Tottenham are a club in dire turmoil, and the prospect of relegation means they inevitably face crucial stars jumping ship this summer.
Spurs in grave danger after lifeless Crystal Palace defeat
There are bad nights in football, and then there are nights like Thursday.
Tottenham, a club with a billion-pound stadium and revenues that rank them among the richest in Europe, were at home to Crystal Palace needing a win to arrest a slide that has turned uncomfortable into genuinely alarming. They got one, for about four minutes.
Dominic Solanke put Spurs ahead in the 34th, and for a brief moment, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium dared to believe their run of 10 of Premier League games without a victory — a new club record — might finally come to an end.
Then Micky van de Ven hauled back Ismaila Sarr inside the penalty area and referee Andrew Madley showed the red card without hesitation.
Sarr converted the penalty, and Jorgen Strand Larsen added a second in the carnage that followed.
Sarr then grabbed a third before the break, tucking the ball under a helpless Guglielmo Vicario. Three goals in 13 minutes, and by half-time, fans were streaming towards the exits.
The second half offered some Spurs resistance but no goals and no way back.
A fifth consecutive defeat, with the north Londoners now going 11 matches without a league win for the first time since before World War Two.
They also remain one point above the relegation zone, with Liverpool at Anfield next in the league, and Atlético Madrid in the Champions League sandwiched in between.
It is hard to imagine a more brutal fixture run for a side this short of confidence and this light on defensive cover, with van de Ven now banned to boot.
Igor Tudor, three weeks into the job and yet to win a Premier League match, insisted he saw something he liked in what remained of his depleted ten men.
"After this game I believe more than before, maybe that sounds strange, but I saw something in the team," he said.
Perhaps, but the numbers are stark — nine goals conceded in Tudor's three games in charge, zero league wins in 2026, and a club that last played second-tier football in 1977 now staring down that very prospect with nine matches remaining.
Reports in the build up to kick off suggested that Tudor could be sacked if he failed to beat Palace, with former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane a 'dark horse' for the job, but it looks as if Spurs are sticking with the Croatian for now.
And now comes news that the crisis could cost them one of their best players, regardless of how it ends.
Tottenham star Micky van de Ven 'unhappy' and wants to leave
Indeed, as per Football Insider transfer correspondent Pete O'Rourke, van de Ven is 'unhappy' at Spurs and has his sights set on a summer exit.
The "key" Dutchman, who had been acting as captain in Romero's absence, is under contract until 2029 — but talks over a new deal have stalled, and the 24-year-old is no longer pushing to commit his future to the club.
Barcelona and Liverpool are among those monitoring his situation. The interest is hardly a surprise given his ability, but the timing adds another layer of misery to an already desperate picture at Spurs.
"He's not rushing into signing any new contract at Tottenham and has delayed contract talks," O'Rourke said.
"That might open the door for clubs to make offers for him this summer, and I'm sure Spurs are well aware of that."
Romero is widely expected to leave too, meaning Tottenham could lose both first-choice centre-backs in the same window — whether they are in the Premier League or not.
The walls appear to be closing in, and perhaps the only thing that can stop it is a remarkable resurgence from now until May.