Football365

Former Spurs defender Ramon Vega believes the current disconnect between the fans and the players at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is “so big” that there is a genuine chance the club “will actually recover it”.

Vega, who made 81 appearances for the club between 1997- 2001, hit out at the lack of investment that has gone on for far too long, with Tottenham now staring firmly down the barrel of relegation to the second tier of English football for the first time in almost 50 years.

The north London outfit currently sit two points behind 17th-placed West Ham with four games remaining, starting with Sunday’s trip to Europa League semi-finalists Aston Villa.

Tottenham supporters have grown increasingly irate as their disastrous season has gone on, with home fans only witnessing two wins in 17 Premier League games at the club’s new (ish) stadium.

And Vega feels the neglect that has gone on at boardroom level has ultimately spilled its way onto the pitch, in terms of current boss Robert De Zerbi being left with a squad decimated by injuries but ultimately not strong enough to compete in multiple competitions anyway.

“What’s going on at Spurs is an accumulation of years of massive neglect on the football side of things,” he explained on the Sacked In The Morning podcast.

“It isn’t the business or infrastructure side. They have a lovely stadium but they have no furniture to use, if you like.

“But all of that neglect over close to 10 years now has really been catching up with them in the past few seasons.”

Tottenham board accused of bad decision after bad decision

“They’ve had the best managers on the planet, who couldn’t do anything about it. Then they had Ange Postecoglou, who finally won something and they sacked him.

“They had Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, but they didn’t build on having two of the top strikers in the world. Kane actually had to go to Bayern Munich before he finally won something!

“It has been a shambles from the board and the owners. That has also extended to the management team now because the club is potentially going to be relegated and it’s without a doubt on them.

“They could’ve done something in the January transfer window, but they didn’t end up doing anything.

“So we’re talking about quite a lot of issues with the club in terms of management and philosophy. There is no DNA whatsoever.

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“There is such a disconnect between the fans and the players. In fact, it is so big I don’t know how they will actually recover it.

“For me, the only way to do it is either to bring in new ownership or do a complete revamp of the board and the management team.”

Inter Milan have won the race to sign Tottenham goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, and a report has shed light on Spurs’ succession plans.

Vicario, 29, hasn’t been the safest pair of hands since arriving at Tottenham, though with the ever-shaky Antonin Kinsky serving as the back-up, he’s the best of a bad bunch.

Despite his sub-par spell in England, Vicario’s stock remains high in his home country of Italy. Juventus and Inter Milan have both explored a summer swoop for the stopper.

And according to our colleagues over on TEAMtalk, Tottenham actually made the decision all the way back in January to let Vicario leave at season’s end, irrespective of whether they retain their Premier League status or not.

That sparked a battle between Juve and Inter, and according to reporter, Graeme Bailey, it’s the latter who’ve ‘won the race’.

Bailey revealed Inter have now ‘agreed terms’ with the player, and a club-to-club agreement is expected to be a mere formality.

Inter Milan agree personal terms with Guglielmo Vicario

Bailey explained: “Sources have confirmed that Spurs made a decision back in January to allow Vicario to leave this summer, just two years after his arrival from Empoli in 2023.

“That stance alerted a number of top European clubs, with Inter moving quickly to position themselves at the front of the queue for the 29-year-old Tottenham star.

“The Serie A giants have been in discussions for several months and have now successfully agreed terms with the player, putting them firmly in control of the situation ahead of the transfer window.

“Juventus were also monitoring Vicario’s situation closely and expressed a strong interest, but the Italy international has made it clear that his preference is to join Inter.

HAVE YOU SEEN: Pochettino offers two-word verdict on Tottenham relegation on The Overlap

“Vicario could even have played his final game for the club, having not featured since the 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest after undergoing a hernia operation.”

Vicario will succeed Yann Sommer as Inter’s new starting goalkeeper, with the 37-year-old Switzerland international leaving when his contract expires in the summer.

On the succession plans back in north London, Bailey revealed what he’s been hearing so far…

Tottenham goalkeeper succession plans explained

He explained: “Tottenham, meanwhile, are already assessing their goalkeeping options for next season, though their plans remain heavily dependent on which division they will be playing in.

“Sources indicate that relegation would likely see Spurs place their faith in current number two Antonin Kinsky as their first-choice goalkeeper.

“However, if they retain their Premier League status, the club is expected to pursue a more high-profile replacement.

“Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen and Manchester City’s James Trafford are understood to be among the leading names on their shortlist.

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“They may be thwarted in their chase for Verbruggen, however, with sources suggesting the 23-year-old is poised to extend his stay on the south coast.

“Trafford, meanwhile, is being chased by a multitude of clubs as he looks to secure a second exit from Manchester City this summer, with Liverpool now emerging as a major suitor for the England stopper.

“As for Vicario’s expected Tottenham departure, it marks a significant shift in the club’s summer planning, with the north London side preparing for a pivotal window both on and off the pitch.”

Mauricio Pochettino has given his verdict on Tottenham’s relegation troubles on The Overlap and reflected on his time at Spurs.

Pochettino is now in charge of USMNT and will lead them in their home World Cup this summer but is “really sad” as he keeps a keen eye on what’s going on at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs sit 18th in the Premier League, two points off West Ham in 17th with four games left to play as they look to retain their top flight status.

“It’s really sad, I really love Tottenham, it’s going to be a part of my life, an important part of my life as a coach, a personal life too,” Pochettino said on The Overlap’s latest episode of Stick to Football.

“It’s really sad because I know how the people are suffering there, inside the club and also the fans.

“It’s difficult to accept, but the moment when we left, what I told to the media and what I told internally was my feeling and my vision. You need to talk during the day that you are there.

“When you left or when you are sad or when you decide to move again, I think it’s not time to talk. If you talk, things for me are not right.

“But I think when I was there, I tried to explain what was my vision. We were in a situation that was amazing because I think the training ground, we finished the training ground, we finished the stadium, we moved to Wembley to play, to Milton Keynes to play many games. At the same time, we were very competitive.

“But this idea of how it can affect the environment and the people outside and the people that make the decision inside… It’s one title, it’s one to win a FA Cup, it’s to win a Carabao Cup.

“It’s a shame. We were winning every season because with all the circumstances that we were fighting, we spent 18 months with no one signing. That was a record in the Premier League.

“We had money to spend but not the type of money to improve, to be close to win or to challenge. We challenged, we challenged to win. But we missed this last step.”

A ‘tough’ time at Tottenham

Pochettino then explained what he looks for when taking on a new job while reflecting on his arrival at Tottenham.

He said: “It was difficult. Now it’s difficult to talk about that because it was a really, really difficult situation. Because one of the things that I always like is if someone offers me a project, the possibility to coach, I want to know the reality.

“I want to know what they expect from me. I want to know what I need to do, which is the reality of the club. And I think what happened in Tottenham is that I understood what they expected from me, from the beginning.

“Of course it was tough, but I think I cannot complain. Only what I wanted to tell them is to say, ‘OK, that is the idea, that is the strategy, the philosophy of the culture that we were creating there’. But if we wanted to be competitive, we need some time to make different decisions.

“The problem is when the assessment is not coming from inside to the club, and the assessment comes from outside. And when people start to intoxicate things and say, no, you should win with this team.”

Outspoken pundit Jamie O’Hara has made a bold Premier League relegation prediction after flip-flopping on Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes.

O’Hara, like all over Spurs supporters, has understandably been down in the dumps throughout this season as the north London side face relegation from the Premier League.

Injuries have impacted Spurs in a shambolic season, but they still should not be in such a desperate situation with only four games of the campaign remaining.

Last weekend, Spurs earned their first Premier League win of 2026 by beating Wolves 1-0, but they remain in the bottom three after West Ham’s late victory against Everton.

West Ham (36 points) are currently the main rival of Tottenham (34 points) in the relegation picture, with Nottm Forest (39 points) and Leeds United (40 points) moving clear in recent weeks.

READ: Will Spurs take West Ham’s crown as the Premier League’s ‘best’ relegated team?

“Spurs are back”

And O’Hara has tried to convince himself and others (albeit unconvincingly) that Spurs “are back” and will survive on goal difference this season.

O’Hara said on Sky Sports: “I have changed my mind. I have looked at the fixtures properly; West Ham are going to get four points, and Spurs are going to get six points.

“We are going to beat Leeds and Everton, and we are going to stay up on goal difference.”

He added: “West Ham are going to draw with Brentford, everyone is going to be up in arms. We are going to get beaten by Villa, but then they are going to lose to Arsenal and Newcastle [before beating Leeds on the final day].

“We are going to beat Leeds, get beaten by Chelsea and we will beat Everton on the final day of the season to stay up on goal difference. A bit of positive attitude, Spurs are back!”

As mentioned, Spurs have been dogged by injuries this season, and The Telegraph are reporting that there are ‘fears that Dominic Solanke’s season could be over with a hamstring injury’.

He is said to face a layoff between three and eight weeks, so Solanke faces joining Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero in missing the rest of this campaign.

Still, pundit Jamie Carragher thinks James Maddison could have a major role to play for Spurs during the remaining weeks of the season.

“Spurs have been really unfortunate with injuries. If they didn’t have this injury record they wouldn’t be in this position,” Carragher said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.

“However, they have had ACL injuries to three players in the same position, Kulusevski, Maddison and now Simons.

“But now I feel Maddison, who is returning from injury, may have to play a role in terms of keeping Tottenham up.”

He added: “He is the only one I can think of in terms of doing something special. He’s got that quality I mention in terms of Jarrod Bowen and Morgan Gibbs-White,” before adding, “for Spurs to stay up, I feel he has a role to play.”

It very much looks like it’s now a two-way fight to avoid joining Wolves and Burnley in next season’s Championship.

West Ham hold a two-point advantage over Spurs, but with both winning on Saturday while Leeds and Nottingham Forest’s good form continues there is now a high chance that whoever does take the final relegation place can at least console themselves with being among the least sh*t teams ever to fall through the trapdoor.

Spurs might still thinking about the bad news. But they’ve got a win now! And four points from their last two games! As many as they managed in their previous 13!

If – and, sure, it’s a big if – they can now go on A Bit Of A Run having at last discarded their albatross then there is every chance a) they can cobble together 40 points all told but also b) it won’t actually be enough.

There is even an admittedly unlikely but undeniably hilarious scenario where a suddenly freefalling Newcastle get dragged back into the mix. They can’t buy a point right now, and haven’t yet quite nudged beyond a total that historically absolutely guarantees safety.

West Ham currently have 36 points, a final total that would have ensured safety in each of the last nine seasons but seems unlikely to be sufficient this season.

If it is West Ham who go, they are already sure to at least match the points total of the 10th ‘best’ relegated side of the 20-team Premier League era. Spurs are one win from securing their own place on this list if and when their likely fate is confirmed.

The Hammers, of course, already currently hold the dubious honour of being officially the best Premier League team to be relegated. Worra trophy.

Here are the 10 best relegated teams of the 38-game era, based on your standard tiebreaker criteria.

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Charlton’s first season in the Premier League remains the best of various 36-point efforts to end in relegation, although a strong case could be made that Wigan’s 2012/13 – 36 points and a cheeky FA Cup win – is actually better.

We’re going strictly on table tiebreakers, though, and Charlton’s minus 15 is easily the least bad goal difference of the 36-pointers. In the unlikely event West Ham lose all their remaining games, they would fail to knock the Clive Mendonca-powered Addicks out of the top 10. Something to think about there, lads.

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Easy now to forget that it wasn’t just the top of the 2015/16 table that looked f*cking mental. Entirely understandable that Leicester’s title triumph is all anyone really remembers, but the fact both Newcastle and Aston Villa got relegated that season should not be overlooked.

Villa, an absolute ungovernable shambles of a club at this time, were worse that season than Wolves have been this season, finishing dead last with a mere 17 points to their name.

Newcastle were not that bad, but still pretty horrific. Steve McClaren made it all the way to March despite managing only six wins. He was eventually replaced by Rafa Benitez, who oversaw a significant improvement and a six-match, 12-point unbeaten run to finish the season that couldn’t prevent the inevitable but did at least propel Newcastle into this list.

Another point to note about the absurdity of 2015/16. Just as the top of the table contained one reassuring note of sanity – Arsenal in second between Leicester and Spurs – so too did the bottom, where Norwich very correctly nestled themselves between Newcastle and Villa.

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City had finished a couple of places and a handful of points above the four-team relegation zone in 1994/95, the final 22-team Premier League season, but wouldn’t survive their first exposure to the 20-team format.

A pair of 1-0 wins over Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa on matchdays 36 and 37 had given City a fighting chance, and a 2-2 draw against Liverpool on the final day ought to have been enough. But Southampton and Coventry also got results on the final day, leaving all three on 38 points and City the losers on goal difference.

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One of the most dramatic final-day shootouts saw Sheffield United condemned to the drop by a 2-1 defeat against Wigan on the final day of the 2006/07 season, finishing level on points with the Latics but losing out by one goal on goal difference.

To make matters worse, Wigan’s winning goal that sent the Blades down was a penalty scored by David Unsworth, who had joined Wigan on a free transfer in January from Sheffield United.

To make matters even worse, Sheffield United would still have been okay had West Ham simply lost to champions Manchester United. United had lost only once at home all season, against Arsenal, but having already wrapped up the title fell to a 1-0 defeat on the final day that allowed the Hammers to pull themselves clear and left Sheffield United sh*t out of luck when the music stopped.

The Blades have suffered two further Premier League relegations since, and it’s fair to say neither of those threatened this list. Indeed, across both the 2020/21 and 2023/24 seasons combined they managed only a point more than the unfortunate class of 06/07.

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Massive bonus points due to Blackpool here for amassing a points total that would have provided a double-digit cushion against relegation in several recent seasons yet 15 years ago wasn’t even good enough for 18th.

Nobody could deny the entertainment value of Blackpool’s first and still only Premier League season – their only top-flight one since 1971. They set the tone early, beating Wigan 4-0 in their first game and losing 6-0 to Arsenal in their second.

Blackpool scored 55 goals – the same as fifth-placed Spurs – but conceded 78 and were left to rue the inability to turn just one of a series of draws on the run-in into victory before going down swinging on the final day, briefly going 2-1 up in the second half before eventually succumbing to an on-brand, entertaining yet heartbreaking 4-2 defeat at Manchester United.

Blackpool have been, fittingly, on a rollercoaster ride around the Football League divisions ever since but not yet managed another crack at the Big One.

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The fifth season in six to feature either promotion or relegation for Birmingham proved the last decisive drop of that particular yo-yo and remains for now their last season in the top flight.

As well as relegation by a single point in a rare example of the 40-point barrier actually proving to be a thing, it was a season that featured a memorable League Cup triumph before a grisly late-season tumble down the table.

Birmingham were as high as 14th as late as mid-April after a 2-0 win over Sunderland, but would pick up just one further point from their last six games, against a Wolves side that would finish above them by that single point.

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One of the more curious Premier League seasons on the books this. Another team to make this top 10 from a 19th-placed finish, but that tells a fraction of the story for a team that actually won 42 points on the field as well as reaching the final of both cups.

The decision to postpone at short notice a league game against Blackburn just before Christmas proved incredibly costly. Boro already had injury problems before a virus swept through the squad, leaving Bryan Robson with only 12 available senior players. Which is already a struggle before you consider three of the 12 were goalkeepers.

In all, Robson had 17 players technically available, including five youth players, two of whom were themselves still recovering from injuries.

Yet had Middlesbrough simply gone to Blackburn and played out defeat and – this is admittedly a leap – played out the rest of the season exactly as it eventually transpired, they would have survived.

Instead the Premier League hit them with a three-point penalty for failing to fulfil a fixture which eventually ended in a goalless draw, meaning they’d taken a net minus two points from that cursed fixture.

Another draw on the final day left Middlesbrough two points adrift of safety, but with a superior goal difference to Coventry who duly survived but would in another universe have found themselves right near the top of this list after going down with 41 points to their name.

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And now, at last, we get to the only three (for now) unfortunate Premier League teams who can do no more than issue a wry laugh at the idea of 40 points meaning certain safety in a 38-game season.

The 1997/98 season saw all three promoted teams go straight back down at a time this was seen as a novelty, but it goes without saying this was a rather different caper than the recent similar occurrences.

None of Bolton, Barnsley or Crystal Palace succumbed bloodlessly to their fate. Palace made it to 33 points, Barnsley got 35 and Bolton were the best and unluckiest of the lot, losing out to Everton only on goal difference.

Current events also make it worth noting this was perhaps the last time Spurs were in genuine relegation danger at the business end of a season. They dropped into the bottom three during December in a run of seven defeats in nine games, only eventually easing clear to 44 points after issuing a desperate mid-season SOS to Jurgen Klinsmann, whose nine goals in the run-in proved vital.

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Still getting relegated with 40 points in a season when another relegated team had three points lopped off is a deep misfortune for Sunderland, who were among a bunch of seven teams bunched around the cut line on 39-42 points when the season ended.

Bearing in mind Middlesbrough were among them, that meant on the pitch at least there were seven teams who all finished the season having ‘earned’ 40-42 points. Now that’s a relegation scrap.

Even bottom-of-the-table Nottingham Forest weren’t exactly cast horribly adrift, ending the season with 34 points; two more than would prove to be plenty good enough to keep them up in 23/24 after emerging from their own fun with points penalties.

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The remarkable thing about West Ham in 2002/03 isn’t just that they went down with a whopping 42 points – two more than anyone before or since in the 20-team Premier League era – but that even 44 points wouldn’t have saved them. That’s what Bolton just above them managed with a far superior goal difference.

There is, obviously, a tale of misfortune here. But also one of deep underperformance that will apply with knobs on should either West Ham themselves or Spurs wind up in this position at season’s end this time around.

West Ham boasted an absurdly talented squad to get in this kind of mess. David James, Michael Carrick, Trevor Sinclair, Joe Cole, Jermain Defoe, Paolo Di Canio, Fredi Kanoute and Les Ferdinand is a fair collection of names.

And it has to be noted this wasn’t some unfortunate late tumble into the relegation zone. For much of the season West Ham were bottom of the pile, winning just four of their first 27 games. Six wins, four draws and a solitary defeat in the remaining 11 games showed what they were capable of, but it proved too little, too late to get them anywhere other than top of this bittersweet pile. For now.

According to reports, Roberto De Zerbi wants a former Brighton star to join Tottenham Hotspur, who are plotting a move for a Rangers player.

It is currently unclear whether Spurs will be playing in the Premier League or the Championship next season, but they are already linked with several potential signings ahead of this summer’s window.

Naturally, most of their possible signings depend on whether they survive in the Premier League, and this has looked increasingly unlikely to happen in recent weeks.

Still, if they do get out of trouble, two of the north London outfit’s summer signings would be AFC Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi and Liverpool’s Andy Robertson after reports claimed they have moved to the front of the queue for these free transfers.

And a report from Italian outlet MilanLive claims De Zerbi is keen to reunite with ex-Brighton star Pervis Estupinan, who currently plays for AC Milan.

READ: Premier League winners and losers: Arsenal, Spurs, Wilson, Le Bris, Newcastle…

Considering that Robertson could join Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence in competing to be Tottenham’s starting left-back next season, it is hard to see a move for Estupinan happening.

It is likely a link that’s lazily been made up after De Zerbi and Estupinan worked together at Brighton, but the experienced left-back does look likely to leave AC Milan this summer.

The report claims: ‘The player and the Rossoneri are, in fact, destined to part ways at the end of the season. Roberto De Zerbi is ready to take him back.’

Rangers star to join Spurs?

And our colleagues at TEAMtalk have more information on Tottenham’s transfer plans, with it claimed that they are ‘plotting the shock signing’ of Rangers star James Tavernier.

It has been confirmed that the 34-year-old is in his last season at Rangers and he could return to England for his next move.

The Newcastle United academy product has previously had spells at Rotherham United and Wigan Athletic, and Spurs are now ‘weighing up a move’ for him this summer.

It is noted that this deal is being planned as a response to relegation, but they face competition from another club.

The report explains:

Sources have confirmed that Tavernier has emerged as a target, in the event of relegation, with his experience and leadership viewed as valuable assets in a promotion push.

‘Wolves are among those also monitoring his situation, with the Midlands side keen to add proven experience to their squad ahead of next season. However, relegation-threatened Tottenham are now showing interest in the full-back ahead of what could prove to be a difficult summer window.’

Tottenham have ‘genuine interest’ in Man Utd forward Marcus Rashford and will move for him if they stay in the Premier League, according to reports.

The Red Devils allowed Rashford to join Barcelona in the summer on a loan deal until the end of the season with the clubs inserting a €30m (£26m) buyout clause in the deal.

Rashford has had a good season overall for the Catalan giants but, with money tight at the Camp Nou, there are doubts as to whether Barcelona will trigger the option in the deal.

It would be unlikely that Rashford would be reintegrated back into the Man Utd squad and that would leave the England international searching for another team.

There will be lots of interest in Rashford’s services as a proven Premier League player but his huge wages are likely to be an issue for some clubs.

And now Spanish publication Sport insists that there is ‘genuine interest’ from Tottenham ‘however, a first condition must be met: that the North London side avoid relegation’.

READ: Carrick rules out one summer transfer at Man Utd and reveals Ratcliffe ‘chat’

Rashford ‘could be another addition’ along with a deal for Bournemouth centre-back Marcos Senesi, which is ‘considered a done deal’.

Romano: Barcelona want to renegotiate the loan for Rashford

Fabrizio Romano brought an update on Rashford’s future at Barcelona over the weekend, the transfer expert said: “Rashford is always delivering. Rashford has been, in my personal opinion, fantastic this season in terms of behaviour.

“Arriving at Barcelona is not easy, especially being on the bench for a player of his status, but he has always behaved in a fantastic way. He has had a positive attitude with team-mates and with the coach. The coach is very happy with Marcus Rashford, so the connection is very good and he has never created any problems. Now it is on Barcelona to decide what they want to do.

“At the moment my understanding is that Barcelona want to renegotiate the loan for Marcus Rashford. They are still not triggering the €30m buy option clause from Man Utd, while United insist on the clause or the player will return and they will assess the best solution, whether a direct sale or something else.

READ: Tottenham end 118-day wait for win but still end weekend as miserable losers

“At the moment this distance between Man Utd and Barcelona remains. Barcelona are also considering alternative targets, so it is an internal discussion whether they want to proceed with Rashford or not.

“Rashford would love to stay at Barcelona. He is very happy at the club and believes he can do even better next season. The connection is very good, but now it is up to Barcelona to decide whether to activate the option or reach a new agreement with Man Utd.”

Tottenham have previously been linked with a move for Rashford and former Spurs scout Bryan King said at the time that a £26m deal in the summer would be “decent value” for the north London club.

King said: “Of course, if he’s available. There are only so many strikers you can have. I think it would be decent value for any Premier League club. To get someone with the experience that he’s had for £26m would be great.

“There’d be no danger to the deal as well. He’s a good player, but it’s about getting him in the right frame of mind, that’s the only worry.

“I would have thought £26m isn’t a bad amount to spend on a player of his quality.”

Tottenham attacking midfielder Xavi Simons has confirmed that he will miss the rest of the Premier League season and the World Cup.

The Netherlands international, who joined Spurs in a summer deal worth around £51m from RB Leipzig, suffered a serious-looking knee injury in Tottenham‘s 1-0 victory over Wolves over the weekend.

Simons appeared to twist his knee in the turf at Molineux in an unfortunate incident that leaves Tottenham’s hopes of survival even more in the balance.

The Dutchman has been one of Tottenham’s only bright sparks this season with Roberto De Zerbi striking a positive but cautious tone after the match.

On Simons’ injury, De Zerbi said: “It’s a problem with his knee. We will see in the next few days. I would like to know more about Xavi because you know the knee. He felt pain, but now I spoke with him and he feels better than when he got his injury.”

But late on Sunday night, Simons revealed the news that he would be out for the season and miss the World Cup with the Netherlands.

READ: Tottenham end 118-day wait for win but still end weekend as miserable losers

He wrote on Instagram: “They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way. My season has come to an abrupt end and I’m just trying to process it.

“Honestly, I’m heartbroken. None of it makes sense. All I’ve wanted to do is fight for my team and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me… along with the World Cup.

“Representing my country this summer… just gone. It’ll take time to find peace with this, but I’ll continue to be the best teammate I can be.

“I have no doubt that together we’ll win this fight. I’ll walk this path now, guided by faith, with strength, with resilience, with belief, as I count down the days to getting back out there. Be patient with me. TTP. COYS.”

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Tottenham are still two points adrift of safety in the Premier League, despite the win over Wolves, with relegation rivals West Ham also winning at the weekend.

De Zerbi: ‘I hope this result can change something in our head’

When asked about his players’ character, De Zerbi said in his post-match press conference: “Yeah, I think in the first half, in the first 30, 35 minutes, we played well. We didn’t create big chances to score, but anyway we had total control of the game.

“Then, I don’t know the pressure, maybe we didn’t win any games in 2026, maybe this pressure, maybe because we played against Wolverhampton, we lost distances, we lost order on the pitch, every one of us wanted to go one-to-one, but anyway, I’m happy for the result.

“I hope this result can change something in our head, in our mentality for the other results. It’s already very tough to win a game for us. If we put our heads on the other teams, it becomes too tough for me.”

Tottenham insider John Wenham has dismissed the idea of a potentially heroic Spurs man returning in the summer, explaining why he “can’t see it.”

In the event either that Spurs survive relegation or they don’t, new signings will be required. They are two points away from safety at the moment, chasing West Ham, with both sides’ wins on Saturday meaning the gap remained the same as prior.

Tottenham were level with already-relegated West Ham heading into the final 10 minutes of regular time, before Joao Palhinha scored his fourth league goal for the season after coming off the bench.

The midfielder’s loan with Spurs expires in the summer, but there’s a £22million option to buy, and there’s been speculation of late that the club will decide to trigger that option.

Wenham, with connections to the club, doesn’t feel that’s likely, though.

He told Tottenham News: “I can’t see it as we’re building for hopefully a long-term future with [Roberto] De Zerbi and he is yet to pick him to start, whilst he’s selected all of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall, Conor Gallagher, Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur.

“It seems surprising, and likely just agent or intermediary talk.”

Our friends at TEAMtalk reported in February that the departure of Thomas Frank as Tottenham manager had thrown Palhinha’s future up in the air.

With the man who signed him leaving, there was no guarantee that whoever came in after would have the same thoughts on the midfielder as Frank did.

READ: Micky van de Ven delivers telling Tottenham transfer news as elite clubs circle

And the fact De Zerbi has not picked Palhinha to start yet suggests it is indeed unlikely for him to be signed permanently.

With that said, though, the Portuguese midfielder could end up being the hero for Tottenham this season.

The goal against Wolves, which earned a vital three points and ensured West Ham will not easily escape Spurs, is not the only time Palhinha has scored in an important game.

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He helped earn three points over title-chasing Manchester City very early on in the season, before he bagged a stoppage time winner in the first of the two meetings with Wolves.

Scoring late goals to change close games and earn vital points could be what helps Tottenham to survive this season, and Palhinha has cropped up with a few of them.

Whether Tottenham deem him worthy of being signed permanently if they do go on to stay up remains to be seen, as does his potential place as a starter under De Zerbi, following an important performance against Wolves.

Things were finally looking up for Tottenham Hotspur…for 10 minutes.

That is how long Spurs were outside the relegation zone on Saturday afternoon, as Joao Palhinha netted late on against Wolverhampton Wanderers, around five minutes before Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall equalised for Everton against West Ham.

Only goal difference separated the London rivals, bringing brief joy to an otherwise miserable day for Roberto De Zerbi’s side – something their supporters have become accustomed to, even in victory.

Spurs earned their first Premier League win of 2026 at Molineux, ending a 118-day wait for victory thanks to Palhinha’s 82nd-minute goal. Yet those precious three points did not close the gap on relegation rivals West Ham, who found an even later winner through Callum Wilson.

Winning is obviously a good thing and could be a springboard to securing safety, but Spurs are clearly not allowed to have nice things.

Dominic Solanke was forced off in the first half, and given his injury history, we may not see him again this season. Someone we strongly suspect will not feature again in 2025/26 is Xavi Simons – the only spark in that Spurs side capable of carrying them to safety.

Not only was West Ham’s injury-time winner a blow, but losing two more key players in a campaign ravaged by injuries was exactly what Spurs did not need with four gargantuan games around the corner.

When Simons went down, it looked fairly innocuous, but the look on the Dutchman’s face told you everything you needed to know, before a replay showed a very awkward landing and jolt of the knee.

It looks bad. Simons tried to run it off but immediately went down in agony, so it’s fair to assume the worst.

Simons had shown he could be Spurs’ saviour with a huge goal against Brighton & Hove Albion last week, and while he wasn’t particularly impressive against Wolves, he is someone De Zerbi was leaning on for inspiration in the relegation battle and his injury might be the final nail in the coffin.

It’s just typical, isn’t it?

Injuries have been a major contributing factor to a disastrous campaign for 18th-placed Spurs, and a day that was so close to being perfect has ended with them still in the bottom three and without two more key players.

Their luck has been rotten. In the Premier League, Richarlison has missed five games. Solanke has missed 19. Mohammed Kudus has been out since matchday 20; Ben Davies since matchday 22; Wilson Odobert since matchday 27. James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski haven’t played this season. Lucas Bergvall has missed 10 games, Rodrigo Bentancur 11, Pedro Porro four, Djed Spence four, Destiny Udogie 14 across four separate absences, Radu Dragusin the first 16 games of the season; and Cristian Romero and Guglielmo Vicario will miss the last six and seven games respectively.

That is quite ridiculous, isn’t it?

The players did at least show some much-needed togetherness and resilience to overcome Simons’ potential ACL injury and rally to a huge three points.

Palhinha’s second match-saving goal against Wolves this season was made possible by ex-Spurs defender Matt Doherty keeping him onside in a rare bit of luck.

That is all of their fortune used up, and those 10 minutes will go down as the best period of their entire season. West Ham are still two points ahead, meaning Spurs remain the favourites to go down with Burnley and Wolves.

What a truly remarkable story that still does not feel real. It’s a straight shootout between two old foes, and we are fully here for them playing at the same time every week until the end of the season.