Roberto De Zerbi, Tottenham's manager, is preparing to include winger Dejan Kulusevski in the Premier League squad as the player nears a return to full fitness after a lengthy layoff.
Kulusevski, 26, has been sidelined for over 15 months due to a serious knee injury sustained in May 2025. Despite complications and setbacks during his recovery, including missing the World Cup, the Swedish international is now showing steady progress. "I hope and I will be very happy to see Kulusevski inside [the squad]," De Zerbi stated. "I want to put Kulusevski in the list because he is working very well, very hard. He's a good guy and he's a different player."
De Zerbi added that if Kulusevski continues to feel good and improve daily, his inclusion would be a welcome sight. "He deserves it because he has suffered too much for his career for his age. I'm not speaking of him as a player but as a human. He deserves to be inside the list." The inclusion of Kulusevski in the 25-man squad, which must be confirmed after Tuesday's transfer deadline, will impact De Zerbi's options, given the limit of 17 overseas senior players.
Other players, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons, who are also recovering from serious knee injuries, are unlikely to be available for selection in the near future. "Odobert is injured for a long time. Before February, March, he is not available. Xavi Simons before March, April, he's not ready," De Zerbi confirmed.
Tottenham has signed eight players this summer and is reportedly seeking a left winger before the transfer window closes, with Cody Gakpo of Liverpool identified as a primary target. Pape Matar Sarr is considered the most likely player to depart, though the club would consider offers for Richarlison, who has one year remaining on his contract plus an option for an additional year, especially after completing the signing of Omar Marmoush.
De Zerbi recently held a transfer summit with Tottenham's ownership and hierarchy to discuss the club's strategy for the final days of the transfer market. The manager, along with assistant Enrico Venturelli, met with members of the Lewis family, chief executive Vinai Venkatesham, and sporting director Johan Lange at an Italian restaurant in London. The club has invested approximately £400 million in new players since flirting with relegation last season and remains open to further business.
"I think we can do one player more and in one specific position," De Zerbi commented ahead of the Premier League match against Newcastle. "We went for dinner and we are all on the same page. There is a very good connection."
He noted a collaborative approach to squad building, stating, "I am not pushing. It's the first time I didn't push to complete the squad. They pushed to build it with the top players. It's not my business the transfer market. I didn't expect one transfer window like we have done."
Since the summer transfer window opened, Spurs have signed eight new players and recouped nearly £150 million from player sales, a figure that could increase with add-on bonuses. This marks the first transfer window since Daniel Levy stepped down as chairman, with transfer activity now led by Lange, Venkatesham, and director of football operations Rafi Moersen. Nick Beucher, son-in-law of Vivienne Lewis, has reportedly gained influence within the club's power structure.
Tottenham has broken its transfer record twice this window, first to sign Mateus Fernandes from West Ham for £85 million and then Sandro Tonali from Newcastle for £100 million. De Zerbi praised the club's management, highlighting Lange's "brilliant" ideas and Venkatesham's engagement during the Tonali deal. "We went for dinner before the Chelsea game last season with Vinai and Johan, and it's a part of our job to organise and make the last plans in the last days of the transfer market, to speak about the condition of the players and the transfers we can do in the next three or four days. There is seriously a great relationship with all of them."