James Maddison Cleared for Crystal Palace Clash
James Maddison will be available for Tottenham’s clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday, despite the latest jolt in a career that has lived far too close to the treatment room for comfort.
The 29-year-old limped off just six minutes into the second half of Spurs’ 2-0 win at Chelsea, a sight that immediately set alarm bells ringing in north London. Given his recent history, it was impossible not to fear the worst.
Last season was ravaged by an anterior cruciate ligament injury. This season had barely begun when he fractured his shoulder in the opening-weekend defeat at Brentford. For a player who should be in his prime, the stop-start rhythm has been brutal.
Yet Maddison has forced his way back again. Earlier this month he returned to the starting XI and reminded everyone exactly what Tottenham had missed, scoring a spectacular goal in a 3-1 victory over Coventry. One moment of technique and confidence, and suddenly the mood around Spurs shifted.
So when he hobbled off at Stamford Bridge, the anxiety was instant.
Roberto De Zerbi moved quickly on Friday to calm the noise. Asked about Maddison’s condition, the Tottenham manager was unequivocal: his playmaker will be in the squad for Palace.
“This week he didn't work like the other players, but for tomorrow he is available and he is a special player for us,” De Zerbi said.
The Italian did not pretend the road back has been easy. Maddison, he stressed, is still paying the physical price of those long months out.
“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.
“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.”
That last line is the crux. Maddison is fit enough to play; how much he plays, and how hard Spurs lean on him, is the delicate call De Zerbi must make.
What is not in doubt is his importance. Since Maddison’s return to the starting line-up, Tottenham have beaten Coventry and Chelsea, easing themselves out of the relegation zone and up to 14th in the Premier League. It is hardly a transformation yet, but it is a start, and he is at the heart of it.
Signed from Leicester City in 2023 on a five-year deal worth £40m, Maddison has delivered solid numbers in a side that has often struggled for rhythm: 17 goals and 21 assists in 85 appearances. Those are the returns of a player who bends games to his will, not one who simply drifts through them.
Tottenham know they cannot afford to lose him again, not with the season still finely balanced and the table tight. Palace at home offers a chance to build on a fragile recovery, to turn back-to-back wins into something more convincing.
And once more, as so often since he walked through the door from Leicester, the question is the same: how far can Spurs go if they can finally keep James Maddison on the pitch?
