Tottenham's Summer Overhaul: Maddison's Absence and Solomon's Departure

James Maddison watches another friend walk out of the Tottenham dressing room, another reminder of how ruthless this summer in North London has become.

Roberto De Zerbi has not tiptoed into his first full campaign in charge. He has torn into the squad with intent. Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson have all arrived, reshaping the spine and the edges of this Tottenham side before a ball has even been kicked in the 2026-27 Premier League season.

Unbeaten in pre-season, Spurs have given their supporters reasons to believe. But everyone inside the club knows those games live in a different world. The real judgement starts on Saturday, 22 August, when Brentford arrive and the table stops being hypothetical.

Solomon departs, Maddison pays tribute

To get to that point with a manageable group, De Zerbi has had to cut deep. Will Lankshear, Luka Vuskovic and Radu Dragusin have already gone. The message is clear: for a club without European football, a bloated squad is a luxury they cannot afford.

Now it is Manor Solomon’s turn to move on.

The Israeli winger has joined Championship side West Ham United on a permanent deal, three years after first signing for Spurs. His Tottenham career, on paper, barely flickers: just six senior appearances. Yet those numbers don’t tell the story of how he was viewed inside the camp.

Maddison’s reaction underlined that. Posting on Instagram on 10 August, he sent a warm farewell: “Wish you the best of luck, mate! One of the nicest chaps I've ever come across, and helluva player as well! SSG King!”

It was a short message, but it cut through. This was not a squad player quietly shuffled out of the back door; this was a popular teammate, someone who clearly left a mark despite limited minutes in a Spurs shirt.

Solomon’s most convincing audition for English football came away from North London. On loan at Leeds United in the 2024-25 season, he finally found rhythm and responsibility, scoring 10 goals and supplying 13 assists in 41 games. That return turned heads across the division and reminded everyone why Tottenham had brought him in the first place.

Now he drops back into the Championship with West Ham, a club of serious stature at that level and one expecting promotion pushes, not mid-table anonymity. For Solomon, it is a chance to be a leading man rather than a fringe option. For Spurs, it is another necessary trim in a summer defined by hard choices.

The affection for him from Tottenham fans and players alike, despite so few appearances, says plenty about his character. The club moves on, but he does not leave unnoticed.

De Zerbi’s puzzle and the Maddison question

While De Zerbi reorganises the dressing room, one issue hangs over his tactical whiteboard: James Maddison’s fitness.

The 29-year-old playmaker returned to action towards the end of the 2025-26 campaign, but he has been conspicuously absent from pre-season. De Zerbi has confirmed a minor setback and refused to risk him on the summer tour, a pragmatic call that also hints at how central Maddison remains to his plans.

Tottenham’s opener against Brentford is already complicated by a growing injury list. Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus are all sidelined, stripping away layers of invention and cutting edge from the final third. In that context, Maddison’s absence is more than just another name on the medical report; it changes the entire feel of the side.

Creativity will have to come from elsewhere. Tonali and Fernandes both carry a threat from midfield, capable of breaking lines and scoring from distance. De Zerbi’s system, too, demands that his players take risks on the ball, that they play through pressure rather than around it. Spurs can function without Maddison. They might even thrive in spells.

But there is a reason he is still spoken of as one of the Premier League’s most influential players. His ability to dictate tempo, to find space where there seems to be none, to turn a tight game with a single pass or set piece – those qualities do not come in bulk.

For now, Tottenham trust the depth they have built and the structure De Zerbi is imposing. The squad is slimmer, sharper, more tailored to his demands. Solomon has gone, others have followed, and the manager’s imprint is unmistakable.

Yet as Brentford loom and the season’s first real questions approach, one lingers above all: how far can this new-look Spurs side go without their chief creator fully fit and firing?