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Harry Kane became the fifth Englishman in football history to win the Ballon d'Or on Monday evening after being crowned the 2026 winner in London.

The Bayern Munich striker managed to beat Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal to the award after scoring 73 goals in all competitions in the 2025/26 campaign.

Kane thanked many of his current and past managers, including Jose Mourinho, in his acceptance speech. He said:

“I want to give a shoutout to some of my coaches who have helped me along the way, and if I’ve forgot anyone, I'm really sorry, but I'll start from early days. Bradley Allen, Chris Ramsey, John McDermott - who's here tonight; Alex Inglethorpe, Tim Sherwood, and Ryan Mason - who's here tonight, one of my best friends; Kenny Jackett, Russell Slade, Harry Redknapp, Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, and then Roy Hodgson, Gareth Southgate, and of course, my two managers, Vinnie and Thomas now.

“All you played a big role in my development, all at different stages in my life, and without each and every one of you, I wouldn't be standing here today. For sure, I learned lots and when you surround yourself with the best people, with the best coaches, it only improves you as a person and, and as a player, so thank you very much.

Jose Mourinho and Harry Kane's Conversation in First Ever Meeting

The conversation that Mourinho and Kane had in their first ever meeting at Tottenham Hotspur has now re-emerged and gone viral again on X (formerly Twitter) following the Englishman's Ballon d'Or triumph.

The meeting took place after Mourinho was appointed Tottenham manager in 2019 and featured on Amazon's sports documentary 'All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur'.

The Portuguese promised the English star that he would 'explode' with him, while Kane said he has ambitions to get to the top of world football and match Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Mourinho started: "I believe that you have a very good relationship with Mauricio [Pochettino], I love that. I always think, good relationship with the previous manager. Why not me?

"I saw you training yesterday and I have no doubts that you are a leader. That is my feeling. The world looks to English football with incredible respect, but they still think that the movie stars of football belong to other places.

"We have to build your status in that direction. My profile, I am a little bit like that as a coach. My dimension is universal and by being with me, I think I can help you to… [makes explosion gesture]."

Key Events Timeline

November 2019 — Tottenham sacked Mauricio Pochettino and appointed Jose Mourinho, who immediately met Harry Kane.

August 2020 — Amazon's 'All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur' aired Mourinho's promise that Kane would explode.

April 2021 — Spurs sacked Mourinho trophyless, six days before the League Cup final.

August 2023 — Kane left boyhood club Tottenham for Bayern Munich in a record German transfer.

May 2025 — Kane won the Bundesliga, claiming the first major trophy of his career.

Kane responded: "Yes, that's my aim. When you're at a club like Tottenham, of course, we've done well, and personally, I've done well, but I want to be... Ronaldo, Messi."

Mourinho then added: "What I don’t accept, because it is my nature, is to be here and win nothing. But I feel that we can because of you. You have better players than I had at Manchester United. The club has a lot [of potential] to explode."

Eight years on from that conversation and Kane, now 33 years old, has finally reached the very top of world football by winning the Ballon d'Or. Mourinho played a big role in him achieving that feat.

Back-to-back wins have been hard to come by for Tottenham Hotspur in recent years, but three wins in a row have been like gold dust.

The last time Spurs won three Premier League games on the spin was in February 2025, when Ange Postecoglou was the manager.

The Lilywhites will have the opportunity to emulate that feat on Saturday though, when they take on Crystal Palace at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs followed up their first win of the season in beating Coventry City, by making it two on the bounce at a place where they had only won once in the Premier League era. Beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge almost never happens, but Roberto De Zerbi masterminded the result to push Spurs up the table into 14th, knowing a third straight win could see them move into the top half of the table on Saturday night.

Things are suddenly looking up in N17 after a difficult start to the campaign which saw them bottom of the table before last week's win over the Sky Blues.

De Zerbi has had players return to action at the perfect time, with long-term injured Dejan Kulusevski getting cameo minutes into his legs in both of the last two matches, while James Maddison has been able to start both of the wins, going off early in both.

The Englishman did go off injured five minutes into the second period of the win over Chelsea, although he walked out of the stadium in west London without the need for crutches or a protective boot, suggesting the injury may not be as bad as people feared.

De Zerbi said afterwards: "I think it's not a very important problem. We need to do the medical check tomorrow, after tomorrow, I don't know. I hope it's not a big problem because he's a special player for us. We need him."

There will be a temptation for De Zerbi to go qwith the same starting lineup from the clash with Chelsea when Palace come to north London on Saturday. But, given Maddison's potential injury, the Italian may have to make at least one change, while there are a couple of others he could make too.

Goalkeeper and defence could change slightly

Antonin Kinsky will remain in between the sticks for lack of a better option and there could be one change made in the backline that starts in front of him.

Archie Gray has done a magnificent job at right-back and in the midfield against Coventry, but could drop out of the team altogether on Saturday given Pedro Porro has returned to action.

The Spanish World Cup winner got 26 minutes plus injury-time in his legs against Checlsea and should be ready to take his place in the starting lineup.

Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven impressed against Chelsea and should keep their places, with Andy Robertson also staying as the left-back choice in the absence of Destiny Udogie.

Midfield makes sense but change could be necessary

Tottenham fans finally got to see big-money signings Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes alongside one another in the six and eight, and the player ratings after the Chelsea win showed just how excellent the duo were against the Blues.

Spurs spent £185million on the duo in the summer and they should be the chosen pairing for some time to come, albeit with the likes of Gray, Rodrigo Bentancur (when he returns from suspension) and Lucas Bergvall putting pressure on them for starts.

However, a change ahead of them could see Gray move back into midfield and Fernandes playing slightly higher...

The forward line may need a slight tweak

Ahead of them, as we've already mentioned, Maddison could drop out as a result of his injury and not placing too much pressure on him after only just returning to the team.

Fernandes could move forward, to play in the ten, accommodating Gray alongside Tonali, with Bentancur still having one more game of his suspension to serve.

Mathys Tel was excellent against Chelsea and will keep his place on the left, with Mohammed Kudus likely to do the same on the right.

Up front, the striker could be changed. Omar Marmoush missed a glorious chance to score in the first half against the Blues and could be replaced fm the start by Dominic Solanke for the game with Palace.

Tottenham Hotspur are still waiting on news to find out how serious James Maddison's groin injury is after he limped off in the win over Chelsea.

The playmaker was making his second start of the season after scoring on his return to the side in the win over Coventry, and had an excellent first half for Spurs. But the 29-year-old was forced off with another injury just minutes into the second half, with many of his teammates and opponents consoling him as he limped off the pitch.

There was some concern that he could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines once again, having only recently recovered from a serious knee injury and picking up several knocks since, but a fresh update has now emerged on the latest issue.

According to a report by Gary Ward, Maddison picked up a groin injury in the 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge, and will be assessed this week to discover the severity. It's still unclear how long he will be sidelined, but the hope is that it won't be too long.

There is less positive news surrounding the fitness of defender Destiny Udogie, who has missed the last two games with a knee problem. The Italian hasn't trained since the 1-1 draw with Man Utd, and there is currently no timeline for his return.

Summer signing Tosin was not in the squad for the game against his former club after he also limped off against Coventry, but the Nigerian is expected to be in contention for the next game against Crystal Palace next weekend.

Lucas Bergvall is also expected to return to the squad for that clash in north London, but forwards Mykhailo Mudryk and Savio remain sidelined. The Brazilian, who joined from Man City in a £86m deal this summer, is targeting a return against Ipswich Town on November 21st, after the upcoming international break.

De Zerbi Has Discovered His Best Team

Spurs have picked up back-to-back wins in the Premier League for the first time since May, and it has coincided with the manager discovering what his best team is.

The defence currently picks itself, and Pedro Porro's return will only make them stronger. The addition of a true number ten in Maddison has made a huge impact too, and the boss will be hoping his injury isn't too serious so that they can continue that momentum.

After spending big money in the summer and having a lot of problems at the start of the campaign, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and Spurs are finally starting to see the improvements they wanted.

Crystal Palace's poor form means Spurs will have an excellent chance of getting yet another victory, and the injury update that has now emerged will be a positive for everyone involved.

Former Premier League referee Graham Barber has exclusively told GIVEMESPORT that if he was the man in the middle for the game between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, he would have shown Cole Palmer a straight red card for the incident with Mateus Fernandes.

The big game of the weekend was at Stamford Bridge where the two London rivals locked horns and, for once, it was Spurs who came out on top, picking up only their second win in the Premier League era at the home of their west London opponents.

The visitors were the better team on the night and deserved all three points, which made it back-to-back victories for Roberto De Zerbi's side following a poor start to the season.

But they were certainly helped on their way by a red card for Palmer with ten minutes to play. Spurs led 1-0 at the time through a Mike Penders own goal, with Mathys Tel putting the seal on the result with a second against the ten men in the 87th minute.

But it was what happened ten minutes before Palmer was actually sent off that caused all the controversy on the night.

Cole Palmer incident sparked a melee between Chelsea and Tottenham stars

Chasing back on Palmer, Fernandes got in a good tackle before slipping to the ground and then dragging the ball back with his hand to stop Palmer continuing his run.

The Chelsea star was furious and, with Fernandes trying to get up, barged into his head, knocking him back down to the ground holding his face. It was an unsightly incident and led to a melee between the players.

Fernandes was shown a yellow card for the handball, with Palmer also given the same colour for what he did by referee Chris Kavanagh. VAR did not intervene to suggest a red card for violent conduct, although fans and pundits alike felt Palmer was very lucky not to be sent off.

Palmer did receive his marching orders in the 80th minute after leaving his foot in on a challenge with Conor Gallagher, picking up ta second yellow card and Chelsea's miserable night was compounded.

Speaking on Sky Sports, co-commentator Gary Neville said: "Cole Palmer's lost his head in these last few minutes. He was lucky to avoid a red card earlier, and that one is a no-brainer.

To do that five minutes after the challenge on Fernandes is just silly. He sticks his studs in, he knows exactly what he is doing.Naughty, really naughty.

And now GMS' own former Premier League referee has delivered his verdict on the incident.

Barber, who spent nearly a decade officiating in the top flight said: "It wouldn't surprise me if he had been sent off.

"I've always said to you that two yellows need to equal a red. So in the particular outcome of this match, it was yellow and yellow because his second challenge was equally poor. His second challenge was a late challenge, probably with a genuine attempt to make a tackle.

But his first challenge was just petulant.

"If he'd been sent off, I wouldn't have been surprised.

"The only thing sometimes you look at the cynicism of Fernandes on the floor with a deliberate handball which must, if, if you think about that from a player's point of view, it must be infuriating when somebody does something just deliberately so far outside of the laws of the game.

"But having said that, that doesn't justify his reaction. If he'd got a red card, no one would have argued.

"Nobody wants anybody to sit on the fence and if I was the referee I would have potentially sent him off to be honest, because it was just a ridiculous reaction."

Tottenham Hotspur forward Mathys Tel has not always had it easy since arriving at the club from Bayern Munich in February 2025.

The 21-year-old has taken his time in adjusting to Premier League life, his transition beleaguered by the form of teammates and turbulence under Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank. Against Chelsea on Saturday night, he looked like a player reborn.

The Frenchman caused problems all evening at Stamford Bridge and topped off his performance by scoring Spurs' second goal in the 2-0 win.

Mathys Tel 'thrives' against Chelsea

It would be quite the comeback story to see Tel become one of the key attacking forces at Tottenham this season. The versatile forward, who cost the club £30 million last summer, had only scored seven goals in his previous 65 outings for the side prior to netting against Chelsea.

Tel has failed to scored in consecutive games for Tottenham last season and a run of goals could be transformative for his career in North London. If his performance against Chelsea was anything to go by, perhaps the Frenchman could be on the verge of doing just that.

Rated an 8/10 for his efforts by The Standard, Tel was praised for a 'cultured finish' and for finding 'plenty of joy' on the flank. Indeed, his solo goal at the death was brilliant, but the forward offered much more than that.

The striker caused a world of problems for young Chelsea defender Josh Acheampong when running at him one-on-one, and also forced Mike Penders to work in the first half. Tel touched the ball 10 times in the Chelsea penalty box and was a livewire.

Speaking on Match of the Day, pundit Steph Houghton said: "Mathys Tel was the outlet to go one-on-one, really confident going forward and allowing the Spurs team to get up the pitch and cause Chelsea problems. He was there and available; he thrived all day in getting Chelsea on the back foot.

"In terms of going from his half, into the Chelsea half, the ability to touch it across defenders, drive and be so composed to get his shot away, that comes down to confidence throughout the whole team."

Mathys Tel stats v Chelsea -

Minutes played: 89

Goals: 1

Successful dribbles: 4

Sprints: 13

Recoveries: 4

Passes completed: 33/39 (85% accuracy)

Tottenham star bounces back from 'trampoline feet' criticism

The head-turning performance comes just a month after talkSPORT presenter Jamie O'Hara slammed Tel after the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool. He said: “The problem is we don’t take our chances and are soft. Ice creams. We’re like a flake in 30-degree heat.

“And why is Tel still playing? I’d rather Richarlison played. He’s guff, he’s terrible, he’s got trampoline feet. He’s everything that’s bad about Tottenham. We signed him for £50m.”

There's still much improvement for Tel to make, but just perhaps the egg may be on O'Hara's face. The Spurs forward is certainly keen to use Saturday evening as a building block.

Speaking after the match, he said: “It’s a very special [moment] because we have come to Chelsea so many times and not got a win. We showed great mentality today and we need to enjoy this win.

"We created a lot of chances today, we walk out together, the goal is something special for me, I’m happy about it and let's keep pushing now."

Tottenham Hotspur claimed a historic 2-0 win over rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday night for a second consecutive Premier League win.

Spurs were the better team throughout and finally broke the deadlock in the 77th minute as goalkeeper Mike Penders punched into his own net from a corner. Mathys Tel then wrapped up the three points with a stunning solo goal, where he ran from his own half and beat two Chelsea defenders before slamming the ball into the net from outside the box.

It was an excellent performance from the north London club, following on from the 3-1 win over Coventry City and 1-1 draw at Old Trafford against Man Utd, and Roberto De Zerbi is now beginning to figure out which players he can trust and rely on.

In defence, the manager already has his trusted soldiers. Micky Van de Ven, summer signings Jan Paul van Hecke and Andy Robertson, World Cup winner Pedro Porro, and utility man Archie Gray can all be called upon with no issue, regardless of the opponent.

In midfield, Sandro Tonali has started to find his feet after his £100m move from Newcastle, while Mateus Fernandes finally stepped up with a man of the match performance against Chelsea, showing everyone why they paid £85m to take him off West Ham. Ahead of them, James Maddison has made a huge impact in his last two appearances and seems to have secured the number ten role, although his injury in the second half may see him sidelined for a period of time.

His knock in the second half saw De Zerbi introduce Conor Gallagher into the number ten role, and immediately the team saw their control and technical level drop, and that's a problem.

It's no coincidence that the team's best performances have come with a more traditional and technical midfielder in the number ten role, because De Zerbi likes to control games and have his players be fluid with their movement.

But Gallagher, while he has his positives when it comes to pressing and energy, is not that player. He's not that tidy in possession, isn't the most technical, and his best attributes come off the ball rather than on it.

With Maddison injured, De Zerbi would be better off using the likes of Omar Marmoush or Mohammed Kudus in the number ten role instead of Gallagher. That poses an issue for Gallagher going forward, because in the deeper roles he is rightly behind all of Tonali, Fernandes, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, and even Archie Gray.

Gallagher Exit in January Makes Sense

With so many obstacles in his way, and the fact that De Zerbi likes a different style of player, an exit away from Tottenham for Gallagher may make sense for a lot of people.

For Gallagher, a move away can see him play more regular football, while also getting him into his more preferred role, which could see him resurrect his England career potentially, at a time where Thomas Tuchel is welcoming opportunities for players.

For Spurs, they have Xavi Simons returning from an injury in the new year, while Dejan Kulusevski and Maddison will be looking to build up their fitness too, which means his absence likely won't be missed too much, and they can recoup some of the money they spent on him a year ago.

De Zerbi can't fully trust the former Atletico Madrid man to carry out his instructions, and likely never will be able to. That makes it better for everyone if they go their separate ways, and the sooner the better.

Mateus Fernandes was absolutely outstanding in the middle of the park for Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.

The Lilywhites secured an impressive first away victory of the season against Chelsea, courtesy of a disastrous own goal from young Blues goalkeeper Mike Penders and an excellent finish from Mathys Tel. Roberto De Zerbi's side shocked the West Londoners and the on-watching world, producing a vibrant offensive performance against Xabi Alonso's men.

The result moves the North Londoners up to 12th in the Premier League table, and they now sit just four points behind their West London rivals, despite failing to win each of their first six matches.

Fernandes' exceptional display is dominating the post-match narrative in Spurs' spheres, with his tireless defensive work ethic and his eye-catching progressive passes certainly making him the standout performer.

The Portuguese was at the heart of everything for Spurs, conducting their build-up from the base of midfield alongside Sandro Tonali. He finished the match with 121 touches, 91 completed passes and 20 line-breaking passes, all whilst making 14 defensive contributions, more than anyone else on the pitch.

Having been used somewhat sporadically by De Zerbi since signing from West Ham United for £85 million in the summer, the 22-year-old's standing in Spurs' squad has surely been significantly elevated by this heroic showing.

That said, the ex-Southampton man wasn't the only Spurs player who put in a nine out of ten performance on the day.

Mathys Tel Was Brilliant For Tottenham Against Chelsea

While Fernandes conducted Spurs' possession game in the engine room, Mathys Tel ran the Lilywhites' attack.

The Frenchman has endured an extremely difficult time since signing for Tottenham, but this performance at Stamford Bridge could prove to be a turning point for him. Despite receiving pelters from Gary Neville on Sky Sports' broadcast for some of his wastefulness in the final third, Tel was by far De Zerbi's team's most threatening player throughout.

Not only did he brilliantly dispatch Spurs' second goal, driving inside and neatly slotting the ball into the bottom corner, but he also provided his team with a constant outlet on the left-hand side.

For all of De Zerbi's outfit's pretty build-up patterns, they've lacked forward players who have been capable of receiving the ball in advanced areas consistently so far this term. Tel provided a solution to this issue on Saturday evening, consistently making himself available in the final third, ending the match with 58 touches — he was highly involved.

On top of this, he actually provided Spurs with a route to unlocking Chelsea's defence through his aggressive ball-carrying and dribbling. He completed four of his six attempted dribbles (more than anyone else on the pitch), while he had ten touches in Chelsea's box (also more than anyone else), showing just how prominent and important he was to Tottenham's attack.

It wasn't an entirely polished performance by any means. There were moments when he failed to execute in promising positions, and sloppy instances on the ball when he was dispossessed.

However, he ultimately managed to do what he was tasked with doing - make an impact. He was bright, unrelenting in his attempts to make something happen and generally just a nuisance for Chelsea to deal with.

Tel has been ridiculed for many of his performances in the recent past, and rightly so. Too often, he's shirked responsibility and failed to make any meaningful impact on games. These criticisms cannot be levelled at him for the contributions he made to Tottenham's victory at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.

This performance could prove to be the making of him in a white shirt.

Tottenham Hotspur claimed a huge 2-0 win over rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, as Roberto De Zerbi's side made it back-to-back wins in the Premier League for the first time since May.

Spurs had the better of the first half and had the first real chance after Omar Marmoush played through Mathys Tel, but his low shot was well saved by Mike Penders. Chelsea then pounced on a mistake by Antonin Kinsky, but he recovered to make a great stop to deny Jordan Henderson.

James Maddison was forced off with an injury just minutes into the second half in a major blow for the visitors. But Spurs continued to be the better side and opened the scoring with just 13 minutes remaining as deputy goalkeeper Penders punched into his own net from a corner. Cole Palmer was then shown a second yellow card minutes later to reduce the hosts to ten men.

Mathys Tel then scored a stunning solo goal to wrap up the points late on, putting the cherry on the top of a brilliant performance.

Maddison Shines Again Before Injury Blow

Antonin Kinsky - B

After a difficult start this season, Kinsky showed that Spurs may have been right to trust him as the number one, with a number of big saves in the first half.

Archie Gray - B

Moved back to right-back after his excellent performance on Monday in midfield, and did an excellent job of locking down Geovany Quenda, while also providing support to Tonali and Kudus going forward.

Jan Paul van Hecke - C

With Joao Pedro out, Spurs had to deal with a false 9 and the centre-backs dealt well with the spaces and fluidity of the Chelsea attack. Van Hecke was strong in possession too, which helped massively with the north London side keeping control.

Micky Van de Ven - C

Much like his defensive partner, Van de Ven barely put a foot wrong all night. A strong performance from the skipper, who looks to be getting back to his best under De Zerbi.

Andy Robertson - C

Despite his age, Robertson dealt with the threat of Pedro Neto on his wing fairly comfortably throughout, and also showed great determination to get forward in attack. His crossing could and should have been better, but overall a very positive showing from the veteran.

Mateus Fernandes - A

Without a doubt the best performance of his young Spurs career. Playing in his preferred deeper midfield role, the Portuguese midfielder showed his all-action style and responded to the challenge set out to him by the manager with a phenomenal performance.

Sandro Tonali - B

After joining for big money in the summer, there has been a lot of expectation on the Italian. But his performance at Stamford Bridge was exactly why Spurs spent £100m to bring him in. He was everywhere throughout the 90 minutes, helping in all phases, and showed that he can be the top man the club wanted him to be.

Mohammed Kudus - D

Once again, the Ghana international was electric in possession and looked lively, but couldn't deliver anything in the final third to help the team. Ultimately, a disappointing outing, but one that showed promise for what could be if he finds some form.

James Maddison - C

The playmaker was once again in the starting lineup and showed his quality, making a huge difference to the team's build-up play and intent. Was gutted to be substituted off minutes into the second half due to an injury.

Mathys Tel - C

Tel was given the opportunity on his preferred left-wing, but went backwards with the ball far too often and couldn't beat his full-back anywhere near regularly enough in the early stages of the game. Showed his quality with a stunning goal late on as he ran the length of the pitch and smashed into the bottom corner.

Omar Marmoush - D

Played as a central striker once again despite his goal last week from the wing, and was once again struggling to make an impact through the middle. Couldn't link up with the other forwards enough to have an impact, and was substituted having offered very little.

Substitutes Shine/Struggle

Conor Gallagher - E

Replaced Maddison against his former club, and did little else other than foul and get a needless booking for wrapping his arms around Morgan Rogers. Hard to see a long-term future for him under De Zerbi with their differing styles of play.

Dominic Solanke - C

Came on and made a big difference in attack, occupying the Chelsea defence physically and with runs in behind.

Pedro Porro - C

Made his return from injury and was excellent at the back, while also providing his usual thrust going forward to help seal the win.

Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi and his recruitment team need to make some big calls in 2027 as they need to continue clearing out the dead wood.

Spurs did a good job clearing out their squad during the previous summer transfer window, allowing the likes of Luka Vuskovic, Cristian Romero, and Djed Spence to leave.

Tottenham even looked to sell some of their young talents on permanent deals, including Will Lankshear, Ashley Phillips, and Alfie Devine.

There's no doubt that, after a disappointing start to the Premier League season, Spurs will continue to look to offload players, especially if they want to continue spending big.

Spurs brought in a number of new additions in the summer, spending hundreds of millions to try and get them out of the mess they are in.

In order to continue spending, they'll have to bring money in, which means there could be some tough decisions made by De Zerbi and his recruitment team.

One player Tottenham have to start considering offloading is attacking midfielder James Maddison.

Although the 29-year-old is undoubtedly a top player for Spurs on his day, his availability simply isn't good enough.

There's a saying that the best ability is availability, and Maddison's injuries are becoming a big concern.

It doesn't matter how good a player is. If he struggles to even get on the pitch, there's little value in having him at the club.

Maddison will be on a big wage at Tottenham, and since the start of the 2025-2026 season, he's made just nine appearances in all competitions for Spurs.

Tottenham are unlikely to get huge amounts of money for Maddison due to his injury history and age, but getting his wages off the books to bring in a more reliable player would be a smart move.

Maddison, who was previously described as being 'untouchable', showed his quality against Coventry during his first start for the club in over a year, but he suffered another injury blow, which proves the above points.

Maddison suffers yet another injury problem

Speaking to the media ahead of Tottenham's game against Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend, manager De Zerbi provided an update on the fitness of Maddison.

The Italian manager confirmed that Maddison didn't train for the first three days of this week, and he's unsure if he will be available to face Chelsea.

"In the first three days Maddison didn’t work with us. I don’t know if he is available for tomorrow. We can play with Tel, with Marmoush, with Gallagher."

It's yet another injury concern for Maddison, and he simply can't be relied upon by De Zerbi.

The Tottenham manager will be regularly working on things during training, not even knowing if one of his key attacking players will even be fit enough for the games.

Maddison is certainly a character and leader around the place at Tottenham, but they can't just keep him around for sentimental reasons.

Brazilian forward Richarlison is another who's likely to be offloaded, considering he wasn't even named in the Premier League squad for this season.

Tottenham Hotspur face one of their most difficult away trips of the season on Saturday, when they make the short trip across London to face fierce rivals Chelsea.

Spurs finally got their season up and running with their first victory of the campaign on Monday night, beating Coventry City 3-1, with James Maddison returning to the starting lineup and scoring, before Omar Marmoush bagged his first goal for the club and Ben Davies put the icing on the cake.

But Spurs follow that with a trip to a stadium where they barely ever get a result. Tottenham have won just once at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League in 33 attempts. And they are llikely to be without some key players for the Saturday evening clash in west London.

Here GIVEMESPORT takes a look at those who could be missing.

Andy Robertson

Went off injured late in the game with Coventry, replaced by Ben Davies who went on and scored the third and clinching goal.

De Zerbi said there were "no injuries" although Robertson was not spotted in a training ground video released by Spurs on Friday.

The Italian confirmed on Friday afternoon that the Scotland international is available.

Tosin Adarabioyo

Defender also went off early in the win over Coventry, although De Zerbi said, as above, that there were "no injuries" and that there was "nothing important".

The centre-back was not seen in training ground footage, but looks set to be available for the clash with Chelsea.

Omar Marmoush

Another who went off before the full-time whistle in the game with Coventry, having scored his first goal for the club.

However, he was spotted in training ground footage, working alongside his teammates, with De Zerbi saying the "no injuries" line about the Egyptian too.

Destiny Udogie

Much like the majority of his Tottenham career, Destiny Udgoie's start to the new season has been stop-start. Played 74 minutes against Manchester United but then was not in the squad for the game with Coventry.

De Zerbi said that he "suffered a problem in his knee and we did not take a risk", about the full-back, who was ruled out by the Italian on Friday.

Pedro Porro

Porro suffered a hamstring injury against Aston Villa, ruling him out of Spain's Nations League matches during the international break.

The right-back did not make the squad for the game at Old Trafford, or the game against Coventry, but De Zerbi suggested that he might be able to play against Chelsea, with the Spaniard spotted in training with his teammates this week.

"Pedro, I think he's coming. Maybe in Chelsea he can play."

On Friday, De Zerbi confirmed his availability for the trip to Stamford Bridge.

James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski

Maddison made a goalscoring return to the XI on Monday night, while Dejan Kulusevski made his first appearance for the club in more than 500 days as a second half substitute.

However, De Zerbi suggested on Friday that both players might not be involved against Chelsea, with Maddison not training in the days after the Coventry win.

Kulusevski has also been training inside alone, with a chance neither player is risked on Saturday evening.

Savio

De Zerbi ruled out Savio for the last match with Coventry and the Brazilian will not return to action for theis weekend's game with Chelsea either, with the winger set to be out for a number of weeks.

"No Savio, unfortunately Savio on Tuesday before leaving for Marbella felt a muscular problem and we have lost him for some weeks," he said.

Ruled out.

Lucas Bergvall

Lucas Bergvall missed the game with Coventry City on Monday night after De Zerbi confirmed the Swede had suffered an injury against Manchester United.

De Zerbi said last week: "Lucas Bergvall because he had a problem in Manchester early on in the first chance he created for Dominic Solanke. He felt pain in his knee but felt fine and on Sunday he came to the training ground and he'll be out for two weeks."

Ruled out.

Long-term injuries

Xavi Simons is working his way back to full fitness and there is a feeling that he is ahead of schedule with his ACL injury, having initially been expected to return in early 2027.

Wilson Odobert is also coming back from an ACL injury and was thought to be returning to first team action by November time.