Kulusevski Returns: Tottenham's Hope for Season Revival

Tottenham’s long wait is almost over. Dejan Kulusevski is back in full training – and for a club still searching for its first league win and even its first league goal of the season, that matters.

Kulusevski’s 19-month fight back

For 19 months, the Sweden international has effectively vanished from competitive football. A serious right patella injury shut him down at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, robbed him of a World Cup summer and left a gaping hole in Tottenham’s attack.

He tried to return in August. The knee pushed back. A minor setback, another pause, more rehab. Now, at 26, he has finally rejoined full sessions with the senior squad, a presence that instantly changes the mood around the training ground.

Saturday’s meeting with Aston Villa will come too early for him. Tottenham will not risk him on a matchday just yet, with October or November pencilled in as the realistic window for a competitive comeback.

Roberto De Zerbi made it clear they will not rush him.

“We have to manage Deki in the best way we can, with the medical staff, physical staff, but it’s a great thing for us,” the Spurs head coach said. “He’s a good player, he’s a good guy and he deserves to play again.”

Before the injury, Kulusevski had been the bright light in a turbulent 2024/25 season, widely viewed as Spurs’ standout performer amid the chaos. Losing him for an entire year underlined just how much influence he carried in the final third.

Maddison, Porro, Tonali boost Villa preparations

Kulusevski is not the only creative force trying to drag himself back to full sharpness.

James Maddison has been locked in his own exhausting battle with his body. An ACL tear last August forced him into a race against time just to feature at the end of last season, when he played a key role in keeping Spurs in the division. That effort came at a cost. This campaign has already brought fresh shoulder problems and more stop-start frustration.

De Zerbi, though, is in no doubt about Maddison’s importance or his uniqueness in this squad.

“Listen, James is working with the team in the last 10, 15 days. Maybe less than 15 days and even if he’s a technical player, he needs to be fit, to stay in a good condition,” he said, underlining that rhythm and physical sharpness still matter for a player built on touch and vision.

The manager confirmed that Maddison, Pedro Porro and Sandro Tonali are all in contention to face Villa, a significant lift after all three missed the midweek cup defeat to Liverpool. For a squad that has looked stretched and short of ideas, the return of that trio suddenly gives De Zerbi options again – on the ball, in build-up, and from set pieces.

Goals missing, belief demanded

The table tells its own story. Four Premier League games played, no wins, no goals. The new regime has walked straight into a storm, with early pressure building around a team that has yet to click in either box.

De Zerbi, though, has not flinched. He insists the performances will eventually turn into results if his players keep their nerve and stick to the plan.

The immediate task is clear: find a way past Aston Villa, get on the scoresheet, and stop the early-season rot. Beyond that lies a more tantalising prospect – a Tottenham side once again built around a fully fit Kulusevski and a fully firing Maddison.

If those two are both back to their best by November, what will this team look like then?