Pedro Porro Returns for Tottenham's Clash with Aston Villa
Pedro Porro will be back in the Tottenham side for Saturday’s lunchtime clash with Aston Villa, as Roberto De Zerbi leans into his attacking obsession and waits for his misfiring team to finally spark.
The Spaniard has sat out Spurs’ last two matches with what the club described as a muscular issue, but De Zerbi confirmed after the 3-1 Carabao Cup defeat at Liverpool that his first-choice right-back is ready to return in north London.
It comes at a strange time for Tottenham. Two games into the Premier League season, they are still hunting their first league goal. The football has had flashes of De Zerbi’s trademark chaos and ambition, but no end product.
He is not backing off.
“I believe in my players, I have a big confidence, a big opinion of my players,” De Zerbi said. “And when we arrive to find the click, to win a game, I think we enjoy with these players.”
That “click” may depend heavily on the players he has only just got back.
Mohammed Kudus, out since January with a serious quad injury, made his first Tottenham start at Anfield. The Ghanaian’s return gives De Zerbi another weapon, and crucially, another option between the lines.
“Kudus is another great news for us, because he can play also as a number 10,” De Zerbi said. “We can play with Savio, Kudus, (Dominic) Solanke and (Omar) Marmoush.”
Four forwards on the pitch at once. And De Zerbi is already thinking bigger.
With his wide players, attack-minded midfielders and adventurous full-backs, the Italian insisted Spurs can effectively line up with “eight attackers”. It is not a throwaway line; it is a mission statement.
That mindset colours how he talks about James Maddison as well.
The England international has not started a game since May 2025 after tearing his cruciate ligament, then dealing with a shoulder fracture. He has been eased back with three substitute appearances this season, feeling his way into the pace again.
“Maddison is for sure a different player, a special player,” De Zerbi said. “But he has to be fit, he has to be in the right physical condition, because the Premier League intensity, even tonight, is incredible. And then we can play with eight attackers.”
Porro fit, Kudus back, Maddison edging closer to full sharpness. The pieces are there. Now comes the real question for Tottenham: when that attacking “click” finally arrives, how many teams will actually be able to live with them?
