Ahead of Tottenham’s game against West Ham on Saturday afternoon, the Lilywhites have been hit with some potentially bad news.
After a dismal start to 2026, it’s safe to say Thomas Frank and Tottenham could do with a win to lift the spirits when they take on London rivals West Ham this weekend.
Pundits predict Spurs will beat West Ham, and with the Hammers languishing in the relegation zone right now, fans will expect a victory.
However, it seems Frank’s squad may have been hit with yet another injury after footage of the latest training session emerged with one face notably missing.
Joao Palhinha absent from Tottenham training
According to a report from Football.London, there is good news and bad news for the Lilywhites. On the positive side, new signing Conor Gallagher was on the grass training with his new teammates.
It’s said Gallagher was heavily involved, full of energy, and making his presence felt. There’s a suggestion that the new man could well be in the starting XI against West Ham.
However, Joao Palhinha was not seen in training footage. It’s said the Portuguese midfielder may have picked up a small knock and is now a doubt for this weekend’s fixture.
Interestingly, Frank did not mention any new injury news in his press conference on Thursday, so there’s a chance that Palhinha’s absence is not as serious as we fear, or he was simply absent from the footage for another reason.
Bergvall and Bissouma are back
Losing Palhinha would be a blow, of course, but there are players who can come in and replace him. Amid the injury crisis at Spurs, there’s more good news in that Lucas Bergvall and Yves Bissouma were back in training.
Obviously, with Bissouma potentially leaving Spurs soon, there’s very little chance he would be put into the team to face West Ham.
Bergvall, however, is far more likely to feature now he’s back in training. The young Swede has been leaned on by Frank a lot this season and he could be the perfect pivot alongside Conor Gallagher in the heart of the midfield.