Tottenham Injuries: Every Player Ruled Out for Relegation Run

“I started with not big luck!” Roberto De Zerbi reflected with a palpable sense of ruefulness soon after being appointed by Tottenham Hotspur. That was an understatement at the time and has since only been compounded by more misfortune.

Beyond bad bounces of the ball, terribly timed injuries have dogged the Italian’s brief tenure. Xavi Simons notably added his name to the long list of casualties and has also been joined by first-choice striker Dominic Solanke. The Daily Mail claim that the hamstring injury the center forward sustained in a rare win over Wolverhampton Wanderers could keep him sidelined for as many as eight weeks.

There is the slim possibility of a swift recovery of three weeks—which would open up the chance of some involvement on the final day—although the report confidently describes Solanke’s season as “over.” Thanks to De Zerbi’s rotten luck, he is hardly Tottenham’s only long-term absentee.

Every Tottenham Player Ruled Out for Rest of Season

Dominic Solanke

Injury: Thigh

Last Appearance: April 25 (vs. Wolves)

Solanke’s hamstring injury will also likely scupper his chances of sneaking onto the England roster for this summer’s World Cup. A selfless forward adept at holding the ball up, the Spurs man arguably serves as the closest stylistic replacement to Harry Kane at Thomas Tuchel’s disposal.

The 28-year-old appeared in both of England’s March friendlies but may have seen his international aspirations wiped out by overstretching at Molineux.

Xavi Simons

Injury: Knee

Last Appearance: April 25 (vs. Wolves)

No sooner had De Zerbi started forming a “special connection” with Xavi Simons than Tottenham’s potential savior ruptured his ACL. The Dutch playmaker was left “heartbroken” by the diagnosis

“All I’ve wanted to do is fight for my team,” he lamented, “and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me, along with the World Cup.”

Cristian Romero

Injury: Knee

Last Appearance: April 12 (vs. Sunderland)

Cristian Romero may boast one of the worst individual and collective debut seasons as a Tottenham Hotspur captain across the club’s 144-year existence.

The combustible Argentine has lived up to all his worst character traits, collecting 11 yellow cards and two reds while patrolling a backline which has conceded the fourth-most goals in the Premier League. To top it off, Romero got shoved into his own goalkeeper to sustain a knee injury which has forced him to watch the final six weeks of the season from the sidelines.

Wilson Odobert

Injury: Knee

Last Appearance: Feb. 10 (vs. Newcastle)

No Tottenham player has taken more shots this season without scoring a single Premier League goal than Wilson Odobert (21). The erratic winger won’t have the chance to break his duck after getting struck down with the ACL curse coursing through Spurs.

Ben Davies

Injury: Knee

Last Appearance: Jan. 17 (vs. West Ham)

Any warm body would be of use to Tottenham at this point but Ben Davies’s chances of featuring again this season appear to be slim. The experienced defender has been sidelined since undergoing ankle surgery in January.

If Davies’s season is over, so too could be his Spurs playing career. The 33-year-old is set to be out of contract in June, bringing an end to his 12-year stay in north London.

Mohammed Kudus

Injury: Thigh

Last Appearance: Jan. 4 (vs. Sunderland)

Mohammed Kudus had been upheld as Tottenham’s saving grace upon his return to training earlier this month only to suffer a dramatic relapse which will likely keep him out of action until the World Cup.

De Zerbi took partial blame for Kudus’s absence. “I don’t want to push too much as we lost Kudus in this way,” the Italian coach admitted. “I will use the players when they are totally available to play and start training; it’s better to lose one more game than get another injury.”

Dejan Kulusevski

Injury: Knee

Last Appearance: May 11 (vs. Crystal Palace)

Dejan Kulusevski must have to be considered a hypothetical Tottenham player at this point. Last season’s leading assist provider has been sidelined with a unique knee injury since May, clouding his return in mystery by refusing to make any public statements—until March.

When Kulusevski was drawn upon his potential return date, he failed to mention Spurs at all, focusing instead on getting back to feature for Sweden at this summer’s World Cup.

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