Tottenham suffer new Pedro Porro injury blow against Aston Villa as three replacements identified

By Ben Knapton | 19 Sep 2026 13:09, Last updated: 19 Sep 2026 13:09

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a crushing injury blow in their Premier League clash with Aston Villa, as Pedro Porro was taken off with an apparent leg problem.

The Spain World Cup winner was restored to the starting XI for Saturday's early kickoff, after missing fixtures against Everton and Liverpool with a minor muscular concern.

However, Porro lasted just 19 minutes of the clash with Unai Emery's side, as the 27-year-old had to be withdrawn for Archie Gray inside the opening quarter.

Porro stayed down on the turf after attempting a challenge, and the right-back's pained expression suggested that he knew he had suffered a game-ending injury.

The former Manchester City man was seen banging his fist on the ground in frustration, before heading to the touchline alongside Tottenham medical staff.

It is unclear if Porro's issue is related to his previous injury or a new problem entirely, though Roberto De Zerbi will inevitably be pressed for an update by the media after the game.

Bad news for Pedro Porro owners as the defender is forced off through injury ❌ pic.twitter.com/XiJ0RvK9e5

Porro has steered clear of serious, season-ending injuries throughout his career so far, but the defender has often missed a handful of games here and there with moderate issues.

According to data from Transfermarkt, Porro sat out 52 senior matches for club and country through injury before September 19, almost exclusively thanks to muscular problems.

However, the Spaniard has only missed nine games for Tottenham, five in the 2025-26 season due to a hamstring strain, two in 2023-24 with an unspecified strain, and another two earlier this season with his muscular concern.

Porro has never been ruled out for more than nine consecutive games, but back-to-back injuries for the key defender in quick succession are alarming for fans and De Zerbi.

The ever-versatile Gray filled in at right-back during Porro's absence earlier this month, and the Englishman will be first-choice in that role for as long as the Spaniard is recovering.

De Zerbi previously had Djed Spence available as cover and competition for Porro, but after selling the defender to Inter Milan, Spurs failed to sign a direct replacement.

Should Gray also be ruled out for any reason, either Tosin Adarabioyo or Jan Paul van Hecke would be the next best thing; the former played 13 games at right-back for West Bromwich Albion in the 2018-19 season, while Van Hecke featured at right-back on six occasions for Heerenveen.

Neither Adarabioyo nor Van Hecke are true full-backs, though, so Porro's injury coupled with Tottenham's failure to sign a pure Spence replacement highlights another transfer mistake from the hierarchy.

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