The latest Spurs injury news - with Mohammed Kudus, Dominic Solanke and Pape Matar Sarr among 12 players who could miss the North London Derby.
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Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action this weekend when they face fierce local rivals Arsenal in the North London Derby – but Thomas Frank will be sweating on the fitness of a number of his first-team players ahead of Sunday’s match at the Emirates Stadium.
Spurs were already dealing with a host of injuries and fitness issues heading into the international break and now have fresh concerns about midfielder Pape Matar Sarr, who was hurt while playing for Senegal, and Lucas Bergvall, who was forced to withdraw from the Sweden squad. Several players including Mohammed Kudus, Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani, meanwhile, face battles to be fit.
In total, Spurs could be forced to make do without as many as 12 first-team players for the game against Arsenal – we’ve got all of the latest injury news and updates below, along with expected return dates for the stricken players.
How bad was Pape Matar Sarr’s injury over the international break?
The international break added a fresh name to the already lengthy list of players with fitness problems, with Sarr coming off just after half-time during Senegal’s 2-0 friendly defeat to Brazil – a match which somewhat ironically took place at the Emirates.
Sarr went down under a heavy challenge but his national manager Pape Thiaw seemed relatively unconcerned by the problem, describing his substitution as a “precaution” and adding that “I don’t think it’s a big deal.”
Despite that, Sarr has reportedly left the Senegal squad instead of travelling to Turkey to take part in Tuesday’s planned friendly match against Kenya. Spurs will assess him ahead of the North London Derby but the initial signs are that he will be available – the same can’t be said of another player who went down in that Senegal game, Arsenal defender Gabriel, who is now a major doubt for Sunday.
The only other fresh worry to emerge from the recent international matches concerns Lucas Bergvall, who has been sidelined since sustaining a concussion during the 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at the start of the month. The young midfielder had been due to join Graham Potter’s Sweden side but pulled out with his recovery not going according to schedule. He remains a serious doubt for the weekend.
Will Dominic Solanke, Randal Kolo Muani or Mohammed Kudus be fit to face Arsenal?
Spurs are also waiting on updates on the health of several key players who sustained injuries of varying severity prior to the international break, including strikers Kolo Muani (jaw) and Solanke (ankle).
Kolo Muani is highly unlikely to be involved due to a fracture which Frank initially described as “nothing big” – but The Evening Standard now report that he could be out for as much as six more weeks, meaning the most pessimistic return date for the Frenchman would be late December. The club have not yet provided a full update on the fitness of Solanke, who they had hoped would be able to return to training ahead of the Arsenal match. He remains a major doubt.
There is also some concern over the availability of summer signing Kudus, who missed the last two matches due to what Frank described as a “knock” and eventually missed out on the Ghana squad as a result. The Spurs head coach has, however, said that he is “very confident” that the 25-year-old would be ready to face the Gunners and he is not seen as a major doubt for the derby.
Other doubts heading into the weekend include defenders Ben Davies and Kota Takai (both thigh) who are expected to train ahead of the match, although neither is likely to start if fit.
When Dejan Kulusevski and others could be back for Spurs
Several other Spurs players are set to miss out this weekend, including Archie Gray (calf) and Yves Bissouma (ankle), both of whom are expected back in early-to-mid December, and playmaker Dejan Kulusevski – although the Swede is inching towards a return from a knee ligament injury.
Frank has been coy with details of his return date but the winger is back training on grass and it is hoped that he will be back in the matchday squad at some stage in December. The North London Derby, however, will come too soon.
Radu Dragusin, another victim of an ACL injury, could be back in action this weekend – the Romanian played 45 minutes in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Leyton Orient over the break and is now in full training. He could be ready for the bench this weekend. James Maddison, Spurs’ third and final player to sustain an ACL injury, remains some way from a return and may miss the entire 2025/26 campaign.