The Tottenham Hotspur injury crisis just refuses to let up this season. The latest victim is stellar playmaker Xavi Simons, who went to ground clutching his right knee in pain during the 58th minute of this past Saturday’s 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers. It was the first Spurs Premier League win in 2026, but obviously it came with a massive price as Simons is done for he season.
Actually, he’ll be out a lot longer than that, as the worst case scenario has been confirmed- it’s an ACL rupture.
Tottenham Hotspur at Aston Villa FYIs
Kickoff: Sunday. May 3, Villa Park, Birmingham, UK
Team News: Tottenham Part 1 Tottenham Part 2 Aston Villa (coming after the UEL game tomorrow)
Google Result Probability: Tottenham 70% Draw 17% Aston Villa FC 13%
Premier League Standing: Tottenham 18th, 34 pts, DLLDW Aston Villa FC 5th, 58 pts, LWDLW
Spurs Team News
Simons will miss out on playing for the Netherlands at the World Cup as well.
“We can confirm that Xavi Simons has ruptured the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee,” Spurs said in a statement. “The 23-year-old suffered the injury during the second half of our Premier League fixture at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
“Xavi will undergo surgery in the coming weeks and, following that, will then begin his rehabilitation with our medical team. Everyone at Tottenham Hotspur sends Xavi our love and support — we will be with him every step of the way.”
Simons publicly expressed that he is “heartbroken,” and understandably so. This is just a devastating blow for him, his club and his country.
And we’re just scratching the surface on the injury situation at Spurs. Forward Dominic Solanke suffered a hamstring/thigh injury in that win at Wolves, and he’s doubtful for Sunday at Aston Villa.
“I spoke with the doctor, but they don’t understand [the extent],” manager Roberto de Zerbi said on Saturday, after the game.
He later implied that it wasn’t a huge issue, but we’ll see on Friday when he meets the media again.
And then Pape Matar Sarr missed out on the weekend, as well as training last week, due to a shoulder injury. He’s also a doubt for this one. We’ll be back with part two of the Spurs team news shortly.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.