Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison has suffered a shoulder fracture and is expected to be sidelined for up to two weeks. The injury occurred during his substitute appearance in Tottenham's 3-0 Premier League defeat to Brentford.
An MRI scan confirmed a slight break in the shoulder, though there is optimism the damage is minor. Head coach Roberto De Zerbi confirmed the news, stating, "Maddison had sustained a 'small injury' to his shoulder during his substitute appearance." The 29-year-old trained on Monday before the scan results were known, indicating the issue was not immediately severe. This latest setback comes as Tottenham sit 18th in the Premier League with 0 points from one game, having conceded three goals without reply.
Injuries have plagued James Maddison's time at Tottenham since his £40 million move from Leicester City in June 2023. He has made 79 appearances for the club, but significant absences have been a recurring theme. In his debut season, a serious ankle injury kept him out for around two months. The most devastating blow came in May 2025, when he suffered a partial ACL tear during the Europa League semi-final first leg against Bodo/Glimt.
He attempted a comeback in a pre-season fixture against Newcastle United three months later, only to sustain a full ACL rupture. That injury sidelined him for 12 months, causing him to miss almost the entirety of the 2025-26 season. He finally returned as a substitute in a 1-1 draw against Leeds in May, making two further appearances from the bench to end the campaign. His involvement in this summer's pre-season was also limited, with De Zerbi noting Maddison had "a small problem in the summer."
De Zerbi is now contending with a significant number of key absences. The injury list is a major concern for a team that has yet to score this season and finds itself three points behind early leaders Brighton. Long-term ACL injuries have ruled out Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert. Dejan Kulusevski missed the entire previous campaign, while Mohammed Kudus has been out since January with a quad injury, though he has recently returned to training.
For the Brentford opener, De Zerbi was also without defenders Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro, the latter having a shortened pre-season after Spain's World Cup success. Midfielder Pape Matar Sarr was another absentee. This leaves the manager with limited options as he prepares for the next fixture, a home match against 11th-placed Newcastle United on August 29.
The immediate consequence is a depleted squad for a critical early-season match. Facing Newcastle without a creative fulcrum like Maddison is a significant blow. The team's poor start, reflected in their league standing and negative goal difference, increases the pressure to get a result quickly. The short-term nature of Maddison's absence is a small positive, but it compounds a long-running issue for the club.
Tottenham's recent seasons have been defined by injury crises, and this campaign has begun in a familiar fashion. The manager must find solutions from within the current squad to handle this period. The focus will now shift to how the team sets up tactically without Maddison and whether other players can step up to provide creativity. The upcoming match data and team news can be followed via our fixtures page. How Tottenham responds to this latest adversity will be telling for their ambitions this season.
