The Spurs News

Tottenham Hotspur remain without a Premier League win in 2026, but Nicky Butt believes Igor Tudor can turn things around with some ‘crazy’ team bonding exercises.

Tudor has landed in north London with the task of saving Tottenham from falling even further and into the Championship.

Losing against Arsenal was not the start the 47-year-old manager would have been hoping for in N17, with 11 cup finals now lying ahead of him in the Premier League.

Les Ferdinand did notice some improvements in Tottenham under their interim manager.

However, morale is at an all-time low at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Lilywhites need to find an answer quickly.

HIGHER or LOWER: Should Spurs’ odds of being relegated from the Premier League be bigger than just 4.2%?

The former Manchester United midfielder, Butt, believes Tudor could get a tune out of Spurs, but he needs to get his players up for the fight through team bonding activities.

Nicky Butt urges Igor Tudor to improve Tottenham’s morale ahead of relegation scrap

Wayne Rooney still believes Tottenham will avoid relegation, but the Lilywhites are not trending in the right direction.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Spurs have gone their last three Premier League games without picking up a single point, with relegation becoming a real threat.

How many points will Tottenham take from their next four Premier League matches?

Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Butt shared his belief that team bonding could actually save Spurs from the drop.

“It sounds crazy, this, but go and take them for a little trip away and get the camaraderie back together and get them wanting to play together, wanting to run through brick walls for each other,” he said.

“I just don’t see that manager doing that. I see that manager getting them on the coaching pitch – which they have to do, don’t get me wrong – but first and foremost, you’ve got to galvanise that changing room and get them all together.”

The concern Butt has stems from Tudor’s initial comments following his appointment, where he said he’s at Spurs to do a job not to enjoy his stint in north London.

However, Tudor has already been ignored by Micky van de Ven, which must highlight the demand for something to drastically change at Hotspur Way.

Tottenham must hark back to morale from Europa League triumph

It is clear to see that this season has drained everyone around the club, but Spurs cannot languish in their frustrations with relegation staring them in the face.

Less that 12 months ago, there was hundreds of thousands of Spurs fans celebrating the club’s Europa League triumph, which feels like a distant memory now.

The players must hark back to the togetherness they had on the back of that night in Bilbao.

Even players like James Maddison, who is currently out injured, will have a big role to play behind the scenes at Hotspur Way.

Only 11 games remain and Spurs need to find something within themselves to prevent what would be the biggest relegation upset in Premier League history.

Johan Lange rejected the chance to sign Ademola Lookman for just £34 million in January, and now the winger could eliminate Tottenham from the Champions League.

Tottenham Hotspur will face either Atletico Madrid or one of Galatasaray and Juventus in the Champions League round of 16 in March.

TRUE or FALSE: Ademola Lookman was a HUGE miss for Tottenham in January…

Spurs will soon learn their opponent and route in the Champions League following the conclusion of the qualifying round in the competition.

Facing Diego Simeone’s team would be a very tricky challenge, and with Lookman in red-hot form, he could really make them pay for turning him down.

Ademola Lookman could face Tottenham in the Champions League Round of 16

Ademola Lookman could now come back to haunt Johan Lange and Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League Round of 16.

Spurs versus Atletico is a very likely Champions League knockout tie, and the winger could show them what they missed out on.

Tom Barclay claims that Tottenham were offered Lookman several times last summer and January, but they opted against signing him.

MORE SPURS STORIES

For £34m, it felt like a real bargain deal for Atleti, who have really enjoyed having the Nigerian international starring for them.

The 28-year-old has wasted little time impressing in the Spanish capital with seven goal involvements in seven matches under Simeone.

Venkatesham and Lange are highly unpopular among the Tottenham fans…😡

Should Spurs sack them at the end of the season?

Lookman would have been an ideal fit for Spurs’ European squad too, given the fact he is homegrown, having come through Charlton’s academy.

Spurs have been looking at Lookman for years, and now their decision not to sign him in January is proving to be rather costly.

Tottenham’s injuries highlight need for Ademola Lookman

Meanwhile, Tottenham’s current injury list further highlights the need for an attacker like Lookman.

Spurs were without 12 players for the North London derby and were forced to play without a natural left winger.

Wilson Odobert could be sidelined until 2027 after suffering an ACL injury; meanwhile, Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski are also wingers who are unavailable.

Lookman would have offered real experience, having previously played in the Premier League and Champions League.

All in all, considering the team’s defences and the price, it just feels like a very bad move from Spurs not to sign him.

Conor Gallagher leaped at the opportunity to join Tottenham Hotspur in January and his £200k-per-week salary leaves little wonder behind his return to London.

Tottenham’s strict wage structure is well-known and has held the club back from continuing their progression from the days of Mauricio Pochettino.

The Lilywhites have never been a club that would break their wage structure to bring in a game-changing signing despite having the PSR headroom to do so.

Having signed Gallagher from Atletico Madrid for around £35m in January, The Guardian have now revealed the midfielder to be earning £200k-per-week in N17.

What GRADE would you give Conor Gallagher’s signing at Spurs?

That figure makes Gallagher Tottenham’s highest-earning player and asks the question of who is actually steering the ship at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Conor Gallagher’s salary highlights the Lewis family’s lost control at Tottenham

In the North London Derby at the weekend, Gallagher was hooked off by Igor Tudor shortly after the hour mark.

How many points will Tottenham take from their next four Premier League matches?

MORE SPURS STORIES

It has not been a convincing start from the 26-year-old midfielder, who has started all six Premier League games since making his move.

Gallagher’s considerable pay packet is viewed as a turning point by those at the top of the club, with more big signings expected in the summer on the basis that Spurs avoid the drop.

The Lewis family are rightfully coming under scrutiny for the way the club is being run, with Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange steering the club towards relegation.

Wayne Rooney criticised Gallagher’s Spurs debut, with the midfielder still yet to really demonstrate what he is going to provide this Spurs side.

Tottenham absolutely must break their wage structure if they have any hope of getting back to the club they were just a couple of years ago.

However, for the Lilywhites to start this fresh outlook by signing Gallagher up to such a significant salary just sums up the poor judgement calls being made at board level.

Where Tottenham’s highest-earners rank after Conor Gallagher’s arrival

Gallagher’s staggering weekly wage has now set the precedent for any future Spurs signings and even potential contract renewals.

Although there may be doubts over his future, Spurs want to sign Micky van de Ven to a new deal, but his demands will only have increased on the back of Gallagher’s salary reveal.

There has to be a feeling that with every step forward, Tottenham take two steps back.

Bringing in players on a new wage structure should only benefit the club, but the board still has to be selective about which players they award the big wages to.

Of course, this all relies on Spurs dragging themselves out of the mess they find themselves in amongst the relegation battle.

Relegation from the Premier League could well force Tottenham Hotspur into selling around £300 million worth of players.

Right now, Spurs are staring down the barrel of relegation to the Championship with just five points separating them from the drop zone.

Which Tottenham player do you think is most likely to leave if the club are relegated?

Tottenham have a 4.2% chance of relegation, but that could grow if their shocking form continues, with the Lilywhites the only Premier League team not to win a league match in 2026.

To find out more about the potential implications of relegation from the Premier League, The Spurs News spoke to finance expert, Adam Williams, to assess the situation.

Tottenham could lose around £225m in revenue overnight if relegated

Tottenham Hotspur could face the possibility of losing over £225m in revenue if they were relegated, Williams suggests.

Those costs include television money and no European football, not even factoring in the loss of sponsorship and matchday money.

“Usually, it’s pretty simple to work out how much money a club would lose if they were relegated from the Premier League. It’s basically as simple as the minimum drop-off in terms of TV money, plus some adjustments for matchday and commercial income,” Williams told The Spurs News.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“If you’re in the Championship for just a single season, it usually works out as about £60m in terms of revenue lost. It fluctuates from season to season depending on how many clubs are receiving parachute payments, the value of the Premier League’s central fund that year and so on, but we always have a loose idea of what the figure is going to be.

HIGHER or LOWER: Should Spurs’ odds of being relegated from the Premier League be bigger than just 4.2%?

“But for Tottenham, the analysis is much less clear. There are just so many variables. What do we use as our starting point? For one, Spurs are in the Champions League this season, and they have already picked up about £75m in prize money there.

“Even in the bottom three in the Premier League, they would earn about £130m in prize and TV money. So your total TV money would go from north of £200m for the season to around £50m in the Championship. So that’s £150m lost overnight, minimum, relative to this season.

“Then, you have to look at the commercial and matchday. Have sponsors got break clauses that mean that they can cancel or drastically reduce payments in the event of relegation? For most teams, that’s a given, but I wonder if sponsors would have thought that such a remote possibility for Spurs that they wouldn’t have even accounted for it in negotiations.”

Tottenham recently announced that they are freezing ticket prices for the 2026/27 season; however, relegation would leave question marks over whether that would be possible.

Williams added: “Also, how much would merchandise and other retail sales suffer in the Championship? How much would Spurs be able to get away with charging fans for tickets if they can’t offer fans a premium product? To what extent does the value of hospitality packages suffer? They would still have the advantages of the stadium as a multi-function venue, but there would clearly be negative impacts elsewhere across the business.

Venkatesham and Lange are highly unpopular among the Tottenham fans…😡

Should Spurs sack them at the end of the season?

“This is just the revenue stuff. You’ve also got your costs to consider. It takes a lot of money to maintain a stadium as impressive as theirs.

“More importantly, do players even have step-down clauses in the event of relegation? I think probably not. It’s not a standard clause for teams as big as Spurs. So you could have an annual wage bill of £200m-plus, net transfer debt of around £400m, £100m’s worth of administrative costs, interest payments of £30m.”

Tottenham facing potential £300m player fire sale

The North London club would also need to start selling many of their big-name stars if they were to be relegated.

Players like Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, James Maddison and Xavi Simons would all need to be sold to help balance the losses stated above.

“Clearly, they would have to sell players en masse to deal with all of that. That’s called re-basing. All relegated clubs have to do it, but Spurs’ task would be so, so much more complex – even with a wages-to-revenue ratio as lean as theirs,” Williams fears.

“They have lost money on a cash flow basis in each of the last few seasons and the owners have had to put money in for more or less the first time. If you lose £200m in revenue overnight, the financial picture and meeting your cash needs starts to look pretty scary.

“I’d go as far as to say that I don’t think there has ever been as dramatic a financial swing in modern football history. It’s not at all uncommon to see relegated clubs sell £100m worth of players. For Spurs, that might be just one player, or at least not far off – Van de Ven, Romero, etc. So I really do think you could be looking at treble that figure, so £300m or so. It would be biblical.”

Conor Gallagher was the first Tottenham player to be subbed off versus Arsenal, which is really worrying considering he was supposed to add more energy and steel to the midfield.

Tottenham paid £35m in January to sign Gallagher from Atletico Madrid; however, he has yet to show any signs of being worth that fee.

What GRADE would you give Conor Gallagher’s signing at Spurs?

The North London club are yet to win when the 26-year-old has featured, but it’s also fair to say he has joined what is quite a terrible situation at Spurs.

But considering he was just one of two signings made in January, the Lilywhites have really needed him to make a bigger impact, given their situation.

Conor Gallagher has been a lacklustre signing for Tottenham

Conor Gallagher has been a lacklustre signing for Tottenham Hotspur so far, when the team desperately needed fresh impetus.

The Guardian claims that Gallagher has been made Spurs’ highest earner on £200k-per-week, putting him just ahead of Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero.

For that sort of investment, Spurs really need more from their January addition, and so far, he has been very subpar.

MORE SPURS STORIES

During his first six starts for the club, Tottenham have lost four and drawn two, with the team going through a very bad patch.

The former Chelsea captain produced a truly pitiful display in the North London derby, and it was no wonder Tudor hooked him so quickly.

HIGHER or LOWER: Should Spurs’ odds of being relegated from the Premier League be bigger than just 4.2%?

Gallagher managed just 22 touches, 11 completed passes, three of which came in Arsenal’s half, and lost possession six times.

Spurs’ midfield looked almost non-existent against their bitter rivals, and when they did get the ball, none of the trio ever managed to meaningfully progress the ball.

In January, the North London club desperately needed a progressive passer, but Gallagher is not really known for his ability to move the ball from deep.

The 26-year-old is a very decent player as he showed at Chelsea and Atletico, but there are strong question marks about whether he was the profile of player Spurs needed.

Gallagher desperately needs to step up for Tottenham now, with the team in serious need of points to avoid relegation.

Tottenham Hotspur have just a 4.2 per cent chance of being relegated from the Premier League following the team’s defeat to Arsenal.

Arsenal ran riot at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, with Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres both scoring braces in a 4-0 win.

HIGHER or LOWER: Should Spurs’ odds of being relegated from the Premier League be bigger than just 4.2%?

Spurs’ latest defeat means they remain the only Premier League team without a win in 2026 and just five points above the bottom three.

However, Opta’s data gives Spurs’ supporters some optimism, despite being the team with the worst form in the top flight.

Tottenham have a 4.2 per cent chance of being relegated

Tottenham Hotspur’s current Premier League relegation odds stand at 4.2 per cent, according to Opta.

The North London club are now firmly in the battle for survival, and there is every chance that Igor Tudor’s team could go down.

Nottingham Forest and West Ham United are the two biggest threats, and it looks like sides that are finding some sort of rhythm.

MORE SPURS STORIES

However, Spurs are yet to win in 2026, and there are very few signs that their injury-ravaged squad can change their fortunes.

The Lilywhites were without 10 players for the North London derby, highlighting the severity of the situation in N17.

Meanwhile, in terms of the other clubs, Brighton are at 0.1%, Leeds at 2.2%, Forest at 20.7% and West Ham are at a huge 60.7%.

How many points will Tottenham take from their next four Premier League matches?

Spurs’ next few games see them travel away to an in-form Fulham team before welcoming Crystal Palace to their stadium on March 5.

The Lilywhites clash against Forest on March 22 could have huge implications on which team goes down this season.

Wayne Rooney is ‘just about’ backing Tottenham Hotspur to avoid relegation this season, and thinks West Ham United could be in danger.

Following their latest defeat to Arsenal, Spurs now find themselves five points above the bottom three and in real danger of dropping from the Premier League.

YES or NO: Will Tottenham be relegated this season? 👀

West Ham United and Nottingham Forest are in hot pursuit of the Lilywhites, who have collected just four points since the start of 2026.

Igor Tudor’s team now face an uphill battle to remain in the top flight; however, Rooney is backing them to be safe.

Wayne Rooney thinks Tottenham will avoid relegation

Wayne Rooney thinks West Ham United will be the team that potentially saves Tottenham Hotspur from getting relegated this season.

Spurs, Nottingham Forest and West Ham look to be the trio of clubs now battling it out to remain in the Premier League this season.

The former Premier League striker is backing Spurs to fight off relegation; however, he does believe they are now right in the mix.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“Yeah, I think they’ll be fine. I don’t think they’ll get relegated. I think for West Ham to pick up points will be difficult. But they’re down there,” Rooney told BBC Sport.

Give us YOUR three-word reaction to that Tottenham performance vs Arsenal😡

“They’re down there, and they were there last season. A little bit closer to the relegation zone this season. So yeah, I think they’ll be fine, and I think they’re just about good enough not to get relegated.”

Next up for Spurs is a tricky away trip to Craven Cottage to face a Fulham side that just won 3-1 away at Sunderland.

Wayne Rooney thinks Nottingham Forest have a better squad than Tottenham

Rather alarmingly, Rooney also added that he thinks that even Nottingham Forest have a better squad than Tottenham.

He also added that Spurs are now ‘miles off’ being a club good enough to be in the top 16.

“I think I was watching the Forest Liverpool game today, and Forest have got a better squad than Tottenham,” Rooney claimed.

“They’re in a similar position in the league. So, I think they’re being a bit naive as to whether that’s the fans or the club in thinking that they’re a top 16 team. They’re not, they’re miles off it.”

Ange Postecoglou has revealed that he is a big fan of Cristian Romero and the way that he plays on the edge for Tottenham Hotspur.

Romero’s hot-headed nature has been slammed in the media recently, especially after his red card against Manchester United.

🤔 You decide: Should Tottenham STRIP or KEEP Cristian Romero as the captain?

However, the former Spurs boss claims he is a winner, and it’s all about how you manage the Argentine defender to get the best from him.

Postecoglou insists that Spurs would not have won the Europa League final without Romero, and also compared him to United legend Roy Keane.

Ange Postecoglou loved managing Cristian Romero at Tottenham

Ange Postecoglou has revealed that he loved managing Cristian Romero at Tottenham Hotspur and is adamant every team needs a player like him.

Gary Neville asked the ex-Spurs boss how he feels about the World Cup winner and Postecoglou has nothing but admiration for him.

“I love him, mate, and he does play on the edge, but man, he’d scare people in training. I love the way he talks,” Postecoglou told The Overlap.

MORE SPURS STORIES

“I mean, would you rather have Roy in your team or against you? We would never have won that final without Romero.”

The 60-year-old stated the importance of Romero to the team, given that he is not scared of anything, which he showed ahead of the Europa League final.

“Before kick-off, he took our team into the Man United half for the huddle because our supporters were down that end. He’s not scared of anything, mate. He’s a winner. I love winners,” added Postecoglou.

👀 AGREE or DISAGREE: Ange Postecoglou deserved the chance to have SEASON THREE at Tottenham…

“Now, does he cross the line? Yeah, he does. You know, he crosses the line in training sometimes, and the coaches go, “Oh, you know,” I go, ‘Well, you go tell him. I’m not telling him’.

“But you need that mentality in a group. Now, how do you control that? You need to harness that, you kind of hope that he (doesn’t completely cross the line).”

Ange Postecoglou says Cristian Romero’s Tottenham teammates fear him

Postecoglou claims Romero’s Tottenham teammates actually fear him, and made it clear that you do not want to get on his wrong side.

When asked whether the players respect him, he said: “Respect him tremendously, they fear him, you know, you don’t want to (get on his bad side).

“You’ve got to remember his whole existence is not just Tottenham. He’s also an Argentinian national. He’s won a World Cup. He’s mixing with players like (Enzo) Fernandez and (Emi) Martinez, and he thinks, ‘They’re signing players, why aren’t we?'”

Tottenham are facing the serious possibility of not taking part in European football next season and will likely need to win the Champions League to participate.

Winning the Champions League looks impossible, given the injuries that are stacking up, and Igor Tudor has work on his hands if he’s to revive the team’s fortunes.

How MANY POINTS will Igor Tudor take from his first FOUR Tottenham matches?

Thomas Frank recently departed Tottenham, and although the results and performances suggested that he had to go, Spurs won’t automatically get their injured players back now that he’s exited.

One injured star right now is Lucas Bergvall, and he could be the hot subject of interest during the summer transfer window as Spurs look set to miss out on European competition.

Liverpool and Aston Villa want Lucas Bergvall

According to Team Talk, Liverpool have now entered the race to sign Bergvall, who has been targeted by Villa in the past.

The midfielder is currently out injured, and it’s not exactly clear when he will make a return to action following the injury sustained against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

It’s clear that Tottenham don’t actually want to sell Bergvall during the transfer window next summer, but without European football, the club will be at the mercy of clubs who are competing in those competitions.

MORE SPURS STORIES

It will likely take a hefty sum to prise the player away from Tottenham in the summer, but Liverpool and Aston Villa could both now be keen on testing the club’s resolve.

Frank compares Bergvall to Dominik Szoboszlai

Frank did have some rotten luck with injuries at Tottenham, and it’s perhaps disappointing that Bergvall wasn’t available for more of his time at the club.

Earlier in the campaign, Bergvall was compared to Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, with Frank believing he was just as good as the Hungarian.

He said in a press conference: “Lucas is very talented. I think he will end up as what we call an eight… He’s a player we can use in different roles, which is hugely beneficial.

“Look at Szoboszlai, who we all think is one of the best midfielders in the league [as a comparison].”

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Bergvall, but as a supremely talented player, it does feel as though it could be a very challenging summer for Tottenham when it comes to some of the club’s star players.

Igor Tudor has explained that he wants to play attacking football at Tottenham Hotspur, but also to add structure in defence.

The North London club sacked Thomas Frank last week, with the team sitting just five points above the relegation zone in the Premier League.

How MANY POINTS will Igor Tudor take from his first FOUR Tottenham matches?

Tudor is the man tasked with steering the team away from the bottom three, having quickly transformed Juventus and Lazio’s fortunes during spells in Italy.

The Croatian coach has now been speaking after his appointment until the end of the season in North London, and his plans to fix Spurs.

Igor Tudor wants to play attacking football at Tottenham Hotspur and score plenty of goals in a bid to get the supporters on side.

Frank’s rigid tactics at Tottenham were not received well by the fans, and hopefully, Tudor will play better football.

“I like to be positive. I like to play offensive football. That’s my first goal. I like to score goals, but in the same way, for sure, you need to give organisation in defence, give a clear structure of what you want to play,” Tudor told Tottenham Hotspur.

MORE SPURS STORIES

Finish the sentence: Igor Tudor’s two number tens at Tottenham should be _____ and _______

“The situation is not easy because, as you know better than me, we have a lot of injured players, so, we need first to find the best system that suits the players that are available at this moment. So, a very particular moment.”

Spurs have several attacking players whom the 47-year-old will need to get more from, especially Xavi Simons, Randal Kolo Muani and Mathys Tel.

The new interim manager’s first game is against Arsenal in the North London derby, and he started taking the team’s training on Monday.