London Evening Standard

Spurs boss Thomas Frank will hope for some key returns following the October international break

Comeback trail: Tottenham trio Dominic Solanke, Randal Kolo Muani and Dejan Kulusevski

Getty Images

George Flood

COMMENTS

Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Matt Verri

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Tottenham have a number of injury issues persisting as we head into the October international break.

Spurs continued their fine start to life under Thomas Frank by ending newly-promoted Leeds’ remarkable home run on Saturday lunchtime, Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus netting either side of a Noah Okafor effort to secure a hard-fought 2-1 victory at Elland Road.

It was the perfect response from Tottenham to a run of below-par draws against the likes of Brighton, Wolves and Bodo/Glimt, temporarily taking them up to second in the Premier League table before Arsenal’s subsequent win over West Ham that took them top and pushed their north London rivals down to third, behind Liverpool.

Frank will no doubt be pleased with the breather of another international break with several players still sidelined, with a busy fixture run coming up including games against the likes of Aston Villa, Monaco, Everton, Newcastle, Chelsea, FC Copenhagen, Manchester United, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain.

With that in mind, here is all the latest Tottenham injury news and potential return dates.

Dominic Solanke

Dominic Solanke has been bothered by a persistent ankle injury over recent months and last played for Tottenham in the 2-0 win at Manchester City on August 23.

A recent return to training led to hope that the England striker would be back in action very soon, but unfortunately the issue continued to linger and the decision was eventually made for him to undergo minor surgery.

Read More

Frank 'emotional' over Tel goal as Spurs boss makes touching gesture

Tottenham ratings vs Leeds: Kudus cements his status, Simons is sharp

Kudus downs Leeds to send Spurs into international break on a high

Sponsored

Get inspired by these next-level adventure travel ideas

Frank was unable to give a timeframe for Solanke’s return, insisting Tottenham would discover more after the international break.

Potential return date: Unknown

Randal Kolo Muani

In addition to no Solanke, Tottenham’s attacking options have been further weakened by the absence of Randal Kolo Muani.

Their Deadline Day loan signing from PSG has only featured once for his new club so far, making a late cameo appearance off the bench in last month’s Champions League win over Villarreal.

Kolo Muani has since been sidelined with a troublesome dead leg that has taken a while to heal, ruling him out of five consecutive games.

He was back on the grass for a few days before the win over Leeds and is not in the France squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Iceland, so should be in contention to play against Aston Villa after the international break.

Potential return date: Sunday October 19, vs Aston Villa (H)

Yves Bissouma

Yves Bissouma last played for Tottenham in May, left out of their squad for the UEFA Super Cup clash with PSG in Udine in August due to disciplinary reasons.

He has since been nursing a knee injury, with Frank commenting in the middle of last month that he had only recently started running outside and was yet to return to any group activities.

Frank said he did not know when Bissouma would be back in training, with a potential return to match action “further down the line”.

Potential return date: Unknown

Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski has been a big miss for Tottenham so far this season, yet to play as the result of a kneecap injury.

He underwent patella surgery before the Europa League final in May and it was later reported that he would likely be unavailable until the turn of the year.

However, Frank said most recently that the Swede had a “good chance” of playing again before the end of 2025.

“It’s not tomorrow but hopefully not too far away,” the manager said.

Potential return date: November/December

Kota Takai

Kota Takai has yet to play for Tottenham since his £5million move from J-League club Kawasaki Frontale in June.

The Japanese defender was dealing with a plantar fascia injury in his foot, but Frank said last week that he had been back training with the team for a week to 10 days and was getting “better and better”.

He could be pushing for involvement straight after the international break, provided there are no further setbacks between now and then.

Potential return date: Sunday October 19, vs Aston Villa (H)

Radu Dragusin

Radu Dragusin returned to Tottenham training in early September as he stepped up his return from an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in the Europa League win over Elfsborg back in January.

Frank said then it would be a little while yet until he was ready to be considered for selection, though with two more weeks of training under his belt, we could potentially see the Romanian defender back in the squad after the international break.

Potential return date: Sunday October 19, vs Aston Villa (H)

James Maddison

James Maddison suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Tottenham’s pre-season friendly against Newcastle in South Korea back in early August.

The England midfielder underwent surgery and is expected to miss the majority of the 2025/26 campaign.

Potential return date: Unknown, potentially summer 2026

MORE ABOUT

The Frenchman opened the scoring with a deflected strike at Elland Road, as Spurs went on to beat Leeds 2-1 and end their two-year wait for victory in a match before an international break.

Tel led the line in only his second Premier League start of the season and produced his best performance to date. A looping header hit the bar just before half-time, while he played Xavi Simons in behind with a lovely pass after the break.

It has been a largely frustrating couple of months for Tel, who was left out of Spurs’ squad for the league phase of the Champions League.

However, after Tel broke his goalscoring duck, Frank was full of praise for the 20-year-old, having pulled him in front of the away fans to soak in the ovation on the pitch.

“So happy for him. I think the character he's shown from a young man just really impressed me from day one. But of course after a setback, not coming in the Champions League squad, not being an established player.

“Maybe playing a good position where I really can see him play and I think he's taking steps. Also been picked a little bit for the left. So just keep training well, which he does. He trains well every day.

Tel has showed glimpses of his potential this season without producing his best form. He got into several good positions against Doncaster in the Carabao Cup, but on more than one occasion swung at thin air in the box.

Frank revealed that his assistant Justin Cochrane and Spurs’ individual development coach Cameron Campbell have been working closely with Tel to make him more effective in front of goal.

“And the way we worked with him from a fine game against West Ham as a striker to a better game against Doncaster, where he arrives more in the right areas. I know he could have scored two goals but as I say he arrives there, because we trained and we showed clips.

“To the next level today, where I think he worked hard, he scored a good goal. I know there was a little deflection, but the connection was good. He has a header, other good situations. So very, very pleased."

Mathys Tel also produced his best display of the season in a gritty win

Improving: Xavi Simons

Getty Images

Matt Verri

COMMENTS

Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Matt Verri

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Tottenham went into the international break on a high with a 2-1 win over Leeds at Elland Road.

After a strong recent record of coming from behind, Spurs took the lead here through Mathys Tel as a deflected strike opened his account for the season.

Leeds hit back before the break through Noah Okafor, but Mohammed Kudus got his first goal in a Spurs shirt in the second half to earn Thomas Frank’s side all three points.

It is the first time in two years that Spurs have won the match immediately before an international break.

Here’s how Standard Sport rated the Spurs players at Elland Road...

Guglielmo Vicario 6

Set a nervy tone when getting nowhere near an early cross. Parried ball into Okafor’s path for equaliser, but good save with his feet to deny Dominic Calvert-Lewin and strong hand in stoppage-time to keep Joel Piroe’s strike out.

Pedro Porro 4

Ran ragged at times by Okafor, who had the beating of him from the opening minutes. As vulnerable in defence as he’s looked this season and poor in attack too.

Cristian Romero 6

Maybe relished an increasingly hostile atmosphere too much, squaring up to Okafor in the second half. Some strange decisions to charge up the pitch and leave Spurs exposed.

Read More

Kudus downs Leeds to send Spurs into international break on a high

Three things we learned from Spurs win as Frank gets his message heard

Leeds vs Tottenham LIVE: Latest score and updates from Premier League

Sponsored

The inspirational travel edit

Micky van de Ven 7

Overall had the pace and strength to match Dominic Calvert-Lewin. A couple of unconvincing moments but solid enough as ever.

Destiny Udogie 7

A real threat down the left wing and linked up nicely with forward players. Deserved better with a couple of balls flashed across the face of goal.

Joao Palhinha 5

Slightly off the pace. Booked for a rash challenge and was loose on the ball. Didn’t quite provide the usual stability in front of the defence.

Rodrigo Bentancur 7

Crucial foot in to start move for Tel’s goal and provided good cover when Porro was struggling. Place in the side has been questioned really but he was important here.

Mohammed Kudus 8

A menace for the Leeds defenders, despite bad first-half miss. So strong and powerful and got his first goal for the club with a deflected strike. Feels like Spurs’ most important attacker.

Xavi Simons 7

Looked much sharper than he has in recent matches. Relished the freedom in a central role, some bright moments without really taking control as he threatened to.

Wilson Odobert 7

Confidence appears to be returning for the Frenchman. Drove positively with the ball and thrived with Simons and Tel to combine with. Deserves to keep place on the left.

Mathys Tel 8

His best performance for a long time. Got his goal with a deflected strike, denied a second by the bar. Linked the play well in a top striker’s display.

Substitutes:

Richarlison (Simons 73’) 5

Didn’t hold the ball up well enough after coming on, but forced a corner to tick away seconds with decent late effort.

Pape Matar Sarr (Tel 73’) 6

Little to do on the ball but provided energy in midfield as Leeds pushed.

Kevin Danso (Odobert 84’) N/A

Brennan Johnson (Kudus 90’) N/A

MORE ABOUT

Teenager, 19, jailed in Dubai over holiday romance with girl, 17, killed in crash after car fails to stop for police in north London

Teen jailed in Dubai over romance with girl killed in London crash

Teenager, 19, jailed in Dubai over holiday romance with girl, 17, killed in crash after car fails to stop for police in north London

Teen jailed in Dubai over romance with girl killed in London crash

Extremely rare Georgian dockmaster's house by Tower Bridge and built into the dock walls on sale for £15m

Georgian dockmaster's house on river by Tower Bridge on sale for £15m

Teenager, 19, jailed in Dubai over holiday romance with girl, 17, killed in crash after car fails to stop for police in north London

Teen jailed in Dubai over romance with girl killed in London crash

Extremely rare Georgian dockmaster's house by Tower Bridge and built into the dock walls on sale for £15m

Georgian dockmaster's house on river by Tower Bridge on sale for £15m

Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl review: Penis metaphors and poor little rich girl tales start to chafe

The Life of a Showgirl: Penis metaphors from a poor little rich girl

Extremely rare Georgian dockmaster's house by Tower Bridge and built into the dock walls on sale for £15m

Georgian dockmaster's house on river by Tower Bridge on sale for £15m

More than 850 people have donated towards a review of the football academy in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

A crowdfunded bid to block the building of a new training ground on Green Belt land for Tottenham Hotspur’s women’s team is nearing its £30,000 target.

More than 850 supporters have donated to the cost of seeking a High Court review of Enfield council’s decision to allow Spurs to build a “football academy” for women and girls in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield.

Campaign leaders said the success of the fundraising campaign showed there was “widespread support for saving our beautiful park - both locally and further afield”.

They hope that no development will take place until the court has the chance to review the case.

A spokeswoman for the Guardians of Whitewebbs campaign group said: “The amount raised means we can proceed as long as we are granted a ‘costs cap’, which limits the amount of costs we would have to pay if we lost.

“It's great news that locals can hold Enfield council to account when it comes to fencing off and building on vital green space in our park.

“What has been amazing is that 850 people have made donations, which shows the community is really on our side on this.”

Lawyers acting for the Guardians of Whitewebbs have already submitted a request for a judicial review.

To have a chance of victory, they have to prove that the council misled its own councillors when they granted permission, or that it acted irrationally.

The case will only proceed to a full hearing in open court if a judge decides that the campaigners have an “arguable” case.

“We have faith we can achieve a fair result,” the Guardians spokeswoman said. “The decision to allow a private company to enclose and develop part of this beautiful public park needs to be challenged.

“It's not acceptable for us to lose public parkland to private interests. We are working with a talented team at the Public Interest Law Centre and we will do everything in our power to have the decision overturned.”

An Enfield Council spokesperson said: “Enfield Council is confident that proper legal processes and procedures have been followed in the determination of the planning application and will vigorously defend the judicial review.”

It the latest twist in the battle to prevent the construction of the training ground.

Last year, the campaigners failed to overturn the granting of a 25-year lease on the parkland, for which Spurs paid the council £2 million.

With the crowdfunding appeal closing in two days, almost £28,000 had been raised towards the £30,000 “stretch target” to ensure all legal costs of bringing the case are covered.

Enfield council granted Spurs permission for the development in February. Planning consent was ratified in July when Jules Pipe, Sir Sadiq Khan’s deputy mayor for planning, declined to intervene.

At the time, a City Hall spokesperson said “while the proposal represents inappropriate development on the green belt, very special circumstances have been demonstrated”.

The plans had been described as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” by Spurs striker Bethany England, who said the facilities would allow the club to compete with the top teams in the Women’s Super League – Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd and Man City.

But campaigners said there was no reason for Spurs not to allow its women’s squad to use its existing training ground in Enfield that is used by its men’s team.

The development will involve the loss of 40 acres of rewilded grassland and the felling of over 200 trees. The campaign is being backed by organisations including CPRE London, which opposes the sell-off of green spaces to professional sports clubs.

A Spurs spokesperson told the Standard earlier this year: “We are delighted that Enfield Council’s Planning Committee has voted to approve our proposals. This is a special site and one we know extremely well being based next door. Our proposals will secure its future with a green use and ensure it remains an open and inclusive place for local people to enjoy.

“We shall improve local access to nature and habitats, provide new facilities for visitors, community groups, and sports clubs, and put Enfield on the map as a champion of the Women’s and Girls’ game with a best-in-class Academy.

“We should like to thank all those who have engaged with us over the past few years and we shall now work with Enfield Council to conclude the necessary legal agreements. We shall of course continue to keep our local community updated on our next steps.”

Read More

Tottenham's controversial women's training ground plan in Enfield's Whitewebbs Park gets the green light

Tottenham Hotspur get green light for training ground despite anger over 'loss of beautiful park'

'If you can get over your laughter, that’d be great': Judge tells jury in sheep sex case near Spurs training ground

Tottenham get the green light for new ground

MORE ABOUT

Who is the Manchester synagogue terrorist? Everything we know about Jihad Al-Shamie

Everything we know about the Manchester synagogue terrorist

The England international has not played for Spurs since appearing as a late substitute in the 2-0 win over Manchester City in the Premier League in August due to a lingering ankle issue sustained during pre-season.

Solanke’s attempted recovery has proven a slow and frustrating process, with a comeback to training a fortnight ago not leading to the desired return to match action as his pain remained.

Instead, the 28-year-old underwent minor surgery earlier this week in a bid to finally correct the problem, ruling him out of Tuesday’s Champions League draw with Bodo/Glimt in Norway and Saturday’s trip to Leeds in the top-flight.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank said they would discover more on a potential new time frame for Solanke’s return after the forthcoming October international break, but that he did not expect him to be sidelined for long.

Frank also defended Spurs’ handling of the injury after being asked if the club had effectively wasted a month of Solanke’s recovery by not electing for surgery earlier.

“I think if you can look from two ways,” Frank said ahead of the 2-2 comeback draw with Bodo/Glimt. “That's the easy answer, but it's not that easy.

“If we knew we could have done the surgery a month ago, we probably would have done it.

“So for me, I'm always like I imagine, ‘oh, it is what it is, we deal from now’. No doubt that the way we dealt with this is because we thought this was the right way because I think in general, no one wants a surgery, no matter how small it is.”

Now Solanke has issued his own update on his protracted injury saga, writing on his Instagram story on Wednesday night that the operation had been a success and that he hoped to return to contention for Spurs “in the very near future”.

“The last few months have been very frustrating as I’ve tried everything possible to try and push through my ankle issue before taking the option of surgery.

“None of this managed to solve the problem, so we had to go ahead with minor surgery which I underwent this morning.

“It was all successful so hopefully I’ll be back on the pitch in the very near future. Thank you for all your love and messages.”

Solanke joined Tottenham from Premier League rivals Bournemouth in a £65million deal in the summer of 2024, going on to score 16 goals in 48 appearances across all competitions so far.