Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro will both return to the Tottenham squad for Wednesday's Carabao Cup second-round tie against Charlton, while new signing Savio could make his debut.
New Spurs captain Van de Ven did not play a minute during pre-season after returning from World Cup duty with the Netherlands and was also absent from Saturday's opening Premier League clash with Brentford due to what manager Roberto De Zerbi described as “not a big problem”.
The same was true of first-choice right-back and new vice-captain Porro, who has been building up his fitness following a break after Spain's triumph in North America earlier this summer.
Return to the squad
Tottenham badly missed the duo against Brentford, with their lack of leadership painfully apparent during an abysmal 3-0 loss that quickly dampened much of the enthusiasm generated by an ambitious summer transfer window.
However, both players are set to be involved on Wednesday night against London rivals Charlton, while Dominic Solanke is in line to start up front after his own injury issues and limited pre-season minutes, having come off the bench at Brentford.
There could also be some involvement for Savio, who completed his £85million move from Manchester City on Tuesday, beating the midday deadline to be registered in time to face Championship opponents Charlton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
De Zerbi's update
“Van de Ven comes on to the bench,” De Zerbi said at his pre-match press conference. “Pedro Porro comes on to the bench. Solanke is available to start the game.
“Savio, I don't know. I don't know if he is ready to play, if everything is good. But great news [on the others].”
De Zerbi confirmed that James Maddison, who missed most of last season after undergoing surgery on a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, is dealing with a “small injury in his shoulder” sustained during a second-half cameo against Brentford.
Mohammed Kudus is “not yet ready” to play as he continues to build his fitness after a long-term quad injury, while Dejan Kulusevski won't return yet after a patella injury that has kept him sidelined since May 2025.
Other absentees
Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons also remain long-term absentees for Tottenham.
On Spurs youngster Luca Williams-Barnett, De Zerbi said: “He comes on to the bench. My idea was to play with him as part of the second half at Brentford. Unfortunately it was not the right moment.”
