Dejan Kulusevski Returns to Spurs Squad After Long Injury Absence

Kulusevski back on the bench

Dejan Kulusevski is back in the Tottenham Hotspur matchday squad for Monday night against Coventry City. The 26 year old playmaker has been out for 526 days after a knee injury required a second operation in March.

Kulusevski missed Tottenham's 2025 Europa League victory, the whole of last season, and the World Cup. Head coach Roberto De Zerbi confirmed the medical staff cleared Kulusevski to be on the bench. De Zerbi said the player suffered a lot and deserves to feel emotion on the pitch again.

Squad issues and team updates

Tottenham will miss seven players for the home match against Coventry. Spurs are bottom of the table after a six match winless start to the Premier League season. Rodrigo Bentancur is out due to suspension.

Spurs spent most of the week at a warm weather training camp in Marbella. Sávio missed out after reporting a muscular problem on Tuesday and will be sidelined for several weeks. Lucas Bergvall is out for two weeks with a knee issue suffered against Manchester United. Right back Pedro Porro could return for the fixture at Chelsea next Saturday.

Off the pitch, Richarlison remains outside the 25 man Premier League squad. He played and scored for the Under 21 team on Tuesday against Cheltenham in the Jersey Mike's Trophy. Richarlison posted a message on social media supporting comments by Duncan Ferguson about De Zerbi. De Zerbi stated that the situation was no longer his problem and directed questions to Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange.

What it means for the next game

Tottenham Hotspur vs Coventry City (Premier League, Mon, 19 Oct): Tottenham Hotspur win 60%, draw 22%, Coventry City win 18%; expected goals 2.00 to 1.00. Our safest pick: Tottenham Hotspur or Draw.

Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League, Sat, 24 Oct): Chelsea win 48%, draw 25%, Tottenham Hotspur win 27%; expected goals 1.72 to 1.23. Our safest pick: Over 1.5 goals.