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Tottenham Hotspur supporters learned some more grim news about Dejan Kulusevski, as just days after Roberto De Zerbi stated that he would be very surprised if Kulu made the Swedish squad for the 2026 World Cup in North America, the Swedish national team did indeed leave him off their official preliminary squad for the tournament this summer.

Kuluseveski has not played since a year ago when he suffered a knee injury that initially seemed innocuous enough to only be an absence of a few weeks, with Kulu then expected to be ready for the 2025/26 season. But Kulu never was ready, and he never became ready during the season either. The months have rolled by with only a few smattering of updates, no real diagnosis on the extent of the injury, and fears from Tottenham supporters that Kulu may never play for them again.

After the announcement of Kulusevski missing the official World Cup squad, Swedish national team manager Graham Potter spoke about the star right winger and midfielder's injury, mentioning that the new goal is for the player to return to Tottenham Hotspur by the time the 2026/27 Premier League season begins.

Dejan Kulusevski has been missed

The former Chelsea and Brighton manager said, via Chris Cowlin, "With Dejan, again just a very difficult decision. We have to think about what is right for the team, that’s important but also Dejan is in a place where he has had a long fight and he is making progress. It’s important now that this time he can really focus on getting himself ready for the start of the season. Dejan is at a stage where his rehab is so important and he has made some progress. The aim for him would be to start the next season with Tottenham, hit the ground running and to get back on the pitch and do the thing he loves. We have to be careful about that and ultimately that is the priority for him. Once those games start [World Cup], you’re not in an area where you can do big 11 v 11 work, so it would be very difficult for him to get up to where we need him to be. Sometimes you have to take a decision of what does this look like. What is the impact for the player? What is the impact for the team? And it just felt in my stomach it was the right thing for us and for him, but of course now it’s tough to see that, because he wants to be there and he wants to play, I understand. He is a professional person and he accepts it, of course but it is also very difficult as it is with all the guys. These things don’t come along very often, it’s a dream and you’re ending a dream which is not a nice thing believe me.”

It has been quite bitter to see Dejan Kulusevski not in the World Cup squad, but it is, as Roberto De Zerbi said, impossible for someone who has never played to be fit enough and sharp enough for matches to be in the squad for a tournament as prestigious as a World Cup. And again, there is no physical indication that Kulusvski is ready to play games at all.

Tottenham fans just have to hope that Kulu can meet this next milestone of playing for them when the next season starts, because as this nightmare of a campaign has revealed, the Lilywhites really do need Kulu back in tow.

Cast your mind back to a simpler, more prosperous time, folks.

It's mid-May 2022, and Tottenham Hotspur have just brutalised their north London rivals in the derby. Suddenly, they're in the ascendancy in a race for Champions League football they had no business being a part of.

Antonio Conte has worked his magic, with the devastating relationship of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min making up for talent deficiencies elsewhere, even if the Italian's outfit was greatly improved by the January additions of Juventus outcasts Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski.

Our 3-0 beatdown of Arsenal ensured we had all the momentum, but the Gunners still boasted a point advantage with just two games left. Assuming Conte's train would continue to roll, we required a favour from elsewhere.

Step forward, Eddie Howe's Newcastle United.

Spurs need Newcastle to run it back to May 2022 vs. West Ham

Howe's Magpies were merely at the start of their exciting Saudi-led project, and Arsenal wilted at St. James' Park on a raucous Tyneside Monday night six days before the 2021/22 season's conclusion.

Newcastle's 2-0 victory helped us return to Europe's premier club competition, and although we criminally weren't able to capitalise on having one of the great league managers at our disposal, the Magpies' favour hasn't been forgotten in N17.

And now, we need their help again.

The situation is a little bit different in the North East this time around, with Howe's reign no longer in its burgeoning infancy. They've threatened stagnation and decline with their English manager at the helm, but are nonetheless committing to the same ideas for 2026/27.

Occupying 13th in the table, Newcastle aren't playing for much, and West Ham United are visiting for the Magpies' final home outing of a disappointing season. They've grown accustomed to losing in front of their fans this season, having previously turned SJP into a fortress, and Spurs require something more vintage from the hosts this weekend.

Should West Ham rock up on Tyneside and escape with three points, as they did last season, then the Lilywhites will be in serious relegation bother. That'd leave the Hammers a point ahead and likely leave Spurs needing four points from their remaining two games to stay up. One of those fixtures is at Stamford Bridge, where we've won once since the Premier League's inception, and the other will be at home, where we've won twice in the league all season.

Roberto De Zerbi is continuing to eke out as much as he can from his depleted squad bereft of reliance in attack, but James Maddison's cameo on Monday night should serve as great encouragement. There was plenty of doom and gloom after our 1-1 draw with Leeds, but survival is still in our hands, and Newcastle have helped us out at a similarly critical juncture before.

Have faith.

Tottenham Hotspur forward Randal Kolo Muani had one bright moment against Leeds United with a pass to Richarlison that the Brazilian striker then completely scuffed. That was the only thing he did of note in that game, though, and in the preceding months.

There have been an innumerable number of sluggish performers this season and disappointing players in the Premier League relegation fight, but even with the upturn in form under new manager Roberto De Zerbi, Kolo Muani has remained a clear negative for the Tottenham attack, which has been anemic, to put it mildly.

Despite a big reputation and a number of World Cup caps with the absolutely loaded French national team squad under Didier Deschamps, Kolo Muani has done very little to help Spurs or to show that he merits the big transfer fees, wages, and accolades given to his name - not necessarily earned.

Randal Kolo Muani is the king of flops

A few years ago, Tottenham Hotspur acquired a player on loan with a big reputation from the Bundesliga and hopes of bouncing back in Timo Werner. He proved to be a massive flop, missing chance after chance despite once being one of Germany's most prolific goal scorers and a Champions League winner for Chelsea.

But looking back on Werner's failed tenure at Tottenham, it looks a lot better in comparison to Kolo Muani. Werner had just two goals and three assists in ten starts in his first season with Spurs, but those are still way better numbers than what Kolo Muani has done in the Premier League this season.

The Frenchman has only one goal and one assist in 20 starts and more than double the total number of appearances that Timo Werner registered in his 2023/24 campaign in North London. Those are really pathetic numbers for someone who has played the minutes he has had.

Werner was a flop for Tottenham, unmistakably, but Spurs fans don't hate him at all because he always put in the effort. He would run so much for the team, so even though he was barely scoring any goals, he did pose some sort of a threat to the team and did his best under Ange Postecoglou to harry other players.

Randal Kolo Muani walks around like he's been mummified. It's like watching the corpse of a player who was once decent, strolling about the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with no urgency despite Spurs facing a threat to their existence. And when you compare his even worse output and his lack of effort to Werner at least trying his socks off - or even Richarlison these days - you really have to say that Spurs fans have been cheated by this deadline day transfer acquisition. Werner looks like a top forward in comparison to whatever Kolo Muani is pretending to do out there.

Soon this will be all over, folks. The unbearable tension is unlikely to cease until the very last moment, with a 1-1 draw against Leeds United allowing Doomsayers to re-emerge from their pits and prophesise Tottenham's impending demotion.

The existential crisis we've found ourselves in means little thought has been preserved for the upcoming World Cup, which, despite our dire campaign, plenty of the club's personnel are set to be involved in.

The tournament gets underway in just under a month with a repeat of the 2010 opener, and before that, we'll be alerted by a trickling of 48 squad announcements. FIFA's deadline is June 1, and Spurs' first official participant was confirmed on Tuesday.

Lucas Bergvall named in Sweden's World Cup squad

While some nations, including Argentina, Qatar and Uzbekistan, have announced preliminary World Cup squads, Sweden have joined Bosnia & Herzegovina in confirming their final rosters.

Both teams, perhaps coincidentally, qualified for the tournament via the playoffs in March, with Sweden fortuante to be in a position to progress at all. They finished bottom of their qualifying group, but were kept alive by their standing in the most recent UEFA Nations League.

Victories over Ukraine and Poland means they're heading to the World Cup after missing out in 2018.

And Graham Potter has selected Tottenham's Lucas Bergvall in his 26-man squad, which also doesn't feature Dejan Kulusevski. The injured playmaker has been out for just over a year with a complicated knee issue, and had promised his availability this summer after Sweden eventually qualified.

"A very, very difficult decision in terms of where he [Kulusevski] has been, what he's done over the last year, where he's at in terms of his rehab with four and a half weeks to go to that first game," Potter said regarding the omission.

"Once those games start, you're not really in a place where you can start playing in big areas, spaces and then be able to work. So it's very, very difficult to get up to where we need them to be, and so you have to make a very tough decision."

Spurs recently welcomed back James Maddison from an ACL tear, but Potter's update suggests we won't be seeing Kulusevski in action for a little while yet. Who knows if he'll be ready for the start of next season?

Anyway, back to Bergvall. The kid's had a stop-start season and has ultimately failed to build on the promise of his debut campaign, which sparkled during the second half. Injuries and managers haven't helped, but we can still exit the 2025/26 campaign disappointed with what Bergvall was able to produce.

Antonin Kinsky has been excellent in the Tottenham Hotspur goal ever since recovering a spot in the lineup after Guglielmo Vicario's hernia surgery, and he saved the best game of his young career for Monday night's narrow 1-1 draw with Leeds United.

The Czech shot stopper made a number of brilliant saves in sparing 1.35 xG for the Lilywhites, but the pick of the litter was an amazing second half stop to deny Sean Longstaff with the sort of reflexes that maybe even Vicario would have struggled to measure up to.

VIcario made his name off reflex saves, but increasingly, he became a liability for Tottenham because of his woeful work on the ball and penchant for making terrible errors. And whlie Kinsky had his fair share of slips on that nightmarish evening against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, he has not repeated those fluke mistakes and has been picture perfect in goal with much, much better distribution skills than what Spurs fans have seen in goal from a Tottenham keeper in ages.

Antonin Kinsky has the whole world buzzing

Even pundit Jamie Carragher, who can often be one of the most critical former players on television, could not help but wax poetic both about the saves Antonin Kinsky made against Leeds United, but on his overall play as the Tottenham starting goalkeeper in recent weeks.

Carragher said, via Chris Cowlin, "The save from Kinsky onto the bar from Longstaff is one of the saves of the season. The two saves he made, one in the first half, one in the second half, have made sure his team has got what could be a vital point. The only save that I can think that made me go 'Wow' was Jordan Pickford at Newcastle. That is certainly up there. He's got a presence about him that is better and looks more confident than Vicario. It must be the greatest save he's made in his career. To get your arm up that quick. Longstaff couldn't believe it. It makes his save in the first half look like a walk in the park. Who would have ever thought that he would probably ever play for Tottenham again, off the back of what happened at Atletico Madrid. You'd have to have a heart of stone if you didn't feel delighted for him. Everyone thought his Spurs career was over a couple of months ago. That could be the save that keeps them in the Premier League."

Every single Tottenham Hotspur supporter listening to Jamie Carragher speak about their young goalkeeper has to agree with what he is saying, both about the quality and importance of the save, as well as his status as the new No. 1 for Guglielmo Vicario.

Any questions about the best goalkeeper for Spurs going forward was answered by Kinsky emphatically against Leeds, and if that point is all that separates them from West Ham United at the end of the season, people will look back on Kinsky as an even bigger hero.

It has been a year since Tottenham Hotspur star right winger and midfielder Dejan Kulusevski last played in a game, as the knee injury that initially seemed like it would cost him a few weeks and then a few months has become a season ender.

Kulusevski is still no closer to returning to training for either Tottenham or Sweden, and while there was even optimism a couple of months ago that the former Juventus man would be able to help his country out this summer at the 2026 World Cup in the Americas, that hope has quickly dissipated.

it was Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi who first shared pessimism on Kulu's status, plainly stating that he doesn't see how someone who has not played in a year would be able to suit up for the national team at all this summer. It was a sad statement from De Zerbi to make about his own star player, but it was necessary for De Zerbi to be honest for his own credibility and finally nip the false hope in the bud.

Dejan Kulusevski's knee continues to cause major worries

And merely days after De Zerbi made those remarks about Kulu's status, the Swedish national team announced its official preliminary squad for the 2026 World Cup. Lo and behold, while young Tottenham star Lucas Bergvall is on the list as one of the center midfielders, as he should be, Dejan Kulusevski is not in the official World Cup squad this summer.

It is news that comes as no surprise to anyone rationally, but for every diehard Tottenham fan, it is the official killing of the hope and another setting in of the reality that nobody really knows when Kulusevski will be back on the pitch. And though he and others around Sweden assure that his career is not threatened, the lack of a concrete diagnosis or update on the extent of his knee, nor the prognosis on when he will finally back, still has every Spurs supporter imagining the worst.

What we know right now is that Kulusevski has been out for a year with a knee injury that is worse than expected, and he is not at all able to play or train on it. Roberto De Zerbi recently hinted at the press conference before the draw with Leeds United that he will try to have Kulu in the squad and hanging out with the team like he did before James Maddison's return from an ACL tear, but, at this point, Kulu's season is confirmed to be over.

Tottenham Hotspur are only two points ahead of West Ham United in 17th place in the Premier League relegation battle after drawing Leeds United 1-1, failing to capitalize on the Hammers losing 1-0 to Arsenal over the weekend.

Spurs are still in the driver's seat to safety from the EFL Championship, but a two point margin is much worse than four, as Spurs lost their chance to develop real distance and a safety net between themselves and their rivals before a huge game next Tuesday night against Chelsea, who are fighting tooth and nail to stay in European football.

West Ham have a big game of their own this Sunday in the Premier League, as they will do battle with another disappointing side in Newcastle United, who currently sit 13th in the table and are getting closer to falling out of the battle for European places in their own right.

Tottenham fans are crying conspiracy

After Tottenham Hotspur fans felt hard done by notorious Premier League referee Jarred Gillet over the weekend after a series of more controverisal calls that went against the Lilywhites, they were in for another rude awakening on Tuesday morning.

Gillet and Craig Pawson, per Sky Sports, via The Spurs Watch, will officially be the referees in charge of the match between West Ham United and Newcastle United on Sunday, and that has caused huge concern among the Spurs faithful.

Both Pawson and Gillet, especially, have been behind a number of decisions that have gone against Tottenham this season, and with each game that leaves supporters and even manager Roberto De Zerbi befuddled, Spurs fans are worried that in this era of constant betting and headline making, there is a conspiracy or even an implicit bias of people wanting to see Tottenham relegated because of how newsworthy it would be.

With so many calls going against Spurs constantly this season that defy any sort of logic, the disgruntled Tottenham fan base are naturally looking for the only possible logical explanation to hold onto, and this is the one they have settled on.

So with the Pawson and Gillet pairing now officiating West Ham's next game, you can see why Spurs fans are upset. Gillet just made calls that may have cost Tottenham points against Leeds, and now he is going to referee their biggest rivals in the relegation fight in the very next game. If things don't go smoothly on Sunday, Tottenham fans already have their pitchforks sharpened.

James Maddison gave Tottenham Hotspur and their supporters a huge lift when he was introduced in the 85th minute against Leeds United last night. He may be able to stake a late claim to be in Thomas Tuchel's England roster for the World Cup.

Maddison came on for the hero turned villain, Mathys Tel, in the 1-1 draw with Leeds. Tel had scored a sublime goal to give Spurs the lead, but went on to give away the penalty from which Daniel Farke's side scored.

Tottenham are now just two points above West Ham United, who occupy the final relegation place. Roberto De Zerbi's side still has two tough matches against Chelsea and Everton to go. If Maddison can help inspire Spurs to get results in these games and keep them in the Premier League, then he could be a dark horse for England at the World Cup this summer.

It would only be an outside chance for Maddison to make the England team, as the match with Leeds was the first game he played this season. He has been out for over a year with a cruciate ligament tear.

James Maddison has a lot to prove for England

Maddison is perhaps still seen as an unreliable quantity for England. Back in 2019, whilst he still played for Leicester City, the player withdrew from the Three Lions squad due to illness. However, he was then seen visiting a casino.

The attacking midfielder then went on to make his debut for England in a 7-0 win over Montenegro. However, he has gone on to play for the Three Lions just seven times in total. Maddison went to the last World Cup but suffered from a knee injury and did not play in any of the games.

There is a history of England taking injured players or players picking up problems at major tournaments. Therefore, it would be a gamble for Tuchel to select Maddison. Especially as the Three Lions have the likes of Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Phil Foden, and Cole Palmer as attacking midfield options.

It is a surprise that Maddison, at the age of 29, has only played for England on limited occasions. He is an FA Cup and Community Shield winner with Leicester City, whilst with Spurs, he lifted the Europa League. For Leicester and Spurs, he has a combined Premier League record of 56 goals with 51 assists in 223 matches.

Just when Tottenham Hotspur fans started to believe that never again would they see their side in the Premier League relegation zone, that could soon be the reality once more. On Monday night, Spurs could only draw 1-1 with Leeds United in N17, and a point just is not enough to substantially ease their relegation fears.

Mathys Tel's beautiful curler shortly after half time sparked wild scenes of celebration all around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but, by the end of the night, the Frenchman was the villain. Following VAR review, Tel was penalised for bicycle kicking Ethan Ampadu in the head, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin converting the subsequent spot-kick. Thus, 1-1 it finished, but only after a jaw-dropping save from Antonín Kinský in stoppage time; how crucial could that prove to be?

So, have Spurs edged a point closer to safety, or will they rue leaving two points on the table?

Tottenham and West Ham's remaining Premier League fixtures

As it stands, Tottenham sit two points clear of West Ham with only two matches still to play. No one else is in the running to join Wolves and Burnley in next season's EFL Championship. Well, if the Hammers are able to beat Newcastle United at St James' Park on Sunday night, they would leap out of the bottom three.

That's because, Tottenham are not in action again until next Tuesday night, visiting Chelsea. Even though the Blues are in horrendous form, not a single Spurs fan will be confident of getting a result in that one. Tottenham have won only one of 41 visits to Stamford Bridge since 1990, with Christian Eriksen and then Dele Alli twice on target during a 3-1 victory for Mauricio Pochettino's team on April Fool's Day in 2018. The Chelsea support are ultra-motivated to relegate Spurs, so just imagine how rocking the Bridge will be if Tottenham are indeed in the drop zone by then.

On the flip side, had Roberto De Zerbi's team beaten Leeds and then West Ham were defeated on Tyneside, Nuno Espírito Santo's side would be down and the Spurs stress would be over. In reality, Tottenham's destiny remains in their own hands, following those back-to-back away wins over Wolves and Aston Villa. Nevertheless, having not won a home game since 6 December, failing in ten attempts since beating Brentford, they do not want to rely on a victory over Everton on the final day.

Tottenham and West Ham required points tallies to survive

Realistically, West Ham really need to win their final two matches, against Newcastle and then Leeds. Speaking after Monday night's game, De Zerbi said "Leeds played a good game. We hope they play like this against West Ham". Spurs' goal difference is also superior by 11, which could be crucial.

Tottenham Hotspur botched a golden opportunity to put some breathing room between themselves and rivals West Ham United in this heated Premier League relegation battle, but they cannot rue on missed opporunities, mistakes, or controversial calls from the 1-1 draw with Leeds United.

Spurs must move forward with a resolve to fix what went wrong and get a result, because they will need to get a result against one of their big rivals who embarrassed them earlier this season under Thomas Frank, Chelsea. The Blues have been far from impressive lately, but they are a dangerous, wounded beast fightin from ninth place for a spot in European football next season.

Tottenham will face Chelsea on Tuesday night next week with plenty of rest to recuperate, and they will have a great equalizer in their tow in James Maddison, who was able to make his return for a few minutes at the end of the match.

James Maddison is a key weapon for Spurs

It was not enough time to truly make an impact and turn the game, but everyone from the Tottenham Hotspur side watching Maddison out there was both very happy to see the leader on the pitch - and had to come away with the impression that he is indeed a class above all the other midfielders at the club.

Tottenham were able to get good results with Rodrigo Bentancur and Conor Gallagher as leading men in the midfield, but especially with Xavi Simons down with a torn ACL, the quality of James Maddison as an attacking midfielder and a secondary source of goals with how poorly the strikers are playing is going to be massive, especially against an opponent the caliber of Chelsea.

Having Maddison back healthy is a really big deal, and even though he only got a few minutes against Leeds United and may only be ready for 30 minutes - even if not 60 and certainly not the full 90 - against the Blues is enough of an upgrade and enough time on the pitch to make a difference.

Because Maddison is the caliber of player with his vision, experience, understanding of the game, and technical quality to turn a critical rivalry match of this magnitude in the relegation fight on its head in a moment's notice.

Tottenham have been missing that quality of Maddison's around the box all season, even when they had Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons healthy together. James Maddison showed the touch on the ball and overall quality in a mere few minutes against Leeds to give Spurs hope, and now he is here to help them get the result they need vs. Chelsea.