Tottenham suffer another injury blow, defender ruled out for months

Tottenham’s injury crisis has just gone from bad to worse. A new report from England has revealed that Spurs starting left back Destiny Udogie will be out for at least eight weeks with a hamstring injury.

The Italian national team player picked up the injury in Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Wolves in Matchweek 19. The injury will not need surgery to correct, but it is unlikely that he will return before the two-month timeline reported this week.

Postecoglou blames workload

Before the Destiny Udogie injury news was reported on Thursday, Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou had hinted that the left back’s hamstring injury would be a long-term one.

Speaking after the disappointing draw at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Australian manager speculated about Udogie’s injury and blamed his side’s heavy workload during the Premier League’s congested festive period.

“Yeah, I think it was a hamstring,” Postecoglou said post-match.

“Again, like I said, we’ve been relying on a core group of players because we just haven’t had the ability to rotate. So, at some point, it was going to catch up with us. Unfortunately, it caught up with Destiny.”

Udogie’s campaign last year was cut short by injury. The Italian underwent surgery to repair a left quad injury in April, 2024.

Thankfully, it does not seem like he will be out for as long this time. However, he will be desperately missed at Spurs right now given their other injuries.

Back line down to bare bones

With Udogie’s injury, Tottenham are down to just three of their four primary starting defenders.

Starting centre back duo Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero have not been able to play together for weeks. Van de Ven is set to be out until at least the end of the month.

Romero was rushed back in December, but then promptly suffered another muscle injury. He should be back around the same time as his partner.

Ben Davies, who could play left back in addition to CB, is also set to be out for weeks with a hamstring injury.

Djed Spence is the most likely candidate to replace Udogie as Tottenham’s left back while he is out. The club may also be in the market for another defender in January.

Tottenham second-half predictions

Even with a fully fit back line, it would be hard to see Tottenham fighting their way back into the top six this season.

The Lilywhites are in 11th place, seven points behind sixth-placed Manchester City.

Our EPL predictions aren’t the only things spelling doom for Tottenham’s second half of the season. Most betting sites also don’t rate Spurs’ chances of qualifying for European soccer this season.

Conclusion

bet365 gives Tottenham just $7.00 odds to qualify for the top six this season. Fulham ($6.50), Brighton ($6.00), and plucky upstarts Bournemouth ($4.00) all have better odds of playing in Europe next season.