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England captain Kane helped Spurs to League Cup and Champions League finals while finding the target on 280 occasions for the club that handed him his big break. Major silverware did, however, prove elusive as grass began to look greener elsewhere.

A big-money transfer to Bayern Munich was completed in 2023, with Kane maintaining remarkable individual standards with the German giants while becoming a Bundesliga title winner.

The spark that Kane once provided is being badly missed at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Ange Postecoglou did deliver Europa League glory in 2025, ending a 17-year barren run on the trophy front, but Spurs have moved through Thomas Frank and onto interim head coach Igor Tudor over the course of 10 largely forgettable months.

Just two places and one point separate them from the Premier League drop zone at present. Micky Stead knows how it feels to suffer relegation, having done so alongside the likes of Glenn Hoddle and Pat Jennings in 1977, and has told football.london of the challenges being faced by the class of 2025-26: “I'm gutted for them really. The players will be disappointed. Everyone's disappointed. I don't think we've had the vision to grow the club. We've got everything. We've got the stadium, we've got the training facilities, we've got the scouting but you look at what happened with Harry Kane.

“He's gone to Germany, and this is his third season there. Why couldn't Spurs keep him? Because he wanted to win something, so he must have known. He's scoring goals for fun there and could have been doing that in the Premier League. It's just a lot of changes at Spurs.”

Stead added on inconsistency that saw Spurs finish 17th last season, with those domestic struggles ultimately costing Postecoglou his job: “When you're going through a hard time, it's difficult to get the breaks, so everything breaks against you.

“Look at Liverpool this season. They go to Wolves on a bit of a bad run and they get beat. But then look at West Ham. They've had a few good results, and all of a sudden they look like they could get out of it.”

It has been nearly 40 years since Tottenham last lost their standing among English football’s elite, with Stead saying of how that humbling fall from grace feels: “You feel sick to your stomach, I tell you. If you make a mistake, you're absolutely sick.

“No matter how your team-mates try and help you out and tell you 'don't worry,' and 'keep going', you're absolutely gutted. You're a young boy, playing in that team. If you're playing with a lot of confidence, you're a better player than when you ain't. You can see that even in really top-class players. Once they get affected by a bit of pressure and they're not confident, they're not the same.”

Spurs, who also saw Heung-min Son depart last summer, are lacking players that boast the kind of unshakable confidence that Kane boasts. Injuries have been doing their cause few favours, but Tudor is yet to convince a disgruntled fan base that he is the right man to steer a course to safety.

Things are not about to get any easier either as Tottenham are preparing to face Atletico Madrid in a two-legged Champions League last-16 encounter that will sandwich a Premier League trip to Liverpool. They will then take in a potentially make-or-break encounter with Nottingham Forest on March 22.

Robertson’s loyalty to the badge ultimately proved to be the defining factor in him staying put. "There was obviously interest there - there were discussions had with both sets of clubs," he said. "But the decision was that I wanted to stay. We stayed at Liverpool and that was the decision made. I was never not committed. I've been committed to Liverpool for the last eight and a half or nine years now and I'll be committed until I'm no longer needed. That's always been my mindset. This club has given me everything and I've given this club everything."

The current campaign has not been without its challenges for the Scotsman, who has seen his undisputed starting spot come under threat following the summer arrival of Milos Kerkez. Under the guidance of Arne Slot, the younger Kerkez has often been preferred, leading to questions about Robertson's long-term suitability for the Dutchman's system.

"It's been a fantastic relationship so hopefully that continues and obviously January happened, but it is now gone," Robertson explained. "Now we move forward and like I said, my focus never came off trying to help the lads on the pitch and in training. Whatever was happening behind the scenes happened, and all I can say is that I kept focusing on football."

As the business end of the season approaches, Liverpool fans will be buoyed by the commitment of a player who has won every major trophy available during his time at the club. For now, the Tottenham links are firmly in the rearview mirror as the flying Scot focuses on adding more medals to his tally.

"They have helped make me who I am, so in that respect, we've had a fantastic relationship," Robertson added. "I think out of respect to them, and they have respected me, then the conversations will be in-house. When a decision is made, and we're getting to the point where I only have three months left on my contract, it will be announced to you guys."

The prospect of a free transfer at the end of the season remains a possibility, but Robertson’s suggest he is open to extending his stay. He emphasised the mutual respect shared with the club's hierarchy, noting that any major updates regarding his tenure at Anfield would be handled with professional discretion. "I've always said that [the talks] will stay between me and the club. I don't think it will get played out in public. It is not one of them. I have got an amazing relationship with Richard Hughes and with Mike Gordon and Michael Edwards. I've had a good relationship with these people and these people brought me to the football club," the defender noted when asked about his expiring deal.

Robertson’s loyalty to the badge ultimately proved to be the defining factor in him staying put. "There was obviously interest there - there were discussions had with both sets of clubs," he said. "But the decision was that I wanted to stay. We stayed at Liverpool and that was the decision made. I was never not committed. I've been committed to Liverpool for the last eight and a half or nine years now and I'll be committed until I'm no longer needed. That's always been my mindset. This club has given me everything and I've given this club everything."

The current campaign has not been without its challenges for the Scotsman, who has seen his undisputed starting spot come under threat following the summer arrival of Milos Kerkez. Under the guidance of Arne Slot, the younger Kerkez has often been preferred, leading to questions about Robertson's long-term suitability for the Dutchman's system.

"It's been a fantastic relationship so hopefully that continues and obviously January happened, but it is now gone," Robertson explained. "Now we move forward and like I said, my focus never came off trying to help the lads on the pitch and in training. Whatever was happening behind the scenes happened, and all I can say is that I kept focusing on football."

As the business end of the season approaches, Liverpool fans will be buoyed by the commitment of a player who has won every major trophy available during his time at the club. For now, the Tottenham links are firmly in the rearview mirror as the flying Scot focuses on adding more medals to his tally.

"They have helped make me who I am, so in that respect, we've had a fantastic relationship," Robertson added. "I think out of respect to them, and they have respected me, then the conversations will be in-house. When a decision is made, and we're getting to the point where I only have three months left on my contract, it will be announced to you guys."

The prospect of a free transfer at the end of the season remains a possibility, but Robertson’s suggest he is open to extending his stay. He emphasised the mutual respect shared with the club's hierarchy, noting that any major updates regarding his tenure at Anfield would be handled with professional discretion. "I've always said that [the talks] will stay between me and the club. I don't think it will get played out in public. It is not one of them. I have got an amazing relationship with Richard Hughes and with Mike Gordon and Michael Edwards. I've had a good relationship with these people and these people brought me to the football club," the defender noted when asked about his expiring deal.

Redknapp recalled a specific incident before a clash with Manchester United in 2010. In an interview with The Times, he recalled: "I’ve never told anybody this, at least I don’t think so. But you want to know what really happened to me at Tottenham? We played Man United at Old Trafford, October 2010, we were flying in the table.

"I’m on my way to Stansted Airport to fly up to Manchester and I get a phone call from Daniel. Now, Daniel never rung me on a Friday, never interfered with the team. Daniel said, ‘Hello, Harry. It’s Daniel.’ ‘Hello, Daniel,’ I said... ‘Who are you gonna play up front tomorrow?’ I said, ‘Robbie Keane.’ He said, ‘Robbie Keane?’ I said, ‘Yeah, Robbie Keane.’ Then he said, ‘Why don’t you speak with Rafael van der Vaart about who he wants to play with?

"I said, ‘What’s it got to do Rafael van der Vaart, Daniel? I pick the team, not Rafael van der Vaart.’ He said, ‘Well, I thought it’d be interesting to see what Rafa thought, you know.’ ‘No, not really,’ I said, ‘Robbie Keane’s playing.’"

The interference reportedly didn't stop with Levy, as Redknapp claims he then received a direct call from Joe Lewis, who at the time owned Tottenham. He continued: "[Joe] says, ‘I like that forward line of yours, [Aaron] Lennon, Van der Vaart, and [Roman] Pavlyuchenko. That Robbie Keane is useless.’"

The veteran manager stood his ground against the billionaire owner's demands. "I said, ‘That’s your opinion, Joe,’ He then said, ‘Why don’t you ask Rafael van der Vaart who he wants to play with? I said, ‘What’s it got to do with Rafael van der Vaart? I pick the team, not Van der Vaart.’ I will tell you what Joe then said to me. ‘If Robbie Keane plays tomorrow, I won’t even watch it on television.’ That choice is up to you, Joe,’ I said. ‘Yeah, it f*cking is.‘"

The timing of these revelations comes as the current Tottenham side faces a historic crisis, with Redknapp warning that his former club are now 'favourites to go down' after a dismal run of form under sacked head coach Thomas Frank and his replacement Igor Tudor. The north Londoners sit just a single point above the relegation zone following a toothless 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.

Reflecting on the current plight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Redknapp expressed his shock at how far the club has fallen, stating: "It was another disaster, I mean four or five weeks ago I couldn't really see Tottenham being involved in a relegation scrap, you know every week that's gone by it's got worse. But Tottenham are bang in it now, in trouble, they're looking like they could even be favourites to go down, it is that desperate."

The latest jab came from Lincoln City supporters during their 2-0 victory against title-rivals Cardiff City in League One on Saturday. The result moved the Imps to the top of the third tier, placing them ten points clear in the automatic promotion spots. Footage circulating on social media shows the travelling Lincoln faithful staying long after the final whistle to celebrate their ascent to the top of League One. In a viral clip, the supporters can be heard loudly singing "Tottenham away, ole, ole," mocking the very real possibility of a league meeting next term.

The managerial situation at Tottenham has done little to calm the nerves of the Spurs faithful. Igor Tudor took over from Thomas Frank last month on a short-term contract until the end of the campaign, but his arrival has failed to trigger the desired bounce.

Speaking after Thursday's defeat to Palace, Tudor was defensive regarding the club’s overall direction but praised the effort of his players. He stated: "I don't want to speak about the club. I want to be positive. I cannot tell the guys nothing in the end after this game. They gave everything. Unfortunately, we pay every detail. We pay every detail. If we can say that red card is a detail, there is always something to say. With all the problems we have now, missing the defenders today, missing the full-backs, these are the problems we already know."

The term 'Spursy' has long been used by rival fans to mock Tottenham's perceived tendency to collapse under pressure or fail in spectacular fashion. Historically, it has been a stick used to beat the club following high-profile disappointments, such as their Champions League final defeat. While the club initially introduced the range in an attempt to reclaim the narrative following their Europa League triumph, its continued sale has been slammed as tone-deaf given the club's current predicament in the Premier League table, just one point above the relegation zone.

Supporters have not held back in their assessment of the marketing move, viewing it as a sign of a leadership void at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Speaking to the Daily Mail, a frustrated supporter named James pulled no punches: "It seems like the owners and the hierarchy don't actually respect the club. Imagine Arsenal making a shirt that had 'bottlers' on it. The game's gone."

The sentiment was echoed by another fan who spoke to The Sun, describing the decision as an act of "self-sabotage". The supporter added: "I’m fuming. It’s the kind of thing you’d see in Arsenal’s shop." Another disgruntled follower noted the damage to the club's image, stating: "It makes fun of the supporters, club and team and that’s not right."

The item has since been removed from the club's website.

This isn't the first time the club's reputation has been used as a yardstick for failure on a grand scale. In February, Swedish MP Mikael Damberg used the term in a parliamentary speech to criticise his government's economic handling. "I naturally think of Tottenham Hotspur, also known as Spurs, it is one of England's most distinguished and rich clubs with an enormous stadium, dedicated and large supporter base - everything to be considered a top team," he told the Swedish chamber. "Despite this, Tottenham find themselves in crisis. They are fighting at the bottom of the table, just a few points above the relegation zone. Not because they lack resources or benefits, but because they have squandered opportunities.

"The club have been given the name 'Spursy', [which is] when you have opportunities but get no results. Madame Speaker that is precisely how the Minister of Finance is handling the Swedish economy. Sweden has the power, ability and resources. We have the companies, workforce and innovation capabilities. Conditions exist for the Swedish economy to prosper," Damberg told the chamber.

The term 'Spursy' has long been used by rival fans to mock Tottenham's perceived tendency to collapse under pressure or fail in spectacular fashion. Historically, it has been a stick used to beat the club following high-profile disappointments, such as their Champions League final defeat. While the club initially introduced the range in an attempt to reclaim the narrative following their Europa League triumph, its continued sale has been slammed as tone-deaf given the club's current predicament in the Premier League table, just one point above the relegation zone.

Supporters have not held back in their assessment of the marketing move, viewing it as a sign of a leadership void at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Speaking to the Daily Mail, a frustrated supporter named James pulled no punches: "It seems like the owners and the hierarchy don't actually respect the club. Imagine Arsenal making a shirt that had 'bottlers' on it. The game's gone."

The sentiment was echoed by another fan who spoke to The Sun, describing the decision as an act of "self-sabotage". The supporter added: "I’m fuming. It’s the kind of thing you’d see in Arsenal’s shop." Another disgruntled follower noted the damage to the club's image, stating: "It makes fun of the supporters, club and team and that’s not right."

The item has since been removed from the club's website.

This isn't the first time the club's reputation has been used as a yardstick for failure on a grand scale. In February, Swedish MP Mikael Damberg used the term in a parliamentary speech to criticise his government's economic handling. "I naturally think of Tottenham Hotspur, also known as Spurs, it is one of England's most distinguished and rich clubs with an enormous stadium, dedicated and large supporter base - everything to be considered a top team," he told the Swedish chamber. "Despite this, Tottenham find themselves in crisis. They are fighting at the bottom of the table, just a few points above the relegation zone. Not because they lack resources or benefits, but because they have squandered opportunities.

"The club have been given the name 'Spursy', [which is] when you have opportunities but get no results. Madame Speaker that is precisely how the Minister of Finance is handling the Swedish economy. Sweden has the power, ability and resources. We have the companies, workforce and innovation capabilities. Conditions exist for the Swedish economy to prosper," Damberg told the chamber.

The London club reached a 50-year low following a dismal 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace on Thursday, a result that leaves them precariously perched just one point above the Premier League relegation zone after a run of 11 successive league matches without a victory.

The atmosphere turned tense as supporters watched their team slump again, failing to find any momentum under interim manager Tudor. With the threat of the Championship looming, the pressure on the hierarchy has reached a breaking point. Following the defeat, former Spurs player O'Hara vented his anger and demanded the club sack Tudor immediately.

Speaking on talkSPORT, O'Hara expressed his anger, saying: "The manager's got to go. Get rid of him. He's lost three games on the bounce. We are the only team in the Premier League ever to bring in a new manager to get a new manager bounce and we get a worse bounce.

"Honestly, he's a joke, this club is a joke, the owners are a joke, the players are a joke, the recruitment's a joke, the staff are a joke, the manager's a joke. Everything about the football club is an absolute disgrace. Honestly, I'm hurting, I'm actually hurting. It hurts."

"I didn't think it would hurt, because I was like, we've had some good moments, won the Europa League last season. This is just awful. This is so bad. This is the worst I've ever felt as a Spurs fan, ever."

O’Hara didn't stop at the dugout, turned his sights on the squad and specifically England international Gallagher, reportedly Spurs' top scorer following his arrival from Atletico Madrid. "This team is terrible. They're Championship players. Pape Sarr is a Championship player. Conor Gallagher. How he played for Atletico Madrid, I'll never know. He's been absolutely awful," he said.

"The football club. It's unbelievable. The people in charge of this football club. One of the biggest clubs in the world. And an absolute mockery. We're a mockery of a football club that we've allowed this to happen and the fans have had to accept it."

Tottenham currently sit 16th in the table, having suffered five consecutive defeats. The club's recruitment remains under intense scrutiny as they prepare to fight tooth and nail for their top-flight status in the final weeks of the season.

Tudor remained tight-lipped about his future following the Palace defeat. When asked if he would be on the bench for the next match, he simply replied, "No comment on that question." Before that question, Tudor was quizzed on whether he thought the hierarchy would allow him to continue in the job. "I don't think in their direction, I have my job to do and that's all," he answered.

On the half-hour mark, Palace had the ball in the back of the net. Evan Guessand's low cross in behind found Ismaila Sarr, whose shot deflected off of Pedro Porro over Guglielmo Vicario and in. However, after a lengthy VAR check, Sarr was judged to have been offside by a matter of millimetres and the goal was ruled out, letting Spurs off the hook.

And within a matter of minutes of that decision, Tottenham themselves scored. Archie Gray retrieved a loose ball on the far side of the penalty area from a corner and managed to scamper back inside away from Adam Wharton and Chris Richards, before cutting it back for Dominic Solanke to power in from close range.

That joy, however, was short-lived. With Palace's first foray back into the final third, Sarr had his arm yanked back by Micky van de Ven inside the penalty area, winning a spot kick and seeing the Dutch defender sent off. The Senegalese attacker converted from 12 yards to bring the Eagles level.

In the first of eight minutes added at the end of the first half, Palace went in front. Mathys Tel, playing as a makeshift left-back at this point, saw a ball inside to Pape Matar Sarr intercepted by Guessand, with Wharton picking up the pieces and slipping in Jorgen Strand Larsen to finish under Vicario.

There was still time before the break for Palace to add a third. Wharton's through ball split Spurs' makeshift defence apart and Sarr was on hand to sprint away and knock the ball beyond Vicario.

Palace took their foot off the accelerator in the second half, with Solanke and Kevin Danso both forcing Dean Henderson into saves as a tepid Tottenham looked to mount the most unlikely of comebacks.

Alas, Spurs were unable to haul themselves off the canvas and remain without a Premier League win since December 28, when they were victorious in the reverse fixture at Selhurst Park.

GOAL rates Spurs' players from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium...

Guglielmo Vicario (2/10):

Has come in for criticism this season and there was talk about losing his spot to backup Antonin Kinsky, but the Italy international kept his place in the XI. Didn't cover himself in glory for any of the goals and so his spot in future may be in jeopardy.

Pedro Porro (3/10):

A surprise starter as a right-sided centre-back. Unsurprisingly lacked the defensive instincts required to play the role, given he is known to be a more offensive player. Taken off for Simons for the final 15 minutes and was furious as he returned to the bench.

Kevin Danso (3/10):

Thrown back into the starting lineup at Radu Dragusin's expense after returning from injury at Fulham. Often caught out for pushing too high.

Micky van de Ven (1/10):

Named captain again in the absence of the suspended Cristian Romero, the Dutchman got himself sent off for a ridiculous tug of Sarr's arm. If Spurs' lack of serious leaders in the dressing room wasn't obvious before, it is now.

Despite his icon status at Arsenal, Wright revealed he does not share the vitriolic disdain many fans hold for their neighbours. Speaking on The Overlap podcast, he voiced concerns about their trajectory, maintaining that he hopes they stay in the top flight.

Wright explained his stance, stating: "People talk about Tottenham going down this season, there's a chance. I wouldn't want to see Tottenham go down. In this moment right now, I watched them the other day, absolutely they could. But I wouldn't like to see it. I've never had a hatred of Tottenham. When I was younger, I was always Glenn Hoddle. I loved Glenn Hoddle and I still do."

Wright believes that for Tottenham to truly rival Arsenal or Manchester City again, a fundamental change in ownership is required. He argued that Levy's departure has merely exposed deeper issues regarding the Lewis family's stewardship.

Wright concluded: "Now that Daniel Levy's gone, they can't blame him. It's the Lewis family. They've got to change the ownership. You need an owner who can come in who's got that [Roman] Abramovich energy. He wants to win on the pitch and Tottenham have got everything in place."