Five Tottenham Players Who Stand to Benefit Most From the Three-Week International Break

The extended international break is about to debut, as Premier League fans face three weeks without domestic football. For the likes of Man City and Brighton, supporters may relish the opportunity to celebrate and reflect on a successful opening month. For Tottenham Hotspur fans – whose club is rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table – not so much.

Alas, as we desperately search for silver linings in an otherwise grey and cloudy North London sky, let’s delve into the five Tottenham players who could explode after the international break.

A Fit Destiny Udogie Would Be Dangerous for Tottenham

Although some rival fans may not realise his true potential, Destiny Udogie is undoubtedly one of the best left-backs in the Premier League on his day. Unfortunately, he spends more days on the Hotspur Way treatment table than he does on the pitch.

Spurs supporters were treated to a glimpse of what the Italian can offer in the 3-1 League Cup defeat to Liverpool on September 15th. Udogie put two chances on an absolute plate for Lucas Bergvall and Mohammed Kudus, only for his teammates to fluff their lines.

The Spurs star has been heavily rotated with Andy Robertson so far this season, but three weeks on the training pitch should give him the late pre-season he needs to get back up to speed. With Tottenham playing just once per week for most of the 2026/27 season, this could finally be our chance to see the best of Destiny Udogie in the Premier League.

James Maddison Is the Number 10 Spurs Desperately Need

Get ready for one of the craziest stats in football. Dejan Kulusevski started a Premier League game more recently than James Maddison. That’s right! Madders has been in and out with injury so much over the past two seasons, he has been stuck in a constant state of either ‘unavailable’ or ‘not fully fit’.

Roberto De Zerbi is clearly taking no chances with the number 10, despite Tottenham’s dire need for a talented creator in that position. The Spurs boss said after the Liverpool game: “Maddison is for sure a different player, a special player. But he has to be fit; he has to be in the right physical condition. Because the Premier League intensity, even tonight, is incredible. And then we can play with eight attackers.”

If Maddison can’t make himself available after another three weeks of uninterrupted training, he might see his spot in the XI taken away by Kulusevski of all people.

Mateus Fernandes Hasn’t Quite Hit the Ground Running Yet

Despite Tottenham paying £15m more for Sandro Tonali, it is young Mateus Fernandes who has impressed most in the pivot role this season. Unfortunately for the Portuguese starlet, he has often been shoehorned into the 10 due to squad injuries, where he is far less effective. De Zerbi even hooked the £85m former West Ham man at half-time against Aston Villa, stating that he was not happy with Fernandes’ performance.

He said: “I have a big confidence in Mateus, but I didn’t like the performance of Mateus today. Otherwise, I couldn’t change. He knows, but it can be normal. It’s not an attack on Mateus. I love Mateus; it’s not a problem, but I think for Mateus we needed more from Mateus because he can do even more in that position.”

Three weeks of international duty with Portugal U21s should give Fernandes the fitness and match sharpness he needs to slot straight back into the Spurs XI away to Man United. As an added bonus, the return of Maddison should allow Fernandes to actually play in his preferred position.

Mohammed Kudus Turned Down Ghana to Get Fit at Tottenham

Another talented player, another long-term injury for Tottenham. It was the story of the 2025/26 campaign for the Lilywhites, but Kudus is finally back in contention to start games under De Zerbi. The Ghanaian came on at half-time against Villa to fill the vacant number 10 slot but looked way off the pace as Spurs desperately searched for a goal. Having said that, he did tap home a goal that was later ruled out for offside by VAR.

Kudus was called up to the Ghana squad for the upcoming international break but reportedly turned down the chance to represent his country. That’s because the Spurs winger instead wants to concentrate on getting himself fit, healthy, and firing for the rest of the season. That will come as much relief to the Tottenham medical team!

Omar Marmoush Needs Goals to Kickstart His Spurs Career

Tottenham need goals. Omar Marmoush was signed to score goals. It really is as simple as that. Remember, this is the player who scored 20 and assisted 14 in just 26 games for Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2024/25 season. He was so clinical that season; he ended up on the top 10 Bundesliga goalscorers list, despite leaving for Man City in the January window.

De Zerbi won’t be able to work with the forward this month as he jets off to represent Egypt, but a couple of goals in competitive games would do Marmoush the world of good. Tottenham don’t have many in-form players at the moment, but the international break could provide the perfect start to a Marmoush purple patch.