Pedro Porro Returns for Tottenham vs Aston Villa Clash

Pedro Porro is set to return for Tottenham’s clash with Aston Villa on Saturday, handing Roberto De Zerbi a badly needed boost as he chases his side’s first Premier League goal of the season.

The Spaniard has missed Spurs’ last two matches with what the club described as a muscular issue, but De Zerbi confirmed after Tuesday night’s 3-1 Carabao Cup third-round defeat at Liverpool that the defender will be available for the lunchtime kick-off in north London.

Spurs remain goalless in the league, a stark backdrop to De Zerbi’s ultra-attacking ideals. He isn’t backing away from them.

“I believe in my players, I have a big confidence, a big opinion of my players,” he said. “And when we arrive to find the click, to win a game, I think we enjoy with these players.”

That “click” might just come from the returning firepower.

Mohammed Kudus made his first Tottenham start at Anfield since suffering a long-term quad injury in January, a significant moment in De Zerbi’s rebuild. The Ghanaian’s reappearance doesn’t just add another body. It adds options.

“Kudus is another (who is) great news for us, because he can play also as a number 10,” De Zerbi said. “We can play with Savio, Kudus, (Dominic) Solanke and (Omar) Marmoush.”

Stack those names together, then throw in the full-backs and the attack-minded midfielders, and De Zerbi sees a team that can flood the pitch with threat.

He went as far as to say Spurs are capable of lining up with “eight attackers”.

That mindset colours everything, including his view on James Maddison’s slow return.

The England international has not started a match since May 2025 after tearing his cruciate ligament and then dealing with a shoulder fracture. He has been eased back with three substitute appearances this season, the club refusing to rush a player De Zerbi clearly views as a centrepiece.

“Maddison is for sure a different player, a special player,” the Italian said. “But he has to be fit, he has to be in the right physical condition, because the Premier League intensity, even tonight, is incredible. And then we can play with eight attackers.”

Porro back. Kudus fit. Maddison edging closer. De Zerbi’s vision is obvious: if Tottenham finally find that elusive first league goal against Villa, he wants it to open the floodgates, not just break the dam.