Spurs Web has identified three potential options Roberto De Zerbi could turn to as he looks to replace James Maddison in the Tottenham XI against Crystal Palace.

Tottenham Hotspur’s upturn in form coincided with the return of their attacking midfielder James Maddison.

The Englishman was named in the Premier League starting XI for the first time since April 2025 in Spurs’ clash against Coventry, and he immediately set the tone for what followed.

He opened the scoring with a superb curling effort into the top corner, helping Tottenham secure their first win of the season with a 3-1 victory over the newly promoted side.

But despite fitness concerns following the Coventry encounter, Maddison was again included in the starting XI for Spurs’ feisty London derby against Chelsea last weekend.

The number 10 was impressive during his time on the pitch as he looked to get involved in most of Spurs’ build-up play, showing for the ball at the top end of the pitch while also dropping deeper to help in possession.

During his time on the pitch, Maddison managed:

However, the attacking midfielder’s evening was cut short in the 51st minute after picking up what looked like a groin injury.

Roberto De Zerbi said about Maddison’s fitness following the Chelsea clash: “I think it is not a very important problem. We need to do the medical check tomorrow, after tomorrow, I do not know. I hope it is not a big problem because he is a special player for us. We need him.”

It certainly is a big blow for Spurs and, while there is no clear timeline for how long Maddison will be out for, Spurs Web has now highlighted three options to replace Maddison if he is injured against Palace…

Conor Gallagher is the natural James Maddison replacement for Tottenham

The Englishman is perhaps the most natural replacement, as we have seen De Zerbi turn to him on several occasions in the Premier League already this season.

Gallagher has made seven appearances for Tottenham this campaign and, of those seven, five have seen the former Crystal Palace man line up in the number 10 role.

Conor Gallagher

He was even the go-to option for De Zerbi when Maddison was forced off against Chelsea. For that reason, we do think there is a very high chance the 26-year-old features here if Maddison misses out.

Omar Marmoush could play behind Dominic Solanke as a second striker

Another option for De Zerbi is to have Marmoush play behind Dominic Solanke as a second striker. That is a position the 27-year-old is very familiar with.

The Egyptian played in that role on numerous occasions during his time at Manchester City, playing behind Erling Haaland as a second striker.

However, for Tottenham, Marmoush has yet to play in that position, with most of his appearances seeing him feature as a centre-forward or left winger.

But with Solanke in good form and Tel having shown tremendous quality with a brilliant solo strike last time out against Chelsea, a spot behind Solanke could be something De Zerbi tries to get Marmoush into his side this weekend.

Dejan Kulusevski a rogue option in the number ten role

A bit of a rogue shout could be to use Dejan Kulusevski as the number 10. We all know that the Swede is capable of playing in that role.

In his career, Kulusevski has played as an attacking midfielder 54 times, though his preferred position remains on the right wing.

Dejan Kulusevski

That was where Kulusevski featured in the Chelsea match-up after replacing Kudus. It was also from that position the Swede recorded the third-highest top speed in the Premier League.

However, with the winger having played only four minutes of action since his return from more than 500 days out, it is very unlikely he is thrown straight into the mix here. Spurs could face the same problem with Lucas Bergvall, who is also fighting to return from injury.

Spurs await James Maddison injury update

There is some hope Maddison’s injury might not be too serious. Spurs Web shared footage of the midfielder leaving Stamford Bridge, and he was not on crutches.

He did have a slight limp, though, as he made his way to the team coach. Maddison was also at the Ballon d’Or ceremony to celebrate Kane’s crowning moment.

He took to Instagram, where he shared a photo of himself and the Footballer of the Year, including the caption: “The best in the world. You deserve this brother”.

Spurs will now be hoping that Maddison is not out for an extended period and that he is back on the pitch soon.