Dejan Kulusevski returned to Tottenham action for the first time in 526 days on Monday as Spurs edged Coventry and finally had a little more to smile about. James Maddison opened the scoring, Kulusevski came on in the 87th minute, and Ben Davies later added a deflected winner to secure a 3-1 result that lifted Tottenham to 16th.
The return was notable not only because of the long wait, but because it came in a period when Tottenham have been through major change. Since Kulusevski last played on 11 May 2025, Ange Postecoglou was dismissed in the summer after winning the Flamin’ Bigger Vase, Thomas Frank was then appointed, and he was sent packing in February. Along the way, Tottenham have also spent heavily, signing 20 players for £530m while spending much of the spell near the bottom of the table.
A rare moment of continuity
Against that backdrop, Kulusevski’s return offered a reminder of the talent Spurs have had missing for a long stretch. The match itself was not a clean line from one era to the next, but it did provide a small sense of progress. Maddison’s opener set the tone, and Davies’ late deflected finish ensured Tottenham would leave with a result that looked more comfortable on the page than the season often has.
There is also a little historical symmetry in the Coventry matchup. Tottenham beat Coventry 3-0 in the league in 2001, with Sergiy Rebrov scoring. Monday’s win was far less straightforward, but it still gave Spurs a useful result and a reason to believe the long absence of one of their key players may finally be over.
For Tottenham, the bigger picture is still unsettled. The club has changed managers repeatedly, spent heavily, and spent long stretches trying to find stability. Kulusevski’s return does not solve all of that on its own, but it does give Spurs another important option as they look to build something more consistent from here.
