last played for Spurs, his career stalled by a serious knee injury. Now, at least, he is back on the grass, working with an individual coach as he tries to rebuild his body and confidence.

De Zerbi has been watching closely.

“He's working, not with the group but with the individual coach,” he said. “I'm observing him a lot, because first of all, he suffers too much, and as a human situation, it's been tough for him, and every one of us we are close with him for this period.

“Then he's a different player, he's a special player, if he's fit and he's available, he's a different player, like Xavi Simons."

There is no firm date for his return, only the broad aim of the first half of the season. For now, patience and support are the only options.

Simons and Odobert face long waits

Xavi Simons himself is at the very start of a long rehabilitation.

The Dutch star, compared so glowingly by De Zerbi, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the closing stages of last season. He watched from the stands at Brentford, offering support in plain clothes while knowing he will not be back on the pitch until next year.

The expected timeline is around nine months from the injury, pointing towards early 2027 for a full return.

Wilson Odobert is on a similar path. The winger sustained the same ACL injury a few months before Simons and is targeting a comeback before the end of 2026. It is a race against the calendar, not just for minutes, but to re-emerge as a genuine option in De Zerbi’s evolving side.

Seven senior players out. A 3-0 defeat on the board. A manager questioning his team’s fitness in public.

Yet this week offers Spurs a potential turning point: a new captain stepping onto the pitch, a vice-captain returning to his flank, and a gifted forward finally edging back into contention. The question now is simple: will that promised triple boost arrive in time to stop this season unravelling before it has truly begun?