Tottenham Hotspur have been mighty impressive to start the 2025/26 Premier League season despite a pretty tough schedule, and their only loss thus far was a 1-0 downer against a highly underrated Bournemouth side.
Spurs survived a scare at Brighton this weekend, coming from behind to tie 2-2, and the attacking heroes of the second half were none other than Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus, who have both immediately turned the team's fortunes as the major summer transfer investments.
Simons has just entered the picture as a difference-maker for Tottenham, but since the UEFA Supercup Final, Kudus has been the best forward on the team and maybe even the best summer transfer of any Premier League club thus far.
He has tirelessly carried the attack by taking defenders on, progressing the ball, and creating chances. He has been the quintessential dream winger Tottenham fans were begging for, averaging a robust 3.8 dribbles completed and 2.2 key passes per gamewith three assists in five games.
Tottenham can't stack injuries
As Tottenham watch Kudus shine and increasingly rely on him to lead the attack, they have to weigh his importance carefully and be mindful that they cannot play him too much and must utilize the depth in the squad, including Brennan Johnson as an option on the right wing or even further alternatives like a two-striker system or Wilson Odobert experimenting on the right.
Tottenham have found a gem in Kudus and someone who you can build a team around, just like Simons. But just as Tottenham must value that and play Kudus in all the big games, they need to also respect how much wear and tear can get players down and make sure they are giving the 25-year-old forward sufficient rest.
We saw last season how key injuries add up, and Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou paid dearly in 2024/25 for not resting key stars like Son Heung-min, Micky van de Ven, and Cristian Romero. Thomas Frank must learn from his predecessor's mistakes, especially with young, dynamic players like Kudus who are more vulnerable to injury and overload.
It's hard to be envious of modern football managers with all the pressure they are under to win and yet how they have to navigate an increasingly congested schedule. But Kudus is too valuable to run into the ground, so hopefully Tottenham can make use of the rest of the squad, which should put healthy pressure on the likes of Johnson to step it up without Kudus leading the charge.