- Tottenham Hotspur currently hold the worst injury record in the Premier League this season
- West Ham United boast one of the strongest availability records across the division
- Squad fitness could be a defining factor in the relegation battle run-in
At this stage of the Premier League season, the table only tells part of the story.
Form, points and momentum will always dominate the conversation, but there are other influences that begin to surface as the run-in approaches small details that can shape big outcomes. Sometimes it is confidence, sometimes it is depth, and sometimes it is simply who is available when it matters most.
For West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, that underlying theme has been present for much of the campaign, lingering in the background without always taking centre stage.
Now, with the stakes rising and every point carrying greater weight, it is becoming harder to ignore.
Spurs top injury table, while West-Ham are second bottom
According to data from Transfermarkt.co.uk, Spurs have endured the worst injury record in the Premier League this season, with a staggering 363 games missed by 27 players, totalling 1,377 days lost to injury across the campaign.
Their recent win over Wolves came at a heavy cost: Dominic Solanke, the man brought in to spearhead their survival bid, suffered a grade-two hamstring injury that could sideline him for up to eight weeks. That same match saw Xavi Simons suffer an ACL tear that could rule him out until next season.
With only four league matches left, Aston Villa, Leeds, Chelsea, and Everton the pair are joining a list of absentees that reads like an entire first XI: Cristian Romero, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Guglielmo Vicario, and Ben Davies, among others.
In contrast, West Ham sit at the opposite end of the spectrum, with just 78 games missed from eleven players. That is not a small gap. That is essentially a season’s worth of availability.
At points this season, Spurs have been without 7 to 11 players per matchday, a rolling crisis that has left them constantly firefighting rather than planning.
West Ham, on the other hand, has had something Tottenham simply hasn’t: stability, particularly since the turn of the year with Nuno Espírito Santo.
That 285-game difference could tell the deciding story. It means a more settled matchday squad. It means players building understanding week after week. It means fewer compromises, fewer square pegs in round holes.
It does not guarantee results, but Spurs sit 18th, two points adrift of safety. West Ham have had their own inconsistencies, but it gives them a platform. And at this stage of the season, that platform matters.
