Tottenham Hotspur, unfortunately, have another James Maddison worry, as the star attacking midfielder sustained a shoulder injury in his appearance off the bench on Matchday 1 against Brentford. Maddison has not yet started a game since recovering from a torn ACL at the end of the 2024/25 Premier League season, and Spurs fans have been constantly worried about his recovery or potential aggravations.
Injury concerns are nothing new for Maddison, but Spurs will at least be happy that the shoulder injury is not a serious one despite some initial concerns. In the meantime, Tottenham are in a bit of a pickle at the No. 10 position, as Conor Gallaghr was beyond atrocious on Matchday 1 against Brentford, bringing back the worst memories of his displays during Tottenham's downward spiral into relegation. And though he did improve under Roberto De Zerbi at the end of the last season, that decent patch of form has not fooled many Tottenham fans.
With Xavi Simons out with a torn ACL and Wilson Odobert in the same boat, the only two No. 10's in the squad are Maddison and Gallagher. And with Maddison out, it's down to Gallagher among the senior players. Homegrown preseason breakout star Luca Williams-Barnett has a golden opportunity to shine, but as brave and promising as he was before the Premier League campaign actually started, he's quite clearly not ready yet.
Mateus Fernandes brings more to the table than Conor Gallagher
So the best move may be to utilize Mateus Fernandes as a No. 10 over Conor Gallagher. While Fernandes is more of a defensive midfielder than an attacking midfielder, all the traits Gallagher brings as a theoretical bulldog in a more modern, pressing sort of anti 10 role are shared and improved upon by the Portuguese international.
Fernandes is a better athlete, passer, defender, and even creator than Gallagher. He has superior technique and robustness, and he has already proven it in two appearances to start things off with the Lilywhites, outperforming all the other midfielders on Tottenham against both Brentford and Charlton Athletic.
Tottenham will be miles better with Mateus Fernandes in a playmaker role, and even though his ultimate destination is deeper down the pitch, playing Fernandes higher up is not bad for his development, like playing Archie Gray from the center of midfield at center back or right back, and it may actually help him translate more to the 6/8 role. But most importantly, for a couple of weeks, Fernandes at the 10 over Gallagher can help Spurs win games, as a midfield with Fernandes and Rodrigo Bentancur is a lot more tenable than one with Gallagher playing like he did vs. Brentford.
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