Tottenham Hotspur are waiting for Mohammed Kudus to take the field again after a prolonged injury course from a muscular issue during the 2025/26 season. Spurs missed Kudus badly last year, as he was the team's best player before his injury. And when the Ghanaian international went down, Spurs fully descended into the abyss of the Premier League relegation battle.
Competition for spots on the wings is about to get more stiff. If Roberto De Zerbi gets his last big wish of the summer transfer window, Spurs will sign Cody Gakpo from Liverpool after the Reds secured a blockbuster deal of their own for PSG superstar Bradley Barcola. That would make Gakpo the starter on the left wing, new signing Omar Marmoush the starter in the middle with Dominic Solanke as his main backup, and then Savio would shift over to the right wing to compete with Kudus.
Given how much De Zerbi loves Savio and what he showed as a goal scorer off the bench against Charlton Athletic in immediately rising up to the Italian manager's big challenge for him, Savio would have to be favored as the starter.
Mohammed Kudus can be a No. 10 for Tottenham, too
But that doesn't mean Mohammed Kudus can't stil start, too. Not only is he an option to rotate with Savio on the right wing in this setup, but Tottenham Hotspur supporters can't forget that he is a very credible No. 10 option as a different profile of a playmaker.
Kudus was amazing at taking defenders on and does his best work from the wing, but he isn't actually much of a forward in terms of his ability to score goals. He likes to set plays up as a dribbler and passer more, creating chances for his teammates rather than scoring, and that is even the case for him as an inverted winger.
Roberto De Zerbi could try and change that about him, as he is doing with Savio, but it might make more sense to embrace Kudus as a playmaker, especially with Tottenham hurting at the No. 10 position. James Maddison is injured again, and while this shoulder injury is not expected to take more than a few weeks, Spurs fans know better than to assume that (Kudus himself being an example).
But also, when Maddison has played, it is entirely unclear how much he can give to this team going forward as a starter after the ACL tear and the other injuries he has dealt with. Maddison is becoming hard to count on, and Spurs do not have much else besides him at the 10 with Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons recovering from ACL tears themselves. Luca Williams-Barnett is intriguing but not ready, while Conor Gallagher and Lucas Bergvall are non starters.
Mateus Fernandes is at his best in the defensive midfield, but he could play as a No. 10 and succeed. But is he the best option? Cody Gakpo can come in and be an attacking midfielder, too, but maybe Kudus is worth thinking about more. Because even if Gakpo does not arrive, Savio can start on the right, Marmoush on the left, and Solanke in the middle with Kudus behind them, pulling the strings. It may not be the most ideal setup, but it is worth considering as a way to get all the most talented players on the pitch at the same time in the attack, especially if De Zerbi is able to get Gakpo.
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