Tottenham injury news as Brennan Johnson gets major boost ahead of Fulham with Ange Postecoglou advantage
Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham were the first team to play in the last round of Premier League games and will be the last in action next weekend. The extra days of break that it provides Ange Postecoglou and the members of his squad could be crucial.
Having put everything into the scrappy 1-0 win over Luton before the fortnight of disruption, Postecoglou and his men have been able to enjoy their place at the top of the Premier League table but could find themselves back down in fourth by the time they kick-off against Fulham on Monday.
What the extra period between games does do, though, is give returning international players more recovery time. Cristian Romero will be in action with Argentina on Wednesday morning, just three days before the early kick-off and his teammate Alexis Mac Allister plays for Liverpool at home to Everton on Saturday.
With a long journey back and plenty of reliance on both players, Postecoglou will be able to plan for a fitter and less fatigued South American star compared to Jurgen Klopp. The same is true of Richarlison. He played in Brazil’s 1-1 draw with Venezuela on Friday and will be similarly in action on Wednesday morning before a long journey back, the extra two days of recovery time could be priceless for him.
For others in the squad it is simply more time to get over niggles and knocks that they have picked up in recent weeks. Brennan Johnson has only played twice since joining Tottenham from Nottingham Forest on deadline day. He has struggled to find fitness and an injury-free period but was left out of Rob Page’s Wales side for the international break and could find himself in line to play against Fulham.
“The communication between us and Tottenham has been first-class. It’s about having mutual respect,” Page said ahead of his team’s Euro 2024 qualifiers with Croatia and Armenia. “Both managers want a talented player fit so it’s about working together. I’m not going to insist that he has to come away and we’re going to play him, jeopardise his safety and health.
“I wouldn’t do that. But they also understand the importance of our games. We’ve had great conversations with them, but ultimately his injury will dictate whether he can meet up or not.”
Elsewhere for the Australian manager there are only long-term injury worries to deal with. Bryan Gil, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ryan Sessegnon, Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon are all out. Bentancur and Gil are the closest to a return with the Spaniard being available for selection once more.
Bentancur is unlikely to be back until the next international break in mid-November but will provide a key boost for his head coach once up to sharpness again. Luckily for Postecoglou there have been no new worries picked up during the break for him to take into account.
