Tottenham will likely see a few players head out the door this summer, relegation or no, following a disastrous Premier League campaign.
Tottenham give West Ham lifeline after Leeds draw
Tottenham needed three points on Monday night.
They had the lead, they had the momentum, and then Mathys Tel, the man who had just produced the moment of the match, gave it all away by conceding a penalty.
Suddenly, Spurs are staring down the barrel again.
A 1-1 draw with Leeds leaves Roberto De Zerbi's side just two points above the relegation zone with two games to play.
West Ham, sitting in 18th, now have a lifeline. If they beat Newcastle on Sunday, they go above Spurs in the table. The trap door has definitely not closed yet, and De Zerbi will be ruing that glaring missed opportunity in north London.
Tel's opener was something special — a curled finish into the top corner that sent the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium into raptures.
But the 19-year-old's attempted acrobatic clearance caught Ethan Ampadu in the face, VAR intervened after the referee waved play on, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin drilled the penalty into the bottom corner to hand Leeds an equaliser.
Goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky also produced one of the saves of the season to deny Sean Longstaff in stoppage time and keep the scores level, but it was scant consolation for a dressing room that knows exactly what is at stake.
De Zerbi, animated throughout on the touchline, was honest afterwards.
"We have to fight until the end of the season," he told Sky Sports.
"We hoped to win tonight. I am sorry for the penalty because Tel scored a great goal. He is very young and it is not a problem for me — but fighting relegation is different to fighting for Champions League."
Next up: Chelsea away on Tuesday the 19th, then Everton at home on the final day.
West Ham face Newcastle this Sunday and Leeds on the last afternoon.
It could not be tighter.
Amid all that chaos, there is a separate exit subplot developing, amid reports that key stars like Cristian Romero are set to leave Tottenham regardless of their survival status.
Randal Kolo Muani reaches 'principle agreement' to join Juventus
PSG loanee Randal Kolo Muani, who started Monday's draw, is edging towards a permanent exit this summer, but it will not be to north London.
According to French outlet Le 10 Sport, cited by Sport Witness, the 27-year-old has reached a 'principle agreement' with Juventus over a full transfer this summer, with the Serie A club prepared to push the deal through regardless of their Champions League status next season.
It is hardly a surprise.
Kolo Muani's camp had made clear they wanted no more temporary deals after back-to-back loan spells away from Paris.
A permanent move was the only acceptable outcome, and Juventus — who had him on loan themselves last season — appear to have built quietly towards this moment for months.
Liverpool had been linked, but Sport Witness report the Reds are likely to miss out with Juve firmly in pole position.
For Spurs, it is another summer exit to add to a growing list.
It was always pretty inevitable given there is no buy option in the loan deal which Tottenham agreed last summer, but it appears the Lilywhites are unlikely to rival Juve for a permanent Kolo Muani transfer.
The Frenchman, who cost PSG a staggering £76.4 million to sign from Eintracht Frankfurt back in 2023, has been largely disappointing.
Spurs were hoping Kolo Muani could replicate the kind of form which saw him rack up an impressive 23 goals and 17 assists for Eintracht during the 22/23 season, but he's managed just nine goal contributions in 39 outings for De Zerbi's side.
Now, a return to Serie A beckons.