James Maddison wants Tottenham to investigate the “astronomical” scale of their injury problems. Tottenham's season ended with survival on the final day, James Maddison making only three Premier League appearances, and six key players missing from the squad against Everton.

Why Maddison's warning matters

Maddison did not hide behind the usual bad-luck line. “Our situation with the injuries has been worse than any other club,” he said. He added, “People try and say, 'Oh, but we've got this and that'. But ours is astronomical and we need to look at why that is.”

That is a fair demand. Tottenham beat Everton 1-0 on the final day to secure Premier League survival, while West Ham were relegated, but the margin between relief and disaster was thin. James Maddison only managed 66 Premier League minutes, which tells you how little of the campaign he was available for.

Why Townsend's criticism is harder to dismiss

Andros Townsend has pushed the point beyond one bad season. “I left Spurs in 2015 and that was the case 11 years ago as well. The medical department hasn't been good enough for the last decade and a half,” he said.

He also pointed to players seeking outside opinions. “Many players go outside for second opinions, and when the second opinion from the expert is completely different to what your medical department is saying, time and time again, on a consistent basis, then that raises questions about the quality you have at your own club,” Townsend said.

That criticism has bite because the absences were not isolated. D. Kulusevski last featured in May 2025, Dominic Solanke made 15 Premier League appearances, Mohammed Kudus managed 19 appearances and Rodrigo Bentancur was another player whose season was repeatedly interrupted.

This is why the injury story cannot be filed away as random misfortune. Tottenham finished 17th with 38 points, survived by a single final-day win, and spent the season with too many unavailable players to build anything stable. The club can point to the chaos of one year, but Townsend's 15-year line makes the bigger problem harder to shrug off.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 6 outlets. How we work →