Jamie Carragher believes that James Maddison may become a crucial figure if Tottenham Hotspur hopes to avoid the drop and secure their Premier League status. The north London side have been plagued by a cascade of injuries, and their recent 1-0 victory over Wolves – their first win of the 2026 calendar year – was achieved despite the loss of several key attackers. Xavi Simons, who has been sidelined for the remainder of the campaign, represents a £52 million blow to Spurs' survival hopes.
Simons' absence is just the latest in a string of setbacks that have left Tottenham hovering two points behind safety with four matches remaining. Early in Ange Postecoglou’s tenure, summer recruit Mohammed Kudus and captain Cristian Romero were ruled out for the season, while Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison have also been missing. Maddison has been on the injury list since August after tearing his ACL and, although he has been named in the last two matchday squads, the medical staff have not cleared him for a full return. During Monday Night Football, Carragher argued that Maddison possesses the kind of "magic" Tottenham need as they fight to stay in the top flight.
"Spurs have been unbelievably unlucky with injuries," he told Sky Sports. "If they didn’t have this injury record, they wouldn’t be in this position." He highlighted a worrying pattern: three players occupying similar attacking roles – Kulusevski, Maddison and now Simons – have all suffered ACL ruptures.
"Now I feel Maddison, who is returning from injury, may have to play a role in keeping Tottenham up," Carragher said. The former Liverpool and England defender went on to name Maddison as the only player he could envision delivering something special. He compared the midfielder’s creative spark to that of Jarrod Bowen and Morgan Gibbs‑White, noting that even a brief cameo of 15‑20 minutes off the bench could be decisive.
"He is the only one when I look at that squad and think he could produce that little bit of magic Spurs need, especially in the away games at Aston Villa and Chelsea," Carragher added. Carragher also stressed Maddison’s willingness to take responsibility: "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 continue to take the ball. He’d still want to take it no matter what the situation.
For Spurs to stay up, I feel he has a role to play." Everton forward Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall echoed the 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 in a position where the team relies on him, yet he could be the type of player who, even with a short spell on the pitch, creates a chance or scores a vital goal. "Spurs haven’t really got a hat at the moment," Dewsbury‑Hall said, referring to the lack of a reliable goal‑scoring outlet.
The relegation battle remains tight. After the weekend’s fixtures, Tottenham, West Ham and Nottingham Forest all matched Forest’s win, leaving all three clubs desperate to avoid joining Burnley and Wolves in the Championship. Tottenham have four games left: home fixtures against Leeds United and Everton, and away trips to Aston Villa and Chelsea.
Carragher warned that despite the Wolves win, Spurs could still struggle because of a chronic shortage of goals compared with Forest and West Ham, who boast attacking talents like Gibbs‑White and 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.
If you add that to the injuries they got at the weekend, even though they have won a game, they are actually in a worse position than last week because they’ve got the easiest game on paper out of the way." Former Spurs manager Tim Sherwood also weighed in on Sky Sports FC, blaming injuries for derailing Tottenham’s season. "Injuries have derailed Tottenham all season, and it can’t be bad luck. They need to review what’s happening to their players because many of these injuries are not from contact – they’re twists and soft‑tissue problems.
Ultimately, they might have to pay the ultimate price: relegation," he warned. Sherwood highlighted the long‑term absences of Kulusevski and Maddison, suggesting the club will need a thorough medical review over the summer. Sherwood compared Spurs’ attacking options unfavourably with West Ham and Forest, noting that both opponents field a front four and possess players capable of producing goals regularly. "Spurs don’t have a player in the attack that can even come close to either of those players.
That is what worries me for Spurs," he said. Looking ahead to the crucial fixtures, Sherwood expressed doubt about Tottenham’s ability to find the net. "After watching the Wolves game and also the injuries in attack, who is going to score a goal for Spurs? Who is going to create something?
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." In summary, both Carragher and Sherwood agree that Tottenham’s survival hinges on two factors: a sudden return to fitness for creative players like Maddison and a drastic improvement in goal‑scoring efficiency. With only four matches left and a daunting schedule that includes visits to Villa and Chelsea, the pressure on the remaining fit squad members is immense. If Maddison can indeed provide the spark Carragher envisions, even a brief cameo could be the difference between staying in the Premier League and sliding into the Championship.