The quest for stability at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has felt like an uphill battle in recent weeks, but a glimmer of hope has finally emerged from the training pitches of Hotspur Way.
As Igor Tudor prepares his squad for a high-stakes London derby against Fulham this Sunday, the club has released a series of encouraging images confirming a double injury boost. Both Kevin Danso and Pedro Porro have been pictured back with the ball at their feet, signaling that the defensive reinforcements Tudor so desperately needs are on the verge of a competitive return.
For a team that has been reeling from a fitness crisis of historic proportions, the sight of these two key figures back in action couldn’t have come at a more critical moment.
The timing of this news is particularly significant given the current state of the Premier League table. Tottenham is still searching for its first top-flight victory of 2026, a drought that was made even more painful by the recent 4-1 dismantling at the hands of Arsenal.
During that North London derby, Tudor was forced to navigate a squad missing a staggering number of first-team regulars. With stars like James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski sidelined, and captain Cristian Romero serving a lengthy suspension, the tactical options were severely limited.
However, the Croatian manager had expressed a quiet confidence that Danso and Porro were nearing the end of their recovery cycles, and the latest evidence suggests his optimism was well-founded.
Kevin Danso’s absence has been felt acutely in the heart of the Spurs defense. The 27-year-old has missed the last four league outings due to a persistent toe injury, and the statistics during that period make for grim reading. Without his physical presence and positional awareness, the team has conceded ten goals in just four games, failing to ship fewer than two goals in any single match.
Danso is a player who spent years perfecting his craft in a back-three system at Lens, making him a “natural fit” for the specific 3-4-2-1 formation that Tudor is determined to implement. His return should allow the team to move away from the makeshift solutions that saw players like Joao Palhinha dropping out of midfield into an unfamiliar defensive role.
While Danso provides the steel, Pedro Porro provides the width and the attacking impetus that has been sorely lacking. The Spanish international has been out of action since late January after suffering a hamstring injury during a 2-2 draw with Burnley.
In his absence, the versatile but young Archie Gray has been asked to fill the void on the right flank. While Gray’s effort has been commendable, he lacks the specialized wing-back experience that defines Porro’s game. Porro rose to prominence at Sporting Lisbon in exactly the kind of high-pressing, attacking role Tudor envisions.
His ability to overlap, deliver pinpoint crosses, and act as an auxiliary winger is essential for stretching opposing defenses and providing service to the club’s frustrated forwards.
Despite these positive developments, the road to a fully fit squad remains long. The treatment room at Tottenham is still a crowded place. High-profile names such as Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Destiny Udogie remain sidelined with various ailments, while Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert are also continuing their rehabilitations.
Furthermore, the defensive line will remain without its most combative leader, Cristian Romero, for another two matches. The Argentine is only halfway through a four-game ban following his red card against Manchester United, and he isn’t expected to pull on the white shirt again until the daunting trip to face the champions, Liverpool, in mid-March.
The return of Danso and Porro represents more than just a personnel change; it represents a return to tactical sanity. In the heavy defeat to Arsenal, Tudor stuck to his principles by employing a back three, but the lack of specialist personnel meant the system was inherently flawed.
Pushing Palhinha into the defensive line robbed the midfield of its primary ball-winner, a move that Eberechi Eze exploited ruthlessly during the Gunners’ second goal. By reintroducing Danso to the center and Porro to the right, Tudor can finally return his players to their natural habitats.
As the team prepares to travel to Craven Cottage, the pressure to deliver a result is immense. Fulham is a side that prides itself on tactical discipline and home advantage, making them a dangerous opponent for a team in transition.
While the return of two defenders won’t magically solve the lack of creativity in midfield or the clinical edge needed up front, it provides a much-needed foundation. A stable defense is the first requirement for any successful rebuild, and with Danso and Porro back in the fold, Igor Tudor finally has the tools to start building a platform for recovery.
