Much has occurred in north London since Wilson Odobert tore his ACL in February during a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United, which proved to be Thomas Frank's final game at the helm.
For some, Odobert typifies the club's drift beyond mediocrity and towards the abyss. For others, the young French winger represents hope. He's a talent who's offered enough at senior level to suggest that maybe one day, he'll develop into something quite nice in N17.
There's no denying that Odobert only grew in stature before his devastating knee injury, even if the numbers don't exactly back that up. It's true: in Odobert, Spurs have another threatening wide player bereft of a killer's instinct. The 21-year-old is spritely and capable of beating his man on the inside and out, but he has just 14 senior goals to his name in over 100 appearances.
So, if you're expecting Odobert to come back in and solve our current goalscoring woes, which haven't dissipated despite our late push against Aston Villa, I'm sure you'll be disappointed. However, that doesn't mean the winger can't make a discernible impact upon his return from injury.
Odobert's return in November is on the table
It's been nothing but good news regarding our long-term absentees over this bumper international break.
We're hearing that Dejan Kulusevski may finally be ready for a return to action after almost 18 months out, while Xavi Simons and Odobert are both progressing well from their respective ligament tears.
According to @LeN17ah, who's a "physio assistant at an EFL Club" and seemingly 'ITK', on X, Odobert could be back in first-team training at some point this month with a return to the pitch on the cards for November.
I don't think we're going to see him before the next international break, but is there a world where De Zerbi has Odobert available for the home game against Ipswich Town on Nov. 21? Quite possibly.
As I've said, the Frenchman isn't a profile Spurs are currently crying out for. His return isn't going to alleviate our woes unless Sávio or Mohammed Kudus pick up a knock. Still, Odobert's development pre-injury suggests that should he return to that level soon after returning to action, it'll be hard for De Zerbi not to be smittened.
What is intriguing is Odobert's capacity to potentially mitigate our current issues down the left-hand side? Mathys Tel is struggling, and Mykhailo Mudryk, likely not the answer, is out with an injury. Could Odobert, who's primarily played down the right in Lilywhite, switch flanks and offer more reliable wing play on the left?
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