Nedum Onuoha has outlined how there isn’t much evidence to suggest Tottenham Hotspur are staying up, but the sheer size of the club leads many to think they can survive.
Tottenham have been branded as part of the so-called “Big Six” for years now, with their efforts to form a new European Super League in 2021 doing them no favours.
While they did win the Europa League last season, to end their 17-year wait for a trophy, Tottenham finished 17th in the Premier League on 38 points.
They were 13 points clear of the bottom three last term, but this season, they are two points from safety and sit in 18th on 30 points with six games to play.
Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat to Sunderland has led to a growing number of people saying Roberto De Zerbi‘s men won’t beat the drop, and going by the numbers, they are right to think that.
MORE SPURS STORIES
🏟️ TOTTENHAM MATCHDAY HUB 🏟️
Line-ups, predicted XIs, player ratings, tactical verdicts, match analysis, and live Spurs form guides.
Get 24/7 updates from your definitive Lilywhites source
Tottenham close in on unwanted records as rivals do the opposite
In match week 32, Tottenham lost, West Ham won, Nottingham Forest drew, and Leeds United secured an unlikely victory at Manchester United.
Leeds’ win at Old Trafford was their first away league win over United since February 1981, ending an 18-match winless run there.
Just over a week before that, Leeds reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1987.
Conversely, West Ham’s win over Wolves on Friday saw Tottenham drop into the relegation zone for the first time since August 2015. That was also a first for De Zerbi, as his Brighton side (2022-24) never fell into the bottom three during his Amex tenure.
In 2026, Tottenham have picked up fewer points than fellow relegation rivals Burnley (eight), Wolves (14), Forest (15), Leeds (16), and West Ham (18).
As per Opta Joe, only Derby County in 2008, Sunderland in 2003, and Swindon Town in 1993 have had longer winless runs to start a calendar year in the Premier League than Tottenham in 2026 (14).
Moreover, all of those teams were relegated.
And yet, ex-players such as former City man Onuoha admits he has been swept up by an irrational thought process on Tottenham.
He said on BBC’s Monday Night Club: “It’s obscene. The last league win they had was on 28 December 2025. I’m one of those people who continued to believe Spurs would stay up.
“But with every game that passes, I am like, ‘Why do I believe that? They’ll win this week, and they’ll be fine’ and I’ve said this for three months now.”
Yes, Tottenham have many good players who are likely to be snapped up by big teams if they go down. But so far, there is no evidence to suggest their results will improve.
Tottenham veer towards the abyss
Tottenham’s 14-game winless run in the league is their second-longest stretch without a victory since going 16 matches without a win from December 1934 to April 1935.
There is a lot of blame to be handed out at Tottenham, including to sporting director Johan Lange, who are on course to get relegated for the first time since 1977.
To make matters worse, Tottenham’s next game is against a Brighton side that are pushing for Europe and have won five of their last six league matches.
It will be interesting to see what team De Zerbi picks to face his former employers, with captain Cristian Romero already ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Either way, Tottenham need results and fast.
Don’t Miss a Beat: Your Tottenham Hotspur News Access
Get the full story from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Hotspur Way with our dedicated expert hubs:
Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from N17 and Hotspur Way.