James Maddison Cleared for Crystal Palace Clash

James Maddison will be ready for Crystal Palace on Saturday. Tottenham’s creator-in-chief, who sent a ripple of anxiety through the club last week, has been passed fit by Roberto De Zerbi.

The 29-year-old limped off early in the second half of Spurs’ 2-0 win at Chelsea, a sight that instantly dragged memories back to the worst moments of his career. Maddison lost most of last season to a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury. Spurs fans have learned to fear the way he walks off a pitch.

This season had already taken another painful twist. On the opening weekend at Brentford he fractured his shoulder in a defeat that set an ominous tone for Tottenham’s campaign. He disappeared again, another key piece missing from a team trying to drag itself away from trouble.

His return earlier this month changed the mood. Restored to the starting XI, Maddison announced himself in full colour with a spectacular strike in a 3-1 win over Coventry, the sort of goal that reminds everyone why Tottenham paid £40m to prise him from Leicester City in 2023 and handed him a five-year deal.

So when he hobbled off at Stamford Bridge, concern was instant and loud.

De Zerbi moved to calm those fears on Friday.

“This week he didn't work like the other players, but for tomorrow he is available and he is a special player for us,” the Tottenham manager said, underlining both Maddison’s importance and the care being taken with his workload.

The Italian knows the balance he must strike. Push too hard, and the risk of another setback grows. Go too softly, and Spurs lose their sharpest edge in the final third.

“For James Maddison or the players who are coming from a long injury, they have to work more than the other players, but he has already four or five weeks – he is working very hard and consistently,” De Zerbi explained. “So, I think it's not a problem if he loses two days [training], but then we have to analyse if we take the risk or not.”

The numbers back up that sense of reliance. Since arriving in north London, Maddison has produced 17 goals and 21 assists in 85 appearances, a direct hand in a goal roughly every other game. When he plays, Tottenham look like a side that can hurt opponents from anywhere around the box. When he doesn’t, the team too often looks blunt.

His latest comeback has coincided with a subtle but vital shift in Tottenham’s season. Back-to-back wins over Coventry and Chelsea have lifted the club to 14th in the Premier League and out of the relegation zone. It is not a position anyone at Spurs would celebrate, but it is at least a platform.

Maddison gives that platform shape. He links midfield to attack, dictates tempo, and carries a threat from distance that forces defenders to step out when they would rather sit in. Even when he is not fully training, his presence on the teamsheet changes how opponents set up.

De Zerbi’s final decision will be about minutes, not availability. Maddison is fit enough to feature. How long he stays out there, and how much risk Tottenham are willing to carry with their most inventive player, may say plenty about just how desperate they are to keep climbing away from danger.