By Isaac Mission
Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has provided updates on several players ahead of Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Everton, while admitting his team must develop greater courage and resilience.
Spurs are still searching for their first league victory of the new campaign and have yet to score after their opening three matches. De Zerbi, however, insists he remains confident in the quality within his squad.
One of the main talking points was the injury suffered by new signing Mykhailo Mudryk. The Ukrainian winger is expected to spend between four and eight weeks on the sidelines after picking up an ankle problem during training.
De Zerbi described the injury as unfortunate and said he hopes Mudryk can return quickly, stressing that the player’s absence is a blow to both the footballer and the team.
The Tottenham boss also confirmed that James Maddison is available for the Everton fixture, although he stopped short of revealing whether the midfielder would be selected from the start.
Dejan Kulusevski, meanwhile, has not trained with the squad during the past week. De Zerbi indicated that the situation was not considered a major problem.
Mohammed Kudus is also nearing a return to full fitness. De Zerbi suggested that the Ghanaian is close to being ready to start and spoke enthusiastically about his versatility, highlighting his ability to operate as a winger, attacking midfielder or striker.
De Zerbi also discussed Lucas Bergvall after the midfielder agreed a new contract with Tottenham. The manager praised his work ethic and development but acknowledged that competition for places in midfield remains intense.
According to De Zerbi, Tottenham have improved compared with last season despite their disappointing start. He pointed to injuries suffered toward the end of the previous campaign and said the club are currently trying to establish a new team with several new players and different relationships on the pitch.
The manager also addressed concerns about Tottenham’s mentality following their recent defeats. He said he was unhappy with the way the team appeared to lose confidence after conceding against Newcastle, insisting that his players must continue fighting until the final whistle.
De Zerbi wants his side to play with more freedom, take greater risks, press aggressively and create more opportunities rather than becoming afraid of making mistakes.
“Courage” was a recurring theme during the press conference, with the Italian stressing that Tottenham must translate the confidence they show during training into competitive matches.
Everton arrive unbeaten and De Zerbi expects a physical contest, identifying several of their experienced players as major threats. Nevertheless, he insisted Tottenham should concentrate primarily on their own performance.
The Spurs boss also refused to provide a clear update on Richarlison’s potential transfer. With the Brazilian transfer window approaching its deadline, the striker’s future remains uncertain.
De Zerbi said he was fully aware of what Tottenham had done for Richarlison and what the player had done for the club recently, adding that the situation was understood by the club, player and his representatives.
Tottenham will hope to end their difficult start when they host Everton, before facing Liverpool and Aston Villa in their next two league fixtures.
