Tottenham's Fitness Boost: Key Players Set to Return

Tottenham’s season could hardly have opened in uglier fashion. A 3-0 beating at Brentford, big money already spent, and a manager who walked out of the Gtech Community Stadium insisting his team are not yet fit enough for the Premier League fight.

Roberto De Zerbi did not sugar-coat it. Spurs looked undercooked, short of sharpness and short of leaders on the pitch. That may change quickly. The club are still missing seven first‑team players, but this week offers the prospect of a badly needed boost as the Carabao Cup tie against Charlton looms on Wednesday and Newcastle arrive in north London on Saturday for the first home league game of the campaign.

Here is where the injury picture stands — and why Spurs are clinging to the idea that help is finally on the way.

Van de Ven: the new captain waits to walk out

Micky van de Ven has the armband, but not yet the minutes.

The new club captain watched the defeat at Brentford from the sidelines, still paying the price for a pre-season setback picked up on tour in Australia. He did not play a single minute over the summer and is now racing to catch up with the rest.

De Zerbi sounded encouraged when he spoke about the defender last week. “He worked with the group [on Friday], he's going very well,” the head coach said, explaining that the issue — linked to the long-haul trip — was “not a big problem, but not right to work.”

The expectation is clear: Van de Ven is being lined up to return against Newcastle at home on August 29, 2026. Spurs need their captain on the grass, not in the dugout.

Porro closing in after World Cup delay

Pedro Porro, appointed first vice‑captain, was another key absentee at Brentford.

The right-back’s summer was stretched by Spain’s World Cup triumph, which meant he reported back late and never featured in pre-season. Match fitness simply wasn’t there, so he stayed out of the firing line on opening weekend.

The mood around his recovery is positive. Porro is back in full training and working through the final stages of conditioning after three weeks off. Like Van de Ven, he is being pencilled in for Newcastle at home on August 29, 2026 — a potential double defensive injection for De Zerbi’s first Premier League game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season.

Kudus “almost ready” after long lay-off

Mohammed Kudus has been missing since January. That absence has hung over Spurs for months.

The Ghana international underwent surgery on a quad injury and then briefly returned to his homeland last week following a family bereavement. He is now back at Hotspur Way, training again and edging towards the pitch.

“Kudos is almost ready, that is a big point for us,” De Zerbi said last week. The Italian stressed the need to manage his return carefully: “It's important also the management of the players, when the players have some problem, we have to stay calm, don't take risks.”

If all goes to plan, Kudus is targeting the trip to Nottingham Forest on September 5, 2026. For a side crying out for incision and goals, that date is circled in red.

Maddison a fresh worry after Brentford blow

Just when James Maddison was trying to build up speed, his body pushed back.

The midfielder came off the bench at Brentford but could not drag Spurs back into the contest. During the game he landed awkwardly on his shoulder, and is now considered a doubt for Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup tie against Charlton.

It is a frustrating twist for a player already chasing fitness. Any knock at this stage slows his rhythm and De Zerbi knows it. The head coach will give a fuller update in his pre‑match press conference on Tuesday, yet the internal hope remains that Maddison will still be ready for Newcastle at home on August 29, 2026.

Sarr’s “minor” hamstring checked by caution

Pape Matar Sarr’s absence on opening day came late and stung.

The midfielder, who has attracted transfer interest, got through pre-season only to feel pain in his hamstring two days before the Brentford game. Spurs immediately pulled him out.

De Zerbi’s verdict on Friday was calm but firm: “He felt pain in his hamstring two days ago. Nothing important, but we don’t take risk with him and especially in this moment.” The message was obvious — Spurs cannot afford to turn a minor issue into a major one.

If the plan holds, Sarr should also be in contention when Newcastle visit on August 29, 2026.

Kulusevski’s long road back

Dejan Kulusevski has been gone so long, it almost feels like a different era.

It is approaching 18 months since the Sweden forward last played for Spurs, his career stalled by a serious knee injury. Now, at last, he is back on the training pitches, working individually and slowly stacking fitness.

De Zerbi has been watching closely. “He's working, not with the group but with the individual coach,” he said. “I'm observing him a lot, because first of all, he suffers too much, and as a human situation, it's been tough for him, and every one of us we are close with him for this period.

“Then he's a different player, he's a special player, if he's fit and he's available, he's a different player, like Xavi Simons."

Spurs will not rush him. The only timeline for now is broad: a return in the first half of the season. For a squad short on attacking variety, that still feels significant.

Xavi Simons and Odobert face the long wait

Xavi Simons could only watch at Brentford, turning up at the stadium to support his team-mates rather than influence the game.

The Dutch star is out for the long haul after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the closing stages of last season. The diagnosis was brutal: around nine months on the sidelines, with no realistic hope of a return before early 2027.

Wilson Odobert is on a similar path. He sustained the same ACL injury a few months before Simons and is working towards getting back before the end of 2026. That is the target, not the guarantee.

One heavy defeat has already tested Spurs’ resolve, and De Zerbi has made it plain that fitness will define their season. If Van de Ven, Porro and Maddison can step out against Newcastle, with Kudus and Sarr following close behind, this week could mark the moment Tottenham’s campaign starts to resemble the one they thought they had built.