Kulusevski Returns to Tottenham: A Long-Awaited Comeback

Tottenham have been waiting a long time for this.

Dejan Kulusevski, the player who once carried their attack almost on his own, is finally back in full training after a 19-month nightmare with a serious right patella injury. Nineteen months out. A World Cup missed. A career put on pause.

Now, at last, there’s movement.

Kulusevski’s long road back

The Sweden international has not played a competitive minute since the end of the 2024/25 season. His knee problem cut short the best spell of his Spurs career and wiped out the entire following campaign, a brutal blow for a club that leaned heavily on his creativity and drive.

His rehabilitation has been anything but smooth. An initial attempt to return in August brought a minor setback, stretching the wait even further. But the 26-year-old is now training fully with the senior squad, and inside the club the mood has shifted. This is more than just another player returning; it’s a psychological jolt for a team still searching for its first league win and even its first league goal of the season.

Saturday’s clash with Aston Villa will arrive too soon for Kulusevski to be involved, and Tottenham are refusing to rush him. The coaching and medical staff are instead working towards a competitive comeback in October or November, targeting a window rather than a single date.

Roberto De Zerbi made it clear he will not gamble with the winger’s fitness.

“We have to manage Deki in the best way we can, with the medical staff, physical staff, but it’s a great thing for us,” the Spurs head coach said. “He’s a good player, he’s a good guy and he deserves to play again.”

Before the injury, Kulusevski was widely viewed as Tottenham’s standout performer in a turbulent 2024/25 campaign. When the team wobbled, he often didn’t. Losing him for the entire next season stripped Spurs of their most reliable attacking outlet at exactly the moment the club needed stability.

His return changes the mood. It may soon change the way they play.

Maddison edging back, creativity returning

Kulusevski is not the only creative pillar working his way back to full sharpness.

James Maddison has endured a brutal run of his own. An ACL tear last August threatened to end his season before it really began, yet he battled back to feature at the end of the previous campaign and played a key role in helping Spurs avoid relegation. That effort came at a cost. This season has already brought further shoulder issues, disrupting his rhythm again.

Even so, Maddison is close. De Zerbi confirmed the 29-year-old has been back with the group.

“Listen, James is working with the team in the last 10, 15 days. Maybe less than 15 days and even if he’s a technical player, he needs to be fit, to stay in a good condition,” the manager said, underlining that flair alone will not be enough without full physical readiness.

De Zerbi has been clear: Maddison offers something no one else in the squad can replicate. His passing angles, his ability to receive under pressure, the tempo he sets between the lines – all are in short supply in a side that has looked blunt and predictable in the opening weeks.

Pressure, problems – and reinforcements

Tottenham head into the weekend in a precarious position. Four Premier League games played, no wins, no goals. For a new regime trying to impose ideas and convince a restless fanbase, that is a brutal starting line on the league table.

The pressure is real, but De Zerbi has refused to flinch, insisting performances will eventually bring results if his players keep their nerve.

He will at least have more options at Villa Park. Pedro Porro and Sandro Tonali, both absent from the midweek cup defeat to Liverpool, are back in contention. Their availability eases the strain on a squad that has looked stretched and short of solutions in key moments.

De Zerbi confirmed updates on the trio of Porro, Tonali and Maddison, indicating all three could feature against Villa. For a team that has been scraping for attacking ideas and control in midfield, that matters.

Tottenham still need a first win. They still need a first goal. But with Maddison edging towards form, Porro and Tonali ready to return, and Kulusevski finally stepping back into the picture, the question now is not whether this squad has enough talent.

It’s how quickly that talent can drag them out of trouble.