Mykhailo Mudryk’s ankle injury has brought the chaotic final few days of Tottenham’s summer transfer window into perspective.

The Ukrainian winger, signed on a season-long loan from Chelsea on Deadline Day, is set to be out for between six to eight weeks after sustaining a problem with his left ankle in training.

With Mudryk sidelined until after the international break, Spurs are once again short of cover in attack, having also belatedly sent academy winger Mikey Moore on loan to Bundesliga side Cologne.

The timing could not be much worse for Roberto De Zerbi, who is in need of fresh attacking impetus following his side’s drab 0-0 draw away to Nottingham Forest last weekend.

Mudryk, who had been working his way back to full fitness after nearly two years out of action, was supposed to provide a fresh spark and competition to a Tottenham frontline desperately devoid of inspiration.

Now, though, De Zerbi is back to square one, with Mudryk’s injury exposing just how light Spurs have left themselves in forward areas despite a summer of heavy investment.

Tottenham spent in excess of £300million to overhaul their squad, moving quickly and decisively to bring in the likes of Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke.

They also signed Manchester City duo Savio and Omar Marmoush. Yet with players working their way back from injury and Mudryk an opportunistic but risky signing - he had not played a competitive game since November 2024, before his cameo off the bench against Forest - the overwhelming feeling was that Spurs were undercooked in attack.

That feeling has only intensified since Mudryk’s injury, and Spurs are now left in a predicament.

Do they address their issues in attack when the window reopens in January? Or do they rely on Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison all being available before the turn of the year?

Kudus has been steadily involved for Tottenham this season since returning from a serious quad injury, and has made several productive cameos off the bench.

Maddison has been dealing with a shoulder fracture suffered on the opening weekend of the season, while Kulusevski is nearing a return to action after nearly a year-and-a-half out with a serious knee injury.

Each player is at a different stage in their respective recoveries, but it is feasible to suggest that all three could start together by the end of the year.

De Zerbi, though, on the advice of the club’s remodelled medical department, has been reluctant to risk his players’ fitness, and he will be especially cautious not to rush Kulusevski back.

De Zerbi is therefore in a difficult position. The club ran into major problems last January, when they decided against entering the market for attacking reinforcements and backed those players out injured to make swift recoveries.

Spurs’ fitness woes only grew once the January window closed, leaving them scrapping for solutions in attack as they battled to stay in the Premier League.

However, the club can’t wholly take blame for looking at a market where there was little value and opting to back themselves and their players.

That situation simply can’t afford to happen again, though. So come January, De Zerbi will have to know, one way or the other, if Spurs can rely on their current crop of injury-crocked forwards.