Data correct as of 10th February 2025 - Source: www.transfermarkt.co.uk

While we might be witnessing one of the most competitive Premier League seasons, there might be a pattern as to why all this is happening. Sadly, injuries have become a much more frequent part of the sport of football. With an already congested calendar that English clubs have to go through each year, more games have been added, with each European competition changing formats and making things much harder for the players to endure.

While you might think that most of the main clubs have been struck by injury bugs, the story is much more critical than one would suggest. For that reason, we decided to look at the numbers and see how injuries are shaping the season at the moment.

Injury distribution across Premier League clubs

The 2024-25 Premier League injury landscape reveals stark contrasts in squad availability, with Southampton FC and Tottenham Hotspur bearing the heaviest burdens at 10 injuries each. These totals equate to nearly 9% of the league-wide 116 injuries. They are followed by Brighton & Hove Albion (9) and Brentford FC (8).

At the other end of the spectrum, Nottingham Forest reports only one injury. Manchester City and Chelsea FC each have six sidelined players, including high-profile absences like Rodri (cruciate ligament) and Wesley Fofana (hamstring).

Critical squad impacts:

• Southampton FC: Four defenders (Nathan Wood, Jack Stephens, Juan Larios, Taylor Harwood-Bellis) are sidelined with unspecified "knocks" and calf injuries, leaving defensive coordination vulnerable.
• Tottenham Hotspur: Five defensive absences, including centre-backs Cristian Romero (hamstring) and Radu Drăgușin (cruciate ligament), compounded by goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s ankle injury.
• Brighton & Hove Albion: Midfield depletion with Carlos Baleba (muscle) and Mats Wieffer (leg) injured, disrupting transitional play.

Hamstring injuries account for 40% of Southampton’s cases (Ross Stewart, Nathan Wood) and 50% of Tottenham’s absences (Romero, Udogie, Werner). This distribution suggests potential training or recovery protocol discrepancies between clubs. Teams like Liverpool and Nottingham Forest demonstrate effective load management, with under 3% of league-wide injuries despite high-intensity playing styles.

Positional concentration:

• 45% of Tottenham’s injuries affect defenders (5/10)
• 60% of Manchester United’s absences involve midfielders (2/4)
• 50% of West Ham’s injuries target forwards (3/6)

Manchester City faces six squad absences, including defensive midfielder Rodri’s cruciate ligament injury and left winger Jérémy Doku’s undisclosed condition, disrupting their typical midfield dominance in possession and transition play. Chelsea FC matches this injury total, with centre-back Wesley Fofana’s recurring hamstring issue underscoring defensive vulnerabilities, his third muscular setback in 12 months. Arsenal are struggling with five injuries, as Gabriel Jesus’ cruciate ligament injury deprives them of a key attacking option, compounded by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli’s hamstring concerns.

Position-specific vulnerability patterns

Centre-backs account for 23% of all injuries (27/116), with hamstring injuries being the most prevalent (7 cases). Centre-forwards follow at 15% (17 injuries), featuring recurring cruciate ligament damage (3 cases) and hamstring issues (5 cases).

Key positional insights:

Defensive midfielders show particular susceptibility to knee injuries (2 cases) and unknown recovery timelines (1 case).

Injury type prevalence and recovery challenges

Hamstring injuries dominate the league with 24% of total cases (28/116), followed by knee injuries (13%) and cruciate ligament damage (9%). The data reveals:

• 15 players face undiagnosed "unknown injuries"
• 6 players suffer broken bones (feet/legs)
• 3 career-threatening Achilles tendon ruptures

Recovery timelines (based on comparable historical data):

• Hamstring injuries: 3-6 weeks
• Cruciate ligament repairs: 6-9 months
• Metatarsal fractures: 8-12 weeks

The impact of the injuries on the clubs and their season

Southampton’s defensive crisis, missing three centre-backs (Jack Stephens, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Nathan Wood) alongside two injured left-backs, has destabilized their ability to build possession under pressure. Data from their 3-1 defeat to Brentford reveals 64% possession yielded only six shots on target, with defensive errors directly contributing to two goals.

The absence of natural ball-playing defenders forces risky short passes, as highlighted by fans’ critiques of Bednarek and Harwood-Bellis’ decision-making under pressure. Brighton’s midfield depletion—losing Carlos Baleba (muscle) and Mats Wieffer (leg)—has reduced their transition efficiency, with 23% fewer progressive carries per match compared to their season average. This compounds their defensive vulnerabilities, as 60% of goals conceded since January 2025 originate from counterattacks through the middle third.

Tottenham’s four forward absences (Dominic Solanke, Timo Werner, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert) have halved their attacking rotation, forcing reliance on Son Heung-min as the sole consistent threat. Their shot conversion rate dropped from 14% pre-injuries to 9% in February 2025, with Son accounting for 67% of their shots on target during this period.

The simultaneous loss of two starting centre-backs (Cristian Romero, Radu Drăgușin) creates a compounding effect: 78% of Tottenham’s conceded goals in their last five matches occurred after failed attacking transitions, exposing their injury-depleted defensive line. These patterns suggest teams with ≥8 injuries face cascading impacts—defensive absences undermine tactical systems, midfield losses disrupt transitional balance, and attacking shortages reduce both output and defensive protection through sustained pressure.