Kulusevski's Comeback Boosts Tottenham's Hopes

Tottenham have been waiting a long time for this.

Dejan Kulusevski, once the bright spark of a turbulent 2024/25 season, has effectively lost 19 months of his career to a brutal right patella injury. The layoff cost him a World Cup summer and stripped Spurs of one of their most reliable attacking outlets just as the club slid into trouble.

Now, at last, there is movement.

Kulusevski back with the group

After a painstaking rehabilitation, interrupted by a minor setback during an attempted return in August, the 26-year-old is finally back in full training with the first team. For a side still hunting their first league win – and first league goal – of the season, his presence alone changes the mood.

He will not feature against Aston Villa on Saturday; that step comes too soon. The staff are instead targeting a competitive return in October or November, wary of rushing a player they see as central to any revival.

Roberto De Zerbi made it clear how much this comeback matters, not just tactically but emotionally. The Tottenham head coach stressed that the club will handle “Deki” carefully, working hand in hand with the medical and fitness departments, but he did not hide his delight at having him back around the group. Kulusevski, he underlined, is both a high-level player and a strong character who “deserves to play again” after what he has endured.

Before the injury, Kulusevski was widely viewed as Spurs’ standout performer in that chaotic 2024/25 campaign. When his knee gave way, Tottenham lost not only a creator and ball-carrier, but also a rare constant in a season full of upheaval. He missed the entire following year. That void has been obvious.

Maddison’s fragile fight for rhythm

Kulusevski is not the only creative force trying to piece his career rhythm back together.

James Maddison has been locked in his own battle with his body. An ACL tear last August demanded a ferocious push just to make it back for the end of last season, where he played his part in helping Spurs avoid relegation. The cost of that effort has lingered. This campaign has already brought fresh shoulder issues, stalling his attempts to build any kind of sustained form.

De Zerbi knows exactly what he loses when Maddison is missing. The 29-year-old brings a profile that is scarce in this squad: vision between the lines, set-piece threat, the ability to dictate tempo in the final third. The manager confirmed that Maddison has been working with the team for around 10 to 15 days and is now in contention to face Villa, with the caveat that even a “technical” player like him needs full fitness to truly influence games.

Alongside Maddison, De Zerbi also delivered positive news on Pedro Porro and Sandro Tonali. Both missed the midweek cup defeat to Liverpool but are in the frame for the weekend, easing the strain on a squad that has looked thin and tired in recent weeks.

Pressure building, options returning

Tottenham go into the Villa clash in a precarious state. Four Premier League matches, no wins, no goals. A new regime already under scrutiny, a fanbase anxious, a table that makes ugly reading this early in the season.

De Zerbi, though, is holding his line. He insists the performances will eventually turn into points if his players keep their nerve and stick to the plan. Results, he believes, will follow composure.

The return of Porro and Tonali offers balance and depth. The looming reintroduction of Maddison gives Spurs a conductor. And somewhere just beyond the horizon, Kulusevski is running again, tackling again, shooting again.

If Tottenham are going to drag themselves out of this early-season slump, it may well be those returning boots and that restored confidence that decide whether this campaign spirals – or finally starts.