This damned football club really does have a knack for sucking the life out of you. No wonder the majority of us seldom veer from a state of pessimism.
There was reason for genuine excitement at a critical juncture in our modern existence. We're just a point above the relegation zone with seven games to play, but there's now an idea to believe in, folks. Sure, the man with said idea may not be the most adorable of characters, but Roberto De Zerbi is a talented coach capable of adhering to the mystical "Tottenham way".
One man he must've been excited to get his hands on was Mohammed Kudus. Brighton & Hove Albion were keen on signing the then-Ajax forward in 2023 before the Ghanaian opted for West Ham (?), and the signs had been pointing towards an imminent return to action after more than three months out.
But on Thursday we were reminded that we cannot have nice things.
Kudus setback only raises relegation fears
Vicious, nasty rumours circled on social media earlier today regarding a possible injury setback to Kudus that could require surgery, thus ending his season.
'ITKâs' are very hit and miss, we all know that, but those on the inside were unfortunately incredibly accurate about this bit of terrible news.
Opting for transparency, the club have since confirmed the aforementioned reports. Kudus had been in training and may well have been in contention for Sunday's trip to Sunderland, having injured his quad in the reverse fixture at the start of the year.
The setback means Kudus, who carried a bleak Thomas Frank-led era, won't at all aid our fight for survival. We haven't won a Premier League game without him, by the way.
This isn't good, of course its not. I've remained confident that we'll shake off this nightmare situation, but I also thought we'd be getting our best attacker back for the run-in. Now what do we do? Johan Lange stiffed us in January, and that comment about players soon returning from injury doesn't look so smart now does it, fella? God, just get the guy gone already!
Fortunately, there's a gifted coach to get behind, and we can hold out hope that James Maddison, yet to play a single minute this term, could contribute at some point. The English playmaker is continuing to step up his recovery from an ACL tear, and Igor Tudorâremember him?âwas confident that Maddison would play again this season.
So, I wonder when he'll be rupturing his Achilles, knowing our luck...