Tottenham have only signed two new players so far this summer in Mohammed Kudus and Kota Takai.
Spurs looked set for an exciting summer when the £60m release clause of Morgan Gibbs-White was triggered swiftly after the £55m signing of Kudus was announced.
However, developments on the transfer front have since gone quiet, as Nottingham Forest convinced the England international to sign a new deal and an alternative is yet to be seriously pursued.
Now, one of the two new signings at Tottenham in Kota Takai has suffered plantar fascia, but just how bad could this problem be? Let’s take a look.
Speaking to reporters in Hong Kong, Thomas Frank said: “Kota got a plantar fascia injury, unfortunately we don’t know the scale of it. (He could be out for) weeks.”
Plantar fascia differs wildly from the usual utterances of more common issues like hamstring strains and calf tears, and the fact it has already prevented the Japan international from making his debut in clashes against Reading, Wycombe and Luton does not offer much encouragement.
The NHS (National Health Service) website states that the condition – which “causes pain on the bottom of your foot, around your heel and arch” – can be chronic, and advises people to see a GP if it does not improve after two weeks.
Symptoms of the condition – which Takai may be struggling from – are as follows.
It goes without saying that the £5m arrival from Kawasaki Frontale regularly needs to do all of the above actions in his role as a professional footballer, so Tottenham will hope to see some improvement on his condition soon.
Kota Takai fitness was already seemingly behind the required level at Tottenham
Before the 20-year-old suffered his injury, he was involved in a gruelling fitness session at Hotspur Way.
Frank put his new charges through their paces – placing plenty of focus on running – and Takai looked absolutely exhausted after one particular drill.
The man born in Yokohama even said “not good” when asked how he felt after the session.