Tottenham's Injury Woes and Creative Challenges

Tottenham’s first Premier League point of the season arrived at the City Ground, but the 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest underlined a harsher truth: Roberto De Zerbi’s side are still searching for their first goal of the campaign and, without their No10s, they look blunt.

A 3-0 defeat to Brentford and a 2-0 loss to Newcastle had already set a worrying tone. Saturday did little to ease the concern. The structure is there, the control comes in spells, but the incision between the lines is missing.

Two bright spots, at least, came in the form of Savio and Destiny Udogie. Both continued their careful return to action, starting at the City Ground and then coming off around the hour mark. Those changes were precautionary, not forced; there is no fresh injury worry over either player.

The same cannot be said for the heart of Tottenham’s creativity.

With Conor Gallagher and Mateus Fernandes tasked with carrying the load in the central attacking role, Spurs lacked a cutting edge. Both worked, both pressed, but neither truly unlocked Forest. The absence of specialist No10s hung over the performance.

Here is where Tottenham stand on the injury front.

James Maddison

James Maddison remains sidelined after damaging his shoulder against Brentford on the opening day. That match had already been a carefully managed step in his return, the midfielder coming off the bench at the Gtech Community Stadium as he builds rhythm following last year’s ACL injury.

He did not travel to Nottingham, but there is a genuine lift behind the scenes. Maddison has rejoined full team training, a crucial step after months of individual work and controlled sessions.

If his progress holds, Tottenham hope to have him back when Everton visit north London.

Potential return date: Everton (H), September 12, 2026

Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski is back on the grass, though Spurs are handling him with extreme care.

The Swede is recovering from a serious patella injury that has kept him out for almost 18 months, and just as his workload increased, he hit a bump. De Zerbi explained before the Forest game that the former Juventus winger had suffered a minor setback.

“Kulusevski started [training] with us at the beginning of the week, and then the last two days, a small, small problem, stopped [him from training],” De Zerbi said.

“But I think he’s in a good way. It’s going very well. I already said the medical staff is very high level.

“We can be positive with him. I’m looking forward to having Deki in the squad.”

The message is clear: optimism, but no firm date.

Potential return date: Unknown

Xavi Simons

Xavi Simons is the long-term absentee Tottenham can least disguise.

The Dutch playmaker tore his ACL against Wolves in April last season and will miss the rest of this calendar year. His absence has left a gaping hole in the No10 position, exactly where Spurs are now struggling for fluency and invention.

He has still been a presence around the group, seen in and around the squad in a supporting role, but that is all Tottenham can ask of him for now.

Potential return date: Early 2027

Wilson Odobert

Wilson Odobert finds himself on a similar path to Simons, but with a slightly brighter horizon.

The French winger also suffered an ACL tear last term. His recovery, though, is further advanced, and there is realistic hope he could feature again before the year is out.

If his rehabilitation continues at this pace, Odobert could offer fresh attacking thrust just as the season’s schedule tightens.

Potential return date: Late 2026

Tottenham have their first point. What they need next is their missing creativity back on the pitch, before this slow start hardens into something far more difficult to shift.