Tottenham Injury Updates: Boosts for Creativity Crisis

Tottenham finally have a point on the board. They still don’t have a goal.

A goalless draw at Nottingham Forest stopped the early-season bleeding, but it underlined a glaring problem: without their No10s, Roberto De Zerbi’s side look short of ideas, short of incision, and short of the kind of chaos that usually lives between the lines.

Savio and Destiny Udogie both continued their careful return to action at the City Ground, withdrawn around the hour mark as planned. No fresh issues there, just managed minutes. The real concern lies elsewhere.

Spurs are operating without their two natural playmakers, and it showed. Conor Gallagher and Mateus Fernandes worked, chased and pressed, but they never quite stitched the game together. The pockets of space where Tottenham usually hurt teams stayed mostly untouched.

Here’s where the cavalry stand.

James Maddison

James Maddison remains sidelined after damaging his shoulder against Brentford on the opening day.

He featured off the bench at the Gtech Community Stadium as he builds back from last year’s ACL injury, but he did not travel to Forest. The mood around him, though, has lifted. Maddison has rejoined full team training, a significant step for a player who, at his best, dictates Tottenham’s tempo and imagination.

If his progress continues, Spurs hope to have him back when Everton visit north London.

Potential return date: Everton (H), September 12, 2026

Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski is back on the grass, but Tottenham are treating his comeback with extreme care.

The Swede is recovering from a serious patella injury that has already cost him almost 18 months of football. De Zerbi revealed before the Forest game that Kulusevski had suffered a minor setback just as he rejoined the main group.

“Kulusevski started [training] with us at the beginning of the week, and then the last two days, a small, small problem, stopped [him from training],” De Zerbi said. “But I think he’s in a good way. It’s going very well. I already said the medical staff is very high level. We can be positive with him. I’m looking forward to having Deki in the squad.”

Tottenham will not rush him. They cannot afford another long lay-off. For now, his exact return date stays unclear.

Potential return date: Unknown

Xavi Simons

Xavi Simons is the long-term absentee Tottenham can’t replace easily.

The Dutchman tore his ACL against Wolves in April last season and has been ruled out for the rest of this year. His absence has ripped a hole in the No10 department, leaving Spurs short of that drifting, inventive presence between midfield and attack.

He remains around the squad in a supporting role, a visible figure at the training ground and on matchdays, but his impact will be emotional rather than tactical for some time yet.

Potential return date: Early 2027

Wilson Odobert

Wilson Odobert’s story mirrors Simons’ in injury type, if not in timeline.

The French winger also suffered an ACL tear last term, but his recovery is further advanced. While Simons is written off for the year, there is genuine hope that Odobert could pull on a Spurs shirt again before the calendar turns.

His return would not solve the No10 shortage on its own, yet his direct running and one‑v‑one threat would inject badly needed unpredictability into a forward line currently starved of spark.

Potential return date: Late 2026

Tottenham have their first point. What they need now is their creators back, before a season that promised so much starts drifting into another exercise in what might have been.