James Maddison is facing another spell on the sidelines after fracturing his shoulder in Tottenham's opening match of the season. The 29-year-old midfielder came off the bench for Mikey Moore in the second half of the 3-0 defeat by Brentford on Saturday and fell awkwardly.
An MRI scan has now confirmed the fracture, though Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi tried to downplay the severity after Maddison played a limited role in Monday's training session.
De Zerbi plays down injury
Speaking in a press conference ahead of Spurs' Carabao Cup match against Charlton on Wednesday night, De Zerbi said: “Maddison suffered a small injury in his shoulder.”
Maddison managed just three appearances totalling 34 minutes in the Premier League last season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in a pre-season match against Newcastle in August 2025. He was sidelined for 254 days and missed 46 matches due to the ACL injury.
Growing injury list at Spurs
Maddison is one of a number of injury problems for De Zerbi, who is without Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert, both out with ACL injuries. Mohammed Kudus is also unavailable, with De Zerbi confirming on Tuesday that the winger is "not ready yet".
Pape Sarr is nursing a hamstring injury, while Dejan Kulusevski has not played since May 2025 due to a serious knee injury. Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro will be on the bench for the Carabao Cup second-round game against Championship side Charlton, having played a limited role in pre-season after the World Cup.
New signings set to feature
Savio could make his Spurs debut after completing a transfer from Manchester City which could be worth £85million. Omar Marmoush will soon join him after Spurs agreed a loan deal with an obligation to buy the City attacker for £60m.
The duo join a new-look squad bolstered by the arrivals of Mateus Fernandes from West Ham, Sandro Tonali from Newcastle and Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton. Tottenham have also signed defenders Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson and goalkeeper Martin Dubravka on free transfers.
