Roberto De Zerbi is rebuilding Tottenham from the ground up, but several players who endured frustrating campaigns are ready to make their mark next season.
Spurs have already added Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, Martin Dubravka, and Jan Paul van Hecke, with the latter arriving from Brighton in a £52million deal.
The club are also set to complete a club-record £85million signing of Mateus Fernandes from West Ham, and have held talks over Sandro Tonali and Manchester City winger Savinho.
Despite the ambitious transfer activity, De Zerbi is equally aware that he already has a core of players desperate to prove themselves after being sidelined and largely forgotten last season.
James Maddison suffered a devastating ACL injury in pre-season in South Korea, having barely recovered from a partial tear at the end of the previous campaign, and managed just 34 minutes of normal time across the final three games of the season.
The 29-year-old produced 23 goal involvements in his previous full campaign, and De Zerbi has made his admiration clear, saying: “Real leaders who talk inside the dressing room, Maddison is a top player on the pitch with the ball but also as a personality, mentality on the pitch.”
Mohammed Kudus was tracking towards being Tottenham’s player of the season before a quad injury in January ended his campaign, yet he still finished as joint top assist provider with six alongside Pedro Porro and Xavi Simons.
The 25-year-old Ghana international also scored three times, and De Zerbi had described him as one of his most crucial players before losing him almost immediately after his return to training.
Dominic Solanke endured a torrid season riddled with injury, starting just 11 Premier League games and scoring only six goals, yet the 28-year-old recorded 49 goal involvements across his two preceding seasons.
Destiny Udogie, still only 23, showed exactly what Tottenham look like when he strings appearances together, starting six of De Zerbi’s final seven matches of the season as Spurs lost just two of them.
Udogie will now face competition from new signing Andy Robertson, a player who has won everything in the club game, and that rivalry should bring the best out of both players at left-back.
Dejan Kulusevski has not played a single minute of football for club or country since May 11, 2025, with knee problems and setbacks ultimately costing the Swedish international his World Cup dream.
The 26-year-old former Juventus man was at times the player single-handedly dragging Tottenham through matches, and his return will feel like an entirely new signing for De Zerbi’s squad.
When Kulusevski is back to full sharpness, his power, creativity, and determination to succeed after such a long absence could make him one of the most impactful players in the Premier League next season.
The post Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison And Mohammed Kudus Among Five Tottenham Players Ready To Reclaim The Spotlight appeared first on Gooner Daily.
