Roberto De Zerbi is finally being tipped to play a big-money summer signing in his best position when struggling Tottenham Hotspur face Coventry City in the Monday Night Football.
Spurs are still looking for their first three points of the season and will move out of the bottom three and above their opponents if they can land an elusive home victory.
De Zerbi has had more than a week of preparation for the game against Frank Lampard’s men and even took his players on a warm-weather training trip to Marbella for some team bonding.
While it’s been a disastrous start to the new campaign, there have been some signs of improvement, with the comeback against Manchester United last weekend – after the red card to Rodrigo Bentancur – a prime example.
However, the game against Coventry will be no walkover, with the visitors having won their last two Premier League games and thrashed Newcastle last time out.
Tottenham have also not been helped by fresh injuries to Savio and Lucas Bergvall, who both started the draw at Old Trafford, while Bentancur begins the first of his three-match ban.
With Bergvall and Bentancur unavailable, it leaves a central midfield spot up for grabs and, according to Football.London‘s Spurs insider Alasdair Gold, it could mean that Mateus Fernandes finally gets to partner Sandro Tonali in De Zerbi’s engine room.
The £85million summer signing has struggled when largely utilised as a starting No.10 this season, but made much more of an impression when coming off the bench and playing deeper.
A full week of physical conditioning will have also helped Fernandes, with De Zerbi constantly commenting on the Portugal star’s fitness since the start of the campaign.
Posting on X, Gold believes that De Zerbi is finally ready to unleash Fernandes in his favoured central midfield role alongside Tonali for the game with the Sky Blues.
He wrote: “The Savio and Bergvall injuries, along with Bentancur’s suspension, means Spurs fans might see finally Mateus Fernandes play alongside Tonali in the centre of the pitch, while Luca Williams-Barnett might even get a spot on the bench. Both Kulusevski and the teenager coming on would be great.”
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Kulusevski finally back in the Tottenham mix
The return of Kulusevski is a huge boost for the club, with the Swede not having featured in a game for 526 days due to a serious knee injury.
Kulusevski has been working well in training and played in a behind-closed-doors friendly during the international break, to build up his sharpness and match fitness.
Whether he is actually introduced to the action will very much depend on the game dynamics, but De Zerbi has admitted that Kulusevski’s fellow playmaker James Maddison could start his first game in more than 500 days.
The mere mention of Williams-Barnett will also get Tottenham fans champing at the bit, with the young Spurs talent widely recognised as the next major talent to come through the club’s academy.
De Zerbi has so far been reluctant to call on the 18-year-old, who has scored 46 goals and chalked 18 assists in 56 youth matches for the club.
However, with Savio and Bergvall out and Richarlison not in the Premier League squad, it’s almost certain that the young forward will take his place on the bench on Monday evening.