Tottenham are in a Premier League relegation battle and several of their players are likely to leave if the drop is not avoided.
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The Tottenham Hotspur hierarchy will know that the vultures will have already started to circle.
Clubs throughout the Premier League and Europe will be licking their lips. Agents of Spurs' players may well be putting contingency plans together and sounding out teams and sporting directors.
Some feel that Tottenham are still too good to be relegated. Yet with nine matches remaining, it is difficult be bullish that the North London outfit can avoid the drop. The 5-2 loss at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League only increased the genuine fears that they could go down.
Confidence among the squad is bereft. And the decision to sack Thomas Frank and hire Igor Tudor on an interim basis has arguably compounded their precarious situation.
Liverpool aim to heighten Spurs' woes when they meet at Anfield on Sunday. It will be a game in which the Reds should smell blood and capitalise in their bid to secure Champions League qualification.
Head coach Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes might be somewhat thankful for Tottenham's horrendous season. It has some of the attention from how badly Liverpool have underperformed in their Premier League title defence.
In truth, it would be a surprise if Liverpool have not placed any Spurs players on their potential list of summer transfer targets. Tottenham will have to sell assets and they could be available at a cut price. The Reds took advantage of Newcastle going down in 2016 to swoop for Gini Wijnaldum.
You would imagine that most Tottenham players would look for an escape route. While reports suggest that Spurs’ salaries reportedly have a clause that would see wages drop by as much as 50 per cent, the club would still need a marked cost-cutting exercise.
The Tottenham player who might be top of Kopites' wish list is Micky van de Ven. The centre-back is undoubtedly one of Spurs' best players. He is blessed with rapid pace and is left-footed, a commodity that Liverpool do not possess. However, with Jeremy Jacquet set to arrive for £60 million to join Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leonie as options next season, central defence might not be a priority. it definitely won't be if Ibrahima Konate decides to sign a new contract rather than depart on a free transfer.
Archie Gray is Tottenham's brightest prospect following his arrival from Leeds United two years ago. He's among a dearth of Spurs players who has emerged with any credit this season. Yet Gray is tied down to a deal in the capital until 20230. He is only aged 20 and might not be too concerned about dropping down to the Championship for a year.
Dejan Kulusevski has not made a single appearance all season, Mohammed Kudus is talented but been inconsistent and Cristian Romero’s temperament means he cannot be relied on.
However, someone who could fit the bill for Liverpool is Pedro Porro. The defender has made 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal and registering six assists. Per WhoScored, Porro has an average match rating of 6.70 which places him sixth in the Tottenham squad.
Right-back is a position that Liverpool are well stocked in terms of numbers, but it has proven problematic throughout 2025-26. Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez have both had their injury issues, with the latter ruled out for the rest of the campaign because of a serious knee issue. Bradley has had hamstring issues previously and there are question marks around his reliance.
Meanwhile, there is also uncertainty around Frimpong’s best position. While he was signed to fill the void of Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Netherlands international is not a conventional full-back. There is an argument that Frimpong is more suited to featuring in a more advanced role. And with Mo Salah’s future precarious, a gap on the right wing could appear in Liverpool’s squad.
Gomez can play at full-back, although his preferred role is centrally, while he is out of contract in June 2027.
Porro is under contract at Tottenham until 2028. A regular Spain international, he is valued at around £35 million by Transfermrkt. And it was interesting that after Liverpool’s 2-1 win at Spurs last December, Slot praised Porro’s ability.
Slot said: “I know what a special player [Pedro] Porro is and how good of a free-kick he has – he showed that already with the corner kick he took which led eventually to the goal and in some other moments.”
Porro is aged 26, meaning signing him would be at odds with Liverpool’s preferred model of signing younger players on an upward curve. But given Bradley’s fitness woes, the Reds may need someone of more experience to help ease the burden. If Spurs do go down, Porro could be an interesting option.