Tottenham’s injury nightmare: six significant knee injuries since last January
draTottenham Hotspur’s recent seasons have been defined as much by the treatment room as by anything that has happened on the pitch. Six significant knee injuries since January 2025 stripped the club of key personnel at the worst possible time, arriving as Spurs were fighting to arrest a slide down the Premier League table. For a betting operator for sports fans covering the division, the sheer volume of absences at one club made for a story that went well beyond misfortune.
Four anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures, one medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear and one patella injury accounted for a staggering chunk of availability across the squad. To put the tally into perspective, Spurs suffered more ACL injuries during that stretch than they recorded home wins in the Premier League across the same period. Here is a full account of each significant knee injury and what it cost the club.
Radu Dragusin – ACL (January 2025)
The first blow came in January 2025, when centre-back Radu Dragusin ruptured his ACL and was ruled out for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. The Romanian had been expected to push for a regular starting berth after joining from Genoa 12 months earlier, and his absence removed an important option from the defensive rotation at a critical stage of the campaign. He returned against Crystal Palace in December 2025 after a lengthy rehabilitation.
James Maddison – MCL (May 2025)
James Maddison’s problems began in May 2025 with an MCL injury that kept the England midfielder sidelined heading into pre-season. The MCL setback was damaging enough on its own, but it was only the precursor to something far worse.
Dejan Kulusevski – patella (May 2025)
Dejan Kulusevski sustained a patella injury the same month as Maddison’s MCL setback, and the two injuries together signalled the start of a bleak run of fitness misfortune. The Swede had registered 21 goal involvements the previous season and was one of the most influential players at the club. He has not played for Tottenham since May 2025 and, though he is reported to be targeting a return for Sweden’s World Cup squad, a return to club football this season looks unlikely.
James Maddison – ACL (August 2025)
Before the 2025-26 season had even kicked off in earnest, Maddison suffered a second and far more serious knee injury during pre-season, this time rupturing his ACL. The England international missed the majority of the campaign as a result, only returning to the bench in the final weeks of the season. For a player who had been central to Ange Postecoglou’s plans, the timing could not have been worse, and his absence created a creative void Spurs have never adequately filled.
Wilson Odobert – ACL (February 2026)
Wilson Odobert had been one of the few bright spots of a troubled season before his campaign was ended in February 2026. The French winger ruptured his ACL in Tottenham’s 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle United, a result that compounded the misery of losing him for the rest of the season. Odobert had shown enough in his appearances to suggest he was adapting well to the Premier League, making his absence a particularly frustrating one.
Xavi Simons – ACL (April 2026)
The most recent and perhaps the cruellest blow came against Wolves in April 2026, when Xavi Simons ruptured his ACL during a 1-0 win that brought Spurs’ first Premier League victory of 2026. The Dutch midfielder had arrived on loan from Paris Saint-Germain and had been providing the kind of creative spark the club desperately needed. His injury rules him out not only for the remainder of Spurs’ season but for the World Cup in the summer, a devastating outcome for a player who had been one of the most anticipated arrivals of the window.