Tottenham Hotspur look set to be boosted by a key star’s return from injury against Everton this weekend, in a move that should fix a major issue that has blighted Roberto De Zerbi’s side in their opening three Premier League games.
Spurs remain winless and are yet to score a goal in the league, although there were some positives to come out of the goalless draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, not least of which was getting a first point of the season on the board.
While De Zerbi’s side looked far more solid defensively than they had in their opening two losses against Brentford and Newcastle, there was still a major lack of cutting edge in attack.
In fairness, a large reason behind those struggles in the final third has been the absence of playmaking talent like Xavi Simons, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, with the latter suffering a slight shoulder fracture as a substitute in that opening weekend defeat to the Bees.
Both Conor Gallagher and Mateus Fernandes have been utilised in the No.10 role, but that could change on Saturday when David Moyes’ men arrive in north London, with the Evening Standard reporting that hugely influential creator Maddison should return to take on the Toffees.
The England attacker missed almost the entirety of last season due to an ACL injury and there were fears his shoulder issue could keep him out for an extended spell too. However, The Standard states the 29-year-old, who has 16 goals and 21 assists in 79 games for Tottenham, should be available for selection again this weekend.
The former Leicester City star has been training since the end of last week and is expected to be in the matchday squad to take on Everton, although it’s unclear at this stage whether he will be considered fit enough to start a game that already feels like a must-win for De Zerbi.
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Tottenham still missing injured trio
Meanwhile, three more Tottenham attacking stars will remain on the sidelines for the Toffees clash, and the foreseeable future, when it comes to two of them anyway.
Dejan Kulusevski, who has spent almost 18 months on the sidelines with a serious patella injury, is not expected back on the pitch any time soon, despite recently making a return to first-team training.
Speaking about the Swede prior to the Forest clash, De Zerbi told reporters: “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].
“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.”
As for Simons and Wilson Odobert, the pair are continuing to rehab their respective ACL issues.
Winger Odobert is expected to return to action before the end of the year, but Simons is still projected for an early 2027 comeback.
But having Maddison back in contention will be a huge boost to De Zerbi, who admitted after the game at the City Ground are lacking creativity and a clinical edge in the forward areas.