Tottenham Hotspur's troubled start to the new Premier League campaign could receive a timely boost this week, with several key players edging closer to a return from injury following a heavy 3-0 defeat at Brentford.
The result at the Gtech Community Stadium left manager Roberto De Zerbi frustrated, and he admitted afterwards that his squad is currently short of the fitness levels required to compete at the top level. Spurs are still missing seven senior players, but the club could welcome back at least two of them before facing Newcastle United in their first home league fixture of the season on August 29, sandwiched around a Carabao Cup tie in midweek.
New club captain Micky van de Ven was among those unavailable at Brentford after picking up a fitness issue during pre-season in Australia. According to De Zerbi, the problem was not considered serious, though it interrupted the defender's preparations. "He worked with the group [on Friday], he's going very well," De Zerbi said, adding that the setback occurred either during the flight or shortly after arrival in Australia. Van de Ven is targeted to be involved when Newcastle visit.
Pedro Porro, appointed first vice-captain, is in a similar position. The right-back missed the entire pre-season programme after returning late to training following Spain's World Cup triumph. He has since returned to full training and, like Van de Ven, is expected to be available for the Newcastle clash.
Mohammed Kudus, who has not featured for Spurs since January, is also nearing a return following surgery on a quad problem. The Ghana international briefly left the squad last week to attend to a family bereavement but is back working with the group. De Zerbi described his recovery as encouraging, saying: "Kudos is almost ready, that is a big point for us. It's important also the management of the players, when the players have some problem, we have to stay calm, don't take risks." Kudus is pencilled in for a possible appearance against Nottingham Forest on September 5.
Midfielder Pape Matar Sarr, who has attracted transfer interest, was ruled out of the Brentford match with a hamstring issue sustained just days before kickoff. De Zerbi downplayed the severity of the injury but confirmed the club would not rush him back. "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 manager explained. Sarr is also expected to be in contention for the Newcastle fixture.
Longer-term absentees remain a concern for the north London club. Dejan Kulusevski, sidelined for roughly 18 months with a serious knee injury, is training individually away from the main group as he builds towards a first-half-of-season return. De Zerbi spoke warmly of the Swedish forward's situation, acknowledging the mental toll of such a prolonged lay-off. "He's working, not with the group but with the individual coach. 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," he said, comparing Kulusevski's potential impact to that of Xavi Simons when fully fit.
Simons himself, who attended the Brentford match in a supporting role, continues his recovery from an ACL injury suffered late last season and is not expected to return to action until early 2027. Wilson Odobert, who suffered the same type of injury months earlier, is targeting a comeback before the end of 2026.
With De Zerbi's squad gradually being replenished, Tottenham will hope the returning options can help steady a season that has begun far from the expectations placed on a heavily invested squad.
Based on reporting from standard-football.