Jamie Carragher believes that James Maddison may become a pivotal figure if Tottenham Hotspur hopes to steer clear of relegation and maintain their Premier League status. The north London side have been plagued by a cascade of injuries, most recently confirmed by a 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers – their first win of the 2026 calendar year – which also saw Xavi Simons ruled out for the remainder of the campaign. Simons' season-ending blow, combined with a string of other absences, has thrown Tottenham's survival hopes into uncertainty.
The £52 million acquisition of Simons adds to an already daunting injury list. Spurs sit two points adrift of safety with only four matches left, after losing summer signing Mohammed Kudus and captain Cristian Romero to season‑ending setbacks early in Ange Postecoglou’s tenure. Dejan Kulusevski has also been sidelined, and James Maddison has not featured since tearing his ACL in August. Although Maddison has been named in the last two matchday squads, medical staff have deemed him not yet fit for a full return.
Nevertheless, Carragher, speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, argued that Maddison possesses the kind of "magic" Tottenham need to avoid a drop into the Championship. "Spurs have been extremely unlucky with injuries," Carragher told Sky Sports. "If they didn't have this injury record, they wouldn't be in this position." He highlighted that the club has now suffered ACL injuries to three players occupying similar attacking roles – Kulusevski, Maddison and Simons – a rare and troubling pattern.
"Now I feel Maddian, who is returning from injury, may have to play a role in terms of keeping Tottenham up," Carragher added. The former Liverpool and England defender went on to name Maddison as the only player he could envision delivering something special in the remaining fixtures. "He has that quality I see in Jarrod Bowen and Morgan Gibbs‑White," Carragher said, noting that Maddison might only be given 15‑20 minutes off the bench, but those minutes could be decisive. He specifically mentioned the upcoming away trips to Aston Villa and Chelsea as matches where a flash of brilliance could make the difference.
"When I think of the Spurs players and that little bit of fear of going down, it may have eased a little after the win at Wolves, but Maddison would still take the ball, would still want to drive it forward no matter the situation," Carragher explained. "For Spurs to stay up, I feel he has a role to play." Everton midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall echoed a similar sentiment on the same programme, calling Maddison "probably the most creative player in the Spurs squad." He admitted that Maddison would not have wanted to be thrust into a relegation battle, yet his skill set allows him to influence a game in a short spell: "He could come on in the last 15‑20 minutes and create a chance or even score a goal.
Spurs haven't really got a hat at the moment." The relegation fight remains fierce, with Tottenham, West Ham and Nottingham Forest all desperate to avoid joining Burnley and Wolves in the second tier next season. Spurs have four games left: home fixtures against Leeds United and Everton, and away challenges at Aston Villa and Chelsea. Carragher warned that despite the morale boost from the Wolves win, Tottenham's lack of firepower could see them struggle against teams boasting more potent attacking options, such as Forest's Morgan Gibbs‑White and West Ham's Jarrod Bowen.
"It's going to be really tough for Spurs," Carragher said. "The fans will now be thinking they have won a game of football – they haven't won a game of football all year and it's hard to comprehend that. However, their rivals West Ham and Nottingham Forest also won." He added that the injuries sustained over the weekend, combined with the fact that Spurs have already cleared their supposedly easiest fixture, actually leave them in a worse position than the previous week. Former Spurs manager Tim Sherwood also weighed in on Sky Sports FC, blaming the injury crisis for Tottenham's season‑long struggles.
"Injuries have derailed Tottenham all season, and it can't be bad luck," Sherwood argued. "They need to review what's happening to their players because many of these injuries are not contact – they're twists and soft‑tissue problems. Ultimately, they might have to pay the ultimate price: relegation." Sherwood specifically mentioned Kulusevski and Maddison, noting that both have been out for an extended period.
He urged the club to conduct a thorough assessment over the summer to prevent a repeat of the current scenario. When discussing the upcoming fixtures, Sherwood highlighted the difficulty of the matches at Aston Villa and Chelsea. "I look at the games they've got at Aston Villa and at Chelsea.
They are tough games no matter how you are playing or how good a team you've got. But I can't see them scoring a goal. If they do score, I can only see it being one, so they have to keep a clean sheet to win the game.
That puts huge pressure on the home games against Leeds and Everton." Both pundits agree that Tottenham's attacking options are severely limited. While Bowen and Gibbs‑White provide a constant threat for their respective clubs, Spurs lack a forward who can consistently match that level of creativity and finishing.
In this context, Maddison's return, even if limited to a brief cameo, could provide the spark the team desperately needs. In summary, with the clock ticking and the specter of relegation looming, Tottenham's survival may hinge on the creative spark of James Maddison. Whether he can produce a moment of magic in the final minutes of a match remains to be seen, but the belief expressed by former players and analysts underscores just how crucial his contribution could become in the club's final push to stay in the Premier League.