Tottenham's Injury Woes: Maddison, Kulusevski, and Simons Updates

Tottenham finally have a point on the board. They still don’t have a goal.

A goalless draw at Nottingham Forest stopped the early-season slide, but it did little to ease the growing concern around Roberto De Zerbi’s attack. Three games, zero goals, and a squad stripped of its two natural No10s. The problem is written all over the team sheet.

At the City Ground, Savio and Destiny Udogie were eased through another cautious outing. Both were withdrawn around the hour mark, more about management than alarm. No fresh issues there, at least. The real worry sits further up the pitch.

With James Maddison and Xavi Simons out and Dejan Kulusevski still feeling his way back, the creative burden fell on Conor Gallagher and Mateus Fernandes. Neither found the spark Spurs so badly needed. The structure was there, the incision wasn’t.

Injury Updates

Here’s where Tottenham stand on the injury front.

James Maddison

Maddison remains the headline absentee. The playmaker injured his shoulder against Brentford on the opening day, a frustrating blow just as he was trying to rebuild rhythm after last year’s ACL lay-off.

He came off the bench at the Gtech Community Stadium, a careful reintroduction designed to sharpen him up. Since then, he has missed the trip to Forest but, at last, there is a glimmer of optimism: Maddison has returned to team training.

If his progress holds, Spurs are targeting the home clash with Everton on September 12, 2026, for his return. For a side starved of invention between the lines, that date is circled in red.

Potential return date: Everton (H), September 12, 2026

Dejan Kulusevski

Kulusevski is back on the grass, but his comeback is proving anything but straightforward.

The Swede is recovering from a serious patella injury that has sidelined him for almost 18 months. De Zerbi revealed before the Forest game that the winger had suffered a minor setback just as he was stepping up his workload.

“Kulusevski started [training] with us at the beginning of the week, and then the last two days, a small, small problem, stopped [him from training],” the head coach said. “But I think he’s in a good way. It’s going very well. I already said the medical staff is very high level. We can be positive with him. I’m looking forward to having Deki in the squad.”

The message is clear: no rush, no risks. Tottenham want him back, but they want him back for good. For now, there is no firm date on when he will be available.

Potential return date: Unknown

Xavi Simons

If Maddison’s absence hurts, Simons’ long-term injury has ripped out another layer of Tottenham’s creativity.

The Dutchman tore his ACL against Wolves in April last season and will not play again this year. His loss has been brutally exposed in recent weeks, with Spurs desperately short in the No10 area and relying on stopgaps rather than specialists.

Simons has at least been visible around the squad, offering support from the sidelines, but his influence will remain off the pitch for some time yet.

Potential return date: Early 2027

Wilson Odobert

Wilson Odobert’s story mirrors Simons’ in one grim respect: an ACL tear last season. The French winger, though, is slightly further down the road to recovery.

While he is not ready to return just yet, there is genuine belief that he could feature again before the end of the year. For a team crying out for directness and unpredictability in wide areas, that would be a timely boost.

Potential return date: Late 2026

Tottenham have shored up the basics and finally stopped the rot with that point at Forest. The next question is harsher: how long can they keep grinding without their creators before the season’s ambitions start to shrink?