Wilson Odobert suffers big Spurs blow not long after Burnley switch | OneFootball

Following his summer switch to Spurs, former Burnley man Wilson Odobert has suffered a disappointing early injury setback.

Tottenham's progression to the Fourth Round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening came at a cost, as attacker Wilson Odobert, signed from Burnley over the summer, was forced off in the 18th minute of their clash at Championship side Coventry City through injury.

The 19-year-old Frenchman succumbed to an apparent thigh injury in the early stages of a match his side would dramatically win, turning around a one-goal deficit into a 2-1 victory with late goals from Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson, the latter being the man who replaced Odobert earlier in the evening.

It was far from a vintage display by Ange Postecoglou's side, who eventually managed to get the job done against lower league opposition and bounce back from last weekend's defeat in the North London derby.

While Odobert and Spurs will hope it turns out to be a minor fitness issue, and the man who spent just one season with the Clarets following a 2023 move from Troyes, before moving on to pastures new will return quickly, his manager confirmed that might not be the case, and they'll have to assess the damage over the coming days.

Odobert's injury a potentially significant one

Speaking to the media following his side's comeback success at the Coventry Building Society Arena, the Australian believes the winger's injury is "fairly significant", with knocks and strains for others compounding a frustrating night for the Spurs boss, bar the result.

While he will have to "wait and see" the extent of the damage done to Odobert's thigh, Postecoglou was a little concerned as fellow attacker Timo Werner was also withdrawn with a fitness issue: “Timo, again not really sure if it was just fatigue, but yeah, a bit unfortunate for both of those. Obviously, both play in a similar position as well. We're hoping it's not something too significant.”

It's a worry moving forward for the former Celtic boss, with his Tottenham side facing a busy schedule that sees them playing five games in 15 days in the Premier League and the Europa League, and all associated with the club will hope for positive news once the medics have done their scans and assessments.

Winger's rise has been a quick one in recent years

Odobert, who can play anywhere across the forward line behind the main striker, has had a meteoric rise over the last couple of years.

The former Paris Saint-Germain youngster joined fellow Ligue 1 outfit Troyes ahead of the 2022/23 season, immediately standing out with his direct running, vision and technical skill-set.

Premier League newcomers Burnley were so impressed with the 18-year-old's breakthrough season in France that they paid an undisclosed fee to take the youngster to Turf Moor to work under Vincent Kompany last year.

While the Clarets struggled, Odobert did well on a personal level, becoming the youngest Premier League goalscorer in the club's history. However, he couldn't prevent his side from an instant return to the Championship in May.

While his teammates geared up for a relentless campaign back in the second-tier, the 19-year-old would only play the opening game - a 4-1 win at Luton Town - before getting an instant return to the top-flight as Tottenham paid around £25m to bring him to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the current season got underway.

Some may have been taken by surprise by the deal, but Tottenham are buying potential as well as for the here and now.

Odobert has signed a five-year-deal with his new club, and there's high hopes he can continue to develop and flourish to become a key player for the London heavyweights long into the future.

He's made an impression already, however, starting against Everton and Newcastle, while coming off the bench late on in the recent defeat to Arsenal.

The French Under-21 international is a real talent, with plenty of time on his side to become an important player for one of the country's top football clubs. In the short-term, however, Odobert and his manager will hope the injury picked up by the former Burnley man at Coventry isn't as big a blow as it first appeared.