Tottenham's Fitness Concerns After Opening Day Loss

Tottenham’s season could hardly have started worse. A 3-0 dismantling at Brentford left a harsh glare on a squad rebuilt at huge expense and a manager already questioning his players’ readiness for the Premier League fight.

Roberto De Zerbi did not sugar-coat it. After watching his side outworked and outgunned at the Gtech Community Stadium, he admitted his players are not yet fit enough to compete at the required level.

Now he needs help from the treatment room. Fast.

Spurs are currently missing seven first‑team players, but this week offers the promise of a small, but significant, shift. A Carabao Cup tie against Charlton on Wednesday is followed by the first Premier League home game of the season against Newcastle on Saturday. De Zerbi could have at least two key figures back in the fold by then, with a third not far behind.

Here is where Tottenham stand.

Micky van de Ven

The new captain watched the Brentford defeat from the sidelines, armband but no minutes, a symbolic image of a team without its defensive leader.

Micky van de Ven suffered an issue during pre-season in Australia that wiped out his summer game time and left him playing catch-up while the campaign kicked off without him.

“He worked with the group [on Friday], he's going very well,” De Zerbi said last week. “He suffered a problem during the pre-season in Australia, I don't know, the flight, I don't know, something, not a big problem, but not right to work.”

The club will not rush him, but the signs are positive.

Potential return date: Newcastle (H), August 29, 2026

Pedro Porro

Tottenham’s first vice-captain also missed the trip to Brentford. Pedro Porro’s summer was extended by Spain’s World Cup triumph, and he did not feature at all in pre-season after returning late.

The right-back is now back in training and building his sharpness after three weeks off. Spurs see him as close to a return, with the next few days crucial in determining whether he is ready to be thrown straight back into competitive action.

Potential return date: Newcastle (H), August 29, 2026

Mohammed Kudus

This is the one that could change the mood.

Mohammed Kudus has not played since January, his year wrecked by a quad injury that required surgery. De Zerbi, though, has been increasingly upbeat about the Ghanaian’s progress.

“Kudos is almost ready, that is a big point for us,” the head coach said last week. “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 briefly returned to Ghana last week following a family bereavement but is now back and training again. Tottenham will not gamble on him, yet his looming return feels significant for a side crying out for cutting edge and invention.

Potential return date: Nottingham Forest (A), September 5, 2026

James Maddison

James Maddison’s afternoon at Brentford ended with another concern. The midfielder, still short of full fitness, came off the bench but landed awkwardly on his shoulder during the defeat.

He is now an injury doubt for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie at home to Charlton, a setback that disrupts his push to reach peak condition after a disrupted build-up.

De Zerbi is expected to clarify the situation at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

Potential return date: Newcastle (H), August 29, 2026

Pape Matar Sarr

Pape Matar Sarr’s absence at Brentford was another late blow.

The midfielder, who featured in pre-season and is attracting transfer interest, picked up a hamstring problem last week that ruled him out of the opener. Spurs insist it is only a minor issue, but with fitness already a sore subject, they are treading carefully.

“He felt pain in his hamstring two days ago,” De Zerbi said on Friday. “Nothing important, but we don’t take risk with him and especially in this moment.”

Potential return date: Newcastle (H), August 29, 2026

Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski’s wait goes on.

It has been almost 18 months since the Sweden international last played for Spurs. A serious knee injury has kept him out for the long term, though he is now back on the training pitches working individually and edging his way forward.

De Zerbi has been closely monitoring his progress.

“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 put a firm date on his return. They know what he can offer if they get this right.

Potential return date: Unknown

Xavi Simons

Xavi Simons was in the stands at Brentford, a spectator rather than a solution.

The Dutch star suffered an ACL injury in the closing stages of last season and has been ruled out for around nine months. Tottenham do not expect to see him back in action until next year.

Potential return date: Early 2027

Wilson Odobert

Wilson Odobert is on a similar road, but slightly further along it.

He suffered the same ACL injury type a few months before Simons and is targeting a return before the end of 2026. Spurs will treat his recovery with the same caution, knowing the long-term stakes.

Potential return date: Late 2026

For now, De Zerbi must navigate a crucial early week of the season with a patched-up squad and a fanbase already restless. If Van de Ven, Porro and, soon enough, Kudus can step back onto the pitch, does this rocky opening look like a blip or the start of something far more uncomfortable?