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Spurs injury crisis could ease ahead of Arsenal showdown

Latest: Richarlison, Pedro Porro and Lucas Bergvall

Standard Sport

Arthur Ferridge

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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau

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Tottenham are hopeful of some good news on the injury front ahead of Sunday’s north London derby.

The Spurs squad have been hit by another injury crisis but new head coach Igor Tudor could be boosted by the return of some key players against Arsenal.

Tudor has taken over a Spurs squad missing as many as 11 first-team players after Wilson Odobert was the latest player struck down by injury when he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee against Newcastle last week.

Cristian Romero remains suspended for their next three games and will miss what is a huge game for Spurs in their bid to pull clear of relegation danger.

Here’s all the latest Tottenham injury news and potential return dates...

Pedro Porro

Pedro Porro has been out since suffering a hamstring injury in the 2-2 draw at Burnley last month.

Porro has missed the last four Spurs games but the right-back has been pushing to return in time to face Arsenal.

Pedro Porro has been pushing to return in time for the north London derby

Getty Images

Speaking at the end of January, former Spurs boss Thomas Frank was asked with Porro could be back for the north London derby.

“That could be a dream scenario, and it just could happen,” said Frank. “We will know a little bit more when we get closer - but it's in that bracket.”

Potential return date: February 22 vs Arsenal (H)

Richarlison

Richarlison was initially ruled out for up to seven weeks when he suffered a hamstring injury in the FA Cup win against Aston Villa on January 10.

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But, like Porro, Frank said last month that the Brazilian could potentially return in time to face Arsenal.

Richarlison was injured against Aston Villa on January 10.

REUTERS

Richarlison is Spurs' top scorer this season with seven goals in 21 Premier League games and his return to fitness would be a major boost given the injury crisis.

Tudor will provide an update on the fitness of Richarlison and Porro when he holds his press conference ahead of the Arsenal game.”

Potential return date: February 22 vs Arsenal (H)

Lucas Bergvall

Lucas Bergvall has been out since suffering an ankle surgery in the 2-0 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund on January 20.

Bergvall underwent surgery and Spurs have not put a timescale on his recovery, but there were positives reports in Sweden this week about his recovery.

Lucas Bergvall is out with an ankle injury

Action Images via Reuters

The midfielder is no long wearing a protective boot and his recovery is said to be “going in the right direction”

It is claimed Bergvall could be back on the pitch in around six weeks and that he is in “a race against time” to be fit for Sweden’s World Cup play-off against Ukraine at the end of March.

Potential return date: Late March/early April

Kevin Danso

Kevin Danso snapped the ligament in his big toe in the 2-0 Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt on January 28.

Danso has missed games against Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle, and his injury comes at a time when Spurs are missing Romero through suspension.

Speaking last week ahead of the Newcastle game, Frank issued the latest update on Danso.

Frank said: “He met the consultant. It's going forward, but it's still weeks before he's available.”

Potential return date: Late February/early March

Destiny Udogie

Destiny Udogie has once again been struck down by a hamstring injury.

The left-back was injured in the 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford on February 7 and was last week ruled out for up to five weeks.

Destiny Udogie suffered a hamstring injury against Manchester United

REUTERS

"Unfortunately, Destiny has a hamstring injury and will be out for the next four to five weeks,” said Frank before he was sacked.

Potential return date: Mid-March

Mohammed Kudus

Mohammed Kudus has been out since suffering a hamstring injury in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland on January 4.

Kudus was initially ruled out until after the March international break, and reports last week said the winger was in Amsterdam to see a specialist as he bids to return.

Kudus travelled back to Amsterdam to consult a trusted expert from his time at Ajax and is still said to be targeting a return to full training after the March international break.

Potential return date: April

Wilson Odobert

Wilson Odobert suffered a serious knee injury against Newcastle last week and Spurs confirmed he would have surgery.

Wilson Odobert suffered a serious knee injury against Newcastle

Action Images via Reuters

Odobert is the latest long-term injury problem at Spurs, who said in a statement: “Wilson will see a specialist next week before undergoing surgery, and will then commence his rehabilitation with our medical staff. We're all behind you, Wilson.”

Spurs have not put a timescale on his return but he will not be back until next season.

Potential return date: Late 2026

Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski has been out since the end of last season with a patella injury.

Reports in Sweden last week claimed Kulusevski is “nowhere near stepping out” on the pitch.

Just before he was sacked, Frank said he was unsure if Kulusevski would play again this season.

“It's a complicated injury where it’s important to make sure there’s no pain in the knee,” said Frank. “That’s why he got an injection and it hopefully will help. So in three to four weeks’ time, he’ll be on the grass pain-free."

Posting on Instagram last week, Kulusevski shared a video of himself in the gym at Hotspur Way going through an intensive set of single-legged squats with his injured right leg.

Potential return date: Unknown

Rodrigo Bentancur

Rodrigo Bentancur was ruled out for three months after undergoing hamstring surgery in mid-January.

It means Bentancur is set to miss the majority of the rest of the season..

Potential return date: Spring 2026

Ben Davies

Ben Davies could have played his last game for Spurs after suffering a broken ankle in the 2-1 defeat to West Ham last month.

Davies has under a second operation and is a doubt for the World Cup should Wales qualify.

The left-sided defender has been at Spurs for 12 years, playing 448 games, but is out of contract at the end of the season.

Potential return date: Unknown

James Maddison

James Maddison has been sidelined since suffering a serious knee injury in pre-season.

He has since undergone surgery but is not expected to feature for Spurs this season.

Potential return date: Summer 2026

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Igor Tudor has reputation for being an intense character with blunt manner

Tudor must turn round a team with two wins from 17 in the Premier League

AFP via Getty Images

Matt Verri

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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau

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Clubs hunting for an interim manager mid-season have often activated the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer model.

Solskjaer at Manchester United was what ChatGPT might offer up as the ideal candidate for a temporary stint in charge.

Pre-existing links to the club? Tick. A unifying figure for the fans? Tick. A 'go out and have fun lads' attitude in contrast to the previous regime? Full house.

Tottenham have previously deployed the same line of thinking, based seemingly on vibes above all else. Twice in the space of three seasons they turned to Ryan Mason.

Had Matt Wells still been at Spurs, rather than leaving in December to take charge of Colorado Rapids, perhaps he would have been the latest internal appointment.

Instead, Spurs have left the well-trodden path. With the stakes now much higher, they have gone rogue.

Tudor will take charge of his first Spurs against Arsenal on Sunday

Youtube/Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs sit 16th in the table and five points off the bottom three. Igor Tudor is the man they have tasked with keeping them in the Premier League.

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It is a significant risk. Tudor has no experience of Spurs or English football more generally, and is now thrown into the cauldron to lead a team with two wins in their last 17 Premier League matches.

Once Spurs decided to go down the interim route, Edin Terzic and Marco Rose were on the shortlist. Robbie Keane was a contender too.

The club wanted someone with track record of making an immediate impact and Tudor is an interim specialist. The choppier the waters, the more comfortable the 47-year-old is.

This will be the ninth time the Croatian has joined a club mid-season. Taking charge of Udinese in 2018, after the club had lost ten straight Serie A matches, Tudor led them to seven points from four matches. A year later he returned to steer them clear of relegation again.

Tudor arrived at Lazio in March 2024 and won six of his 11 matches in charge. At the same time of the season a year later, he lost only one of his first nine Juventus games.

Thomas Frank was unable to stamp his authority on this Spurs dressing room and there is a danger that an interim boss lacks the status to change that.

Cristian Romero was outspoken and caused problems for Frank. If and when survival is secured, the World Cup will likely be viewed as an increasing priority for many, particularly Romero.

With the players knowing Tudor will be gone in the summer, there is no guarantee he will get the buy-in he wants.

However, the Croatian can be expected to shake things up. Training will be tough and he is an intense character. The Spurs players will have a rocket fired up them.

Tudor is not one to come in and just get the squad smiling. Dimitri Payet, who played under Tudor at Marseille, remembered: "We all got acquainted with someone who was coarse and blunt.

"In his manners and words, he was authoritative. We were all a bit shocked."

Tudor likes to play a back-three system. Whether that remains the case at Spurs, where keeping that many defenders fit has been a challenge, remains to be seen.

Spurs captain Cristian Romero has been an outspoken figure at Spurs

Getty Images

On paper, it will be a stark contrast to what Frank served up this season. Tudor has played front-footed, attacking football, with pressing a key emphasis.

Trying to implement that with a squad creaking with injuries will be a major challenge. A north London derby at home to Arsenal on Sunday will be a test of just how brave Tudor is feeling and just how much confidence he has in the players.

Spurs sources have insisted the interim boss will be considered for the permanent job but Tudor is not one to hang around. Only once has he lasted more than a year in a dugout.

Even a job well done here - moving Spurs up towards mid-table and perhaps reaching the Champions League quarter-finals - is unlikely to earn him the full-time gig.

All signs point towards Spurs moving for Mauricio Pochettino. He has made it clear he wants to return but even his loyalty, surely, does not extend to being a Championship manager.

Tudor, a man well-accustomed to chaos and upheaval, must ensure there is still an appealing baton to pass on in the summer.

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Tottenham have been accused of selectively editing the minutes of a fans' meeting held earlier this month, including taking out a line saying the club "welcomed the input" of supporters.

Representatives of the Spurs board, including chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, met with the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust on February 3, just over a week before Thomas Frank's dismissal as head coach.

THST says there were a number of specific points raised in the meeting "which the club did not agree to include in the final published version, despite our request".

Among the lines THST says were taken out were: "The club welcomed the input of THST."

Also edited out, THST claims, was a section outlining fans' concern at the risk of relegation from the Premier League, and that the belief generated from winning the Europa League last season had now been "lost".

Concerns around the lack of young players coming through, the club's ability to generate profit and what specific on-field targets lay beneath 'strategic principles' set out by the club were also requested to be included but left out, THST said.

"Publishing a full record of the points raised helps ensure accountability and allows members, and the wider fan-base, to understand how the Trust is fulfilling its role on their behalf," a statement published on the THST website read.

"Transparency is integral to our role and in our dealings with the club."

Tottenham declined to comment, but sources close to the club indicated there was no intention to sanitise the minutes and had sought to produce a factual account of the matters discussed.

Spurs sit 16th in the Premier League with 12 matches to go, five points above the bottom three.

Arsenal have been boosted by the fitness of Riccardo Calafiori for their trip to Wolves.

Martin Odegaard will miss the game at Molineux on Wednesday but Mikel Arteta hopes the Arsenal captain will be fit for Sunday’s north London derby at Tottenham.

Arteta has also confirmed Kai Havertz could return against Spurs, while Ben White is fit after feeling his hamstring against Wigan in the FA Cup on Sunday.

Calafiori had been due to start against Wigan but suffered a problem in the warm-up and was replaced in the starting line-up.

That was the second time Calafiori has pulled out ahead of kick-off this season, having also done so against Brighton in December.

Speaking on Tuesday, Arteta said on Calafiori and White: “[Calafiori] is fine. He was training with us today, he is feeling better and hopefully he is fit for tomorrow.

“[Ben] was just a bit of fatigue, obviously he did a lot in the game and by the end of it he was feeling a bit of tightness in the hamstring, but he is fine.”

Arteta ruled Odegaard out of the trip to Molineux, but the Gunners hope to have their captain back for the north London derby this weekend.

”For Wolves he is not going to be fit, but for Sunday we are very hopeful he can be with us,” Arteta said.

There was some surprising news when Arteta was asked about any further injury updates.

Havertz had been expected to miss the Spurs match with a muscle problem, but Arteta suggested the German could play some part at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“Kai is another one for the weekend is a possibility, we're looking forward to having him in the squad,” Arteta said.

Tudor tells Spurs fans what to expect against Arsenal in bold message

Igor Tudor got straight down to work at Tottenham on Monday and started working on his plan for Sunday’s north London derby against Arsenal.

Tudor took training for the first time as Spurs players returned to Hotspur Way after five days off following last Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle.

After being granted a work permit, Tudor flew to London with his agent Anthony Seric on Sunday and addressed the players for the first time on Monday afternoon.

He then led his first session and Spurs players have been left in no doubt that the hard work has started as they bid to pull away from relegation danger, with it made clear that Tudor will bring “intensity”.

The squad are said to have become bored with Frank’s training sessions, which sources claiming were slow and overly tactical.

But there will be no rest under Tudor, a demanding coach who expects players to give everything in training and in games.

The 47-year-old Croatian, who has been appointed on a deal until the end of the season following the departure of Thomas Frank, has a week on the training ground to prepare for Arsenal and has immediately started preparing for the mission of beating the Gunners.

Tudor has no Premier League experience but Spurs believe he has a track record of making an “immediate impact” at clubs mid-season.

He has favoured a back three but it remains to be seen which formation he will use against Arsenal, with Spurs short of centre-backs with Cristian Romero suspended and Kevin Danso injured.

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New Spurs boss Igor Tudor could have players back for Arsenal showdown

Injury latest: Richarlison, Pedro Porro and Kevin Danso

Standard Sport

Arthur Ferridge

COMMENTS

Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau

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

Igor Tudor has inherited a Tottenham squad decimated by injuries.

But the new Spurs head coach could be boosted by the return of some players for Sunday’s huge north London derby against Arsenal.

Spurs have been hit by another injury crisis this season and suffered a fresh blow last week when Wilson Odobert ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Tudor has taken over a Spurs squad missing as many as 11 first-team players, while Cristian Romero remains suspended for their next three games.

But Spurs could be boosted by the return of some key players for the Arsenal game.

Here’s all the latest Tottenham injury news and potential return dates...

Pedro Porro

Pedro Porro has been out since suffering a hamstring injury in the 2-2 draw at Burnley last month.

Porro has missed the last four Spurs games but the right-back has been pushing to return in time to face Arsenal.

Pedro Porro has been pushing to return in time for the north London derby

Getty Images

Speaking at the end of January, former Spurs boss Thomas Frank was asked with Porro could be back for the north London derby.

“That could be a dream scenario, and it just could happen,” said Frank. “We will know a little bit more when we get closer - but it's in that bracket.”

Potential return date: February 22 vs Arsenal (H)

Richarlison

Richarlison was initially ruled out for up to seven weeks when he suffered a hamstring injury in the FA Cup win against Aston Villa on January 10.

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But, like Porro, Frank said last month that the Brazilian could potentially return in time to face Arsenal.

Richarlison was injured against Aston Villa on January 10.

REUTERS

Richarlison is Spurs' top scorer this season with seven goals in 21 Premier League games and his return to fitness would be a major boost given the injury crisis.

Tudor will provide an update on the fitness of Richarlison and Porro when he holds his press conference ahead of the Arsenal game.”

Potential return date: February 22 vs Arsenal (H)

Kevin Danso

Kevin Danso snapped the ligament in his big toe in the 2-0 Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt on January 28.

Danso has missed games against Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle, and his injury comes at a time when Spurs are missing Romero through suspension.

Speaking last week ahead of the Newcastle game, Frank issued the latest update on Danso.

Frank said: “He met the consultant. It's going forward, but it's still weeks before he's available.”

Potential return date: Late February/early March

Destiny Udogie

Destiny Udogie has once again been struck down by a hamstring injury.

The left-back was injured in the 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford on February 7 and was last week ruled out for up to five weeks.

Destiny Udogie suffered a hamstring injury against Manchester United

REUTERS

"Unfortunately, Destiny has a hamstring injury and will be out for the next four to five weeks,” said Frank before he was sacked.

Potential return date: Mid-March

Mohammed Kudus

Mohammed Kudus has been out since suffering a hamstring injury in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland on January 4.

Kudus was initially ruled out until after the March international break, and reports last week said the winger was in Amsterdam to see a specialist as he bids to return.

Kudus travelled back to Amsterdam to consult a trusted expert from his time at Ajax and is still said to be targeting a return to full training after the March international break.

Potential return date: April

Lucas Bergvall

Lucas Bergvall could be sidelined for three months after ankle surgery.

Bergvall was injured in the 2-0 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund on January 20.

Spurs have not given a timescale on his recovery but the midfielder is set to be unavailable for a significant period of time.

Potential return date: April/May

Wilson Odobert

Wilson Odobert suffered a serious knee injury against Newcastle last week and Spurs confirmed he would have surgery.

Wilson Odobert suffered a serious knee injury against Newcastle

Action Images via Reuters

Odobert is the latest long-term injury problem at Spurs, who said in a statement: “Wilson will see a specialist next week before undergoing surgery, and will then commence his rehabilitation with our medical staff. We're all behind you, Wilson.”

Spurs have not put a timescale on his return but he will not be back until next season.

Potential return date: Late 2026

Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski has been out since the end of last season with a patella injury.

Reports in Sweden last week claimed Kulusevski is “nowhere near stepping out” on the pitch.

Just before he was sacked, Frank said he was unsure if Kulusevski would play again this season.

“It's a complicated injury where it’s important to make sure there’s no pain in the knee,” said Frank. “That’s why he got an injection and it hopefully will help. So in three to four weeks’ time, he’ll be on the grass pain-free."

Posting on Instagram last week, Kulusevski shared a video of himself in the gym at Hotspur Way going through an intensive set of single-legged squats with his injured right leg.

Potential return date: Unknown

Rodrigo Bentancur

Rodrigo Bentancur was ruled out for three months after undergoing hamstring surgery in mid-January.

It means Bentancur is set to miss the majority of the rest of the season..

Potential return date: Spring 2026

Ben Davies

Ben Davies could have played his last game for Spurs after suffering a broken ankle in the 2-1 defeat to West Ham last month.

Davies has under a second operation and is a doubt for the World Cup should Wales qualify.

The left-sided defender has been at Spurs for 12 years, playing 448 games, but is out of contract at the end of the season.

Potential return date: Unknown

James Maddison

Potential return date: Summer 2026

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