Tottenham injury update: Up to 12 players could miss Arsenal clash as Igor Tudor takes charge, 2 among those touch-and-go

Tottenham Hotspur’s new head coach Igor Tudor has inherited a dressing-room crisis ahead of Sunday’s North London derby, with as many as 11 senior players unavailable and two more rated touch-and-go in what could be a season-defining trip to the Emirates.

Cristian Romero will definitely sit out through suspension, while summer signing Wilson Odobert is lost for the remainder of the campaign after rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament. Those absences deepen the gloom around the club, yet medical staff believe right-back Pedro Porro and striker Richarlison could yet be rushed back into contention.

Porro has not featured since the 2-2 draw at Burnley, when he tweaked a hamstring, and has consequently missed the last four fixtures. The Spaniard has accelerated his rehabilitation this week and, while no final decision will be taken until after Friday’s training session, staff are “cautiously optimistic” he can be included. His return would be critical: with Destiny Udogie sidelined for four-to-five weeks by a fresh hamstring setback and Ben Davies still recovering from a broken ankle, Tottenham have no natural senior full-backs available.

Richarlison, Spurs’ leading Premier League scorer with seven goals in 21 appearances, has been out since damaging his knee against Aston Villa on 10 January. Initial forecasts suggested a seven-week lay-off, but the Brazilian has progressed ahead of schedule and could be passed fit, easing the burden on Dominic Solanke.

The picture elsewhere is bleak. Centre-back Kevin Danso, who damaged a toe ligament in the Champions League victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, remains weeks away, leaving Tudor to piece together a makeshift defence without Romero. Further afield, Mohammed Kudus (out since early January) is not expected back until after the March international break, while teenage midfielder Lucas Bergvall is facing an ankle-surgery lay-off that could stretch into April or May.

Dejan Kulusevski continues to work in the gym as he battles a complicated knee complaint, but no return date has been pencilled in. Rodrigo Bentancur is months away following hamstring surgery, and James Maddison remains a long-term absentee after sustaining a knee injury in pre-season. Odobert’s ACL rupture ends his season, compounding the sense that Tudor is taking charge at the worst possible moment.

With Tottenham hovering only above the relegation places on goal difference, the Croatian coach must decide whether to risk Porro and Richarlison in a fixture that could shape both the club’s survival fight and the mood of the run-in.