The Independent

Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero has been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury, a significant blow for manager Roberto De Zerbi as his side battles to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Romero sustained the injury during Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Sunderland, De Zerbi’s first match in charge, meaning the defender will miss the final six fixtures of what has been a challenging campaign for the north London club. Tottenham currently sit in the relegation zone, in 18th place.

In an effort to foster team cohesion and boost morale ahead of a critical final stretch, De Zerbi took his squad for a meal in Mayfair this week, prior to Saturday’s home clash against his former club, Brighton.

"Yes, I don’t know if we win the game for dinner. I know we eat very well. The food was amazing and if we win, I am ready to pay every week for one dinner," De Zerbi remarked with a smile.

He stressed the importance of unity, adding: "We have to build and find in these last weeks the best relationship we can find, and I want to see on the pitch players helping their team-mates and pushing everybody for one target and to achieve our big, big target for us. If we don’t achieve our target, everybody will lose something in their career."

Despite the club’s precarious position, De Zerbi remains optimistic about their chances of survival.

"I am positive, I am ready to fight and I believe to keep Premier League (status). I believe in my words that I said last week. The focus is to win one game," he stated.

"Yes, I think it is crucial to win a game not just for the table. Of course one part of the table for sure, but we have to feel again what is nice to win a game and what it can do. I have no doubts about the quality of the players."

While De Zerbi did not confirm who would inherit the captain’s armband, he did provide an update on other key players.

Rodrigo Bentancur is available for Saturday’s crucial fixture after a three-month absence due to a hamstring injury, and Yves Bissouma is "100 per cent fit" after being an unused substitute against Sunderland. However, first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario remains sidelined following minor hernia surgery last month.

"Bentancur is available to play. I don’t know if to start or not. Bissouma is available 100 per cent. Vicario, no," De Zerbi explained.

Expressing sympathy for his injured captain, he added: "Romero, I am really sorry for him and his injury. Romero first of all loves Tottenham and the people have to know he is suffering for this injury and because he cant play any more for us this season, but he’s a great captain for us.

“We have to be any way positive. We have Radu Dragusin and Kevin, they are able to play and able to play well. We can win any way and we want to win any way."

James Maddison, who suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage in pre-season, participated in first-team training this week, but De Zerbi remained cautious about his immediate return.

"Maddison is a top player on the pitch with the ball, but also as a personality, as a character, as a mentality on the pitch," the Italian said. "I don’t know yet. I don’t want to push too much because we lost (Mohammed) Kudus in this way."

Tottenham Hotspur are facing an uphill battle for Premier League survival, with pundit Gary Neville branding their squad a "concoction of misfits" with "a set of ingredients that don’t go together".

Spurs languish in 18th place, two points adrift of safety after failing to win a single league game in 2026.

Tottenham’s precarious position was underscored by results elsewhere: Leeds United’s 2-1 win over 10-man Manchester United on Monday night moved them six points clear. West Ham thumped Wolves 4-0 on Friday, hauling themselves out of the bottom three, while Nottingham Forest drew 1-1 with Aston Villa on Sunday.

These outcomes contrasted sharply with Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat at Sunderland in Roberto De Zerbi’s first game on Sunday.

Former United and England defender Neville believes Leeds’ performance at Old Trafford showed how far Spurs are from a team capable of securing top-flight survival.

"In the first half, they (Leeds) were absolutely wonderful. That is a performance I don’t think Tottenham are capable of – and that is the scary thing for Tottenham," Neville said on his podcast for Sky Sports.

He continued: "Not the six points by the way that Leeds have gone clear of them, but the actual performance levels they put in. They (Tottenham) are nowhere near that."

Neville added: "You watch Spurs against Sunderland and it is a set of ingredients that don’t go together, a concoction of misfits, yet you watch Leeds and there is a balance and a flow."

Adding to Tottenham’s mounting problems is the likely absence of captain Cristian Romero. The Argentina defender fought back tears as he hobbled off at the Stadium of Light, injured in a collision with goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.

Reports suggest Romero – who was pictured on social media on Sunday with a bandaged right knee – is set to miss the rest of the season.

Manager De Zerbi acknowledged he is a "crucial player for us" and said the injury needed proper assessment. Tottenham have yet to comment on the timescale for his recovery.

Tottenham – two points below West Ham – must now regroup for Saturday’s visit of Brighton, when they are expected to be without their influential captain.

The Premier League relegation battle looks set to go right down to the wire with four clubs seemingly battling to avoid the one remaining spot in the drop zone.

Perhaps Wolves or Burnley could still pull off the greatest of escapes but, in all likelihood, they will crash into the Championship and then be joined by one of Tottenham, West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Leeds.

Relegation for a Spurs side that won the Europa League last season, reached the Champions League knockout stage this term and has spent just one season outside the top flight since 1950 would go down as one of the biggest shocks in Premier League history. Roberto De Zerbi is now the man tasked with engineering an escape and avoiding disasters, but things have not started well as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland.

Friday night saw the north Londoners drop into the relegation zone for the first time after West Ham thumped Wolves 4-0 to leapfrog their bitter rivals into 17th. Forest and Leeds are just above the Hammers but with six or seven games remaining for each, there will be plenty of twists and turns still to come.

Here’s how the crucial relegation run-in is shaping up.

Position: 15th | Played: 31 | Points: 33 | GD: -11

Remaining fixtures:

Where to pick up points? The fixtures have fallen fairly kindly for Leeds and the chances are there for them to secure Premier League football next season. Three wins would definitely be enough to survive and two may well do it, so they’ll be eyeing up home fixtures against the current bottom two – Wolves and Burnley – to get over the line. Away games against relegation rivals Tottenham and West Ham also look like prime opportunities to get results on the board.

Tricky contests? Their first game after the international break, away to high-flying Manchester United, is their toughest remaining fixture on paper and leaving Old Trafford with anything would be hugely impressive. That is their only game against a team currently above 10th in the standings but a trip to Bournemouth in April and hosting European football-chasing Brighton in their penultimate fixture won’t be easy. Will an FA Cup quarter-final against West Ham straight after the international break prove to be a welcome distraction or a hindrance?

Final straight? Leeds will be desperate to have secured safety by the time they travel to West Ham on the final day but if not, that could be a high-octane shootout for survival. Games against Brighton and Spurs immediately preceding that are too unfriendly as finales go.

Position: 16th | Played: 32 | Points: 33 | GD: -12

Remaining fixtures:

Where to pick up points? The three points they picked up by securing their first Premier League win since late January by hammering Tottenham 3-0 in the final match before the international break could prove vital with a tricky-looking remaining schedule. A home fixture against seemingly doomed Burnley is a golden opportunity for Forest to collect three more points and one further win in addition to that could be enough to get over the line. A home game against a mid-table Bournemouth side who may have nothing to play for on the final day could be their best chance.

Tricky contests? Games against two of the current top six still await Forest with trips to Man United and Chelsea on the docket but they’ll be buoyed by taking a point off fourth-placed Aston Villa ahead of next week’s Europa League quarter-final return leg against Porto. A trip to Wearside to face this season’s surprise package Sunderland at the end of April is also a tough ask.

Final straight? It’s not the best with a journey to Old Trafford on the penultimate day of the season far from ideal although, as mentioned above, hosting Bournemouth on the final day could offer a chance to snatch the points required if things aren’t wrapped up by then. A home match against a floundering Newcastle as their antepenultimate fixture could also be worse. Things could be complicated if they are still going in the Europa League by that point, however.

Position: 17th | Played: 32 | Points: 32 | GD: -17

Remaining fixtures:

Where to pick up points? Their impressive form since hugely damaging back-to-back defeats to Wolves and Nottingham Forest at the start of the year have seen West Ham go from doomed to having a genuine chance of survival – even climbing out of the bottom three by thumping Wolves 4-0 straight after the international break. They may well be questioning exactly where the form that has seen them claim five wins and three draws from their last 11 league games was earlier in the season but a trip to struggling Crystal Palace next suddenly looks like a golden chance to keep the momentum going. Welcoming Leeds to the London Stadium on the final day also looms incredibly large.

Tricky contests? The Everton (H), Brentford (A), Arsenal (H) run from late April to early May does not look very friendly. The games before and after that run appear to be much better chances to pick up the points the Hammers need to pull off an impressive escape.

Final straight? If West Ham can get through that three-game stretch with a realistic shot at survival then an away game against Newcastle and a home clash with Leeds to finish the season might just be the ticket to get them clear of the drop zone. The final-day showdown against Daniel Farke’s side could be an all-time classic but won’t be a pretty watch if both sides are still fighting for their lives. However, the fact that the Whites are coming to the London Stadium at least plays into Nuno and co’s hands.

Position: 18th | Played: 32 | Points: 30 | GD: -11

Remaining fixtures:

Where to pick up points? At the moment, Spurs can’t pick up points from anywhere... They haven’t won for 15 league matches, with their last Premier League triumph coming against Crystal Palace back in December and their most recent attempt seeing De Zerbi lose 1-0 on his managerial bow at Sunderland. On paper, a game away to Wolves at the end of April is a good opportunity for three points, as is a potentially pivotal clash with Leeds at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium three matches from the end of the campaign, but every fixture is tough currently.

Tricky contests? Sidestepping the obvious quip of ‘every single one’, given their recent form, away games at Champions League-chasing Aston Villa and Chelsea in May don’t look too fruitful. Even home fixtures against top-half sides Brighton and Everton suddenly look that much more dangerous as well.

Final straight? Leeds at home as the third-last game is absolutely huge. Should that game go awry and Spurs head into the final two matches in the relegation zone, then a trip to Stamford Bridge and clash with Everton to finish up appear unlikely to provide succour.

This could genuinely go in any direction and you’d have to be a brave person to predict the outcome with any confidence.

It will surely all come down to the final day when West Ham host Leeds in a showdown for the ages, Spurs play Everton and Nottingham Forest host Bournemouth. Leeds generally have the kindest fixtures and although the goals have dried up for them recently, they should have enough to survive given the current cushion.

Forest could be adversely affected by their Europa League run and will probably need to have survival wrapped up going into the final couple of games, while West Ham’s boosted their chances with that Wolves win.

Meanwhile, Spurs could be in real trouble if De Zerbi doesn’t flip the club’s fortunes and fast. He isn’t known as the fastest starter at new clubs - and with injuries piling up, we are beginning to really fear that the worst is probable rather than just possible for Spurs. But things can change within the week.

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Roberto De Zerbi will take charge of his first of seven cup finals as Tottenham Hotspur manager today, beginning his reign at Sunderland as he tries to guide the club to safety in the Premier League.

De Zerbi took the reins following Igor Tudor’s winless 44-day reign of error, with Tottenham in the thick of a relegation battle. West Ham’s win over Wolves on Friday night means their London rivals start the day in the bottom three.

The Italian will need to flip the club’s fortunes and fast but it is not yet clear whether he has the complete backing of the fanbase due to his historic comments surrounding Mason Greenwood, controversy he did address in his first interview as Tottenham boss.

He will hope to justify the board’s decision to hand him a lucrative five-year contract swiftly but face tough opposition in Sunderland, who come into the clash off the high of a Tyne-Wear derby win at St James’s Park.

Tyson Fury made his fifth return to boxing on Saturday, in a comfortable points win against Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It was Fury’s first fight in 16 months, with the Briton having retired (yet again) in the wake of his second loss to Oleksandr Usyk, a points defeat in December 2024.

Fury, 37, believes he can become a world heavyweight champion again, while this win over Makhmudov also moved the Briton closer to a clash with Anthony Joshua – a domestic fight that is still on the cards after almost a decade of links. In fact, Joshua watched on from ringside on Saturday, with Fury calling out his compatriot after beating Makhmudov on all three judges’ scorecards.

On an action-packed undercard Conor Benn outpointed Regis Prograis in a gruelling 10-round contest, while Richard Riakporhe battered Jeamie TKV to win the British heavyweight title.

Re-live updates and see all results from the Fury vs Makhmudov undercard:

Tyson Fury shook off the ring rust to make a successful comeback by registering an emphatic points victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Anthony Joshua watched from ringside ahead of a potential all-British showdown later this year as Fury secured his first win since defeating Francis Ngannou in October 2023.

A dominant display after coming out of retirement for the fifth time was rewarded with scores of 120-108 120-108 119-109 from the judges.

Makhmudov was outclassed by Fury’s footwork, hand speed and ringcraft and the Canada-based Makhmudov’s plodding, upright style was tailor made for the former two-time world champion.

The rugged Makhmudov was tiring as early as the fourth round and his limitations made him an ideal opponent for Fury after 16 months of inactivity, providing tough rounds without ever threatening an upset.

There was no pomp and ceremony from the bear-wrestling Makhmudov as he marched straight into the ring to the sound of an air raid siren.

In contrast, Fury’s entrance for his Netflix debut began with ‘Blue Moon’ being played as a tribute to his late friend Ricky Hatton before he put on a show by dancing on stage while fireworks and flames went off around him.

The pyrotechnics ended there as once the action got under way Makhmudov advanced with crude, one dimensional attacks that were easily evaded.

Makhmudov is at his most dangerous in the early stages and while he continued to stalk Fury around the ring, shots were piercing his defence by the end of the second round.

His pace had already slowed and Fury was beginning to find his rhythm, showing far better footwork and hand speed.

There were warning signs in the fourth as Makhmudov landed, although Fury showed a flash of class when he punished one lunging attack and he finished the round strongly.

There was a gulf in class in their skill levels with the one-paced Makhmudov showing strength in the clinches while proving an easy target, although he was absorbing the blows without being hurt.

There was plenty of respect between the rivals as they touched gloves at the end of each round and even during the rounds, but as the halfway stage came it was becoming increasingly one-sided.

The eighth was Fury’s strongest round yet as he landed telling blows that troubled Makhmudov, including sharp right uppercuts.

Makhmudov had completely run out of ideas beyond wrestling the taller man and in the 10th he was beginning to wobble as crisp shots found their mark when he was pinned against the ropes.

There could be no disputing Makhmudov’s bravery as he plodded back to his corner in exhaustion at the end of the 11th and a round later it was all over with the 12th ending with a wild exchange of blows.

Fury and Joshua exchanged words after the fight with ‘The Gypsy King’ calling out his rival from the ring upon grabbing the microphone, with Joshua replying “I’ll tell you when I’m ready”.

The Premier League relegation battle looks set to go right down to the wire with four clubs seemingly battling to avoid the one remaining spot in the drop zone.

Perhaps Wolves or Burnley could still pull off the greatest of escapes but, in all likelihood, they will crash into the Championship and then be joined by one of Tottenham, West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Leeds.

Relegation for a Spurs side that won the Europa League last season, reached the Champions League knockout stage this term and has spent just one season outside the top flight since 1950 would go down as one of the biggest shocks in Premier League history but their chastening 3-0 defeat to Forest in their final game before the March international break and Igor Tudor’s catastrophic spell in charge has made that a real possibility. Roberto De Zerbi is now the man tasked with engineering an escape and avoiding disasters

Friday night saw the north Londoners drop into the relegation zone for the first time after West Ham thumped Wolves 4-0 to leapfrog their bitter rivals into 17th. Forest and Leeds are just above the Hammers but with six or seven games remaining for each, there will be plenty of twists and turns still to come.

Here’s how the crucial relegation run-in is shaping up.

Position: 15th | Played: 31 | Points: 33 | GD: -11

Remaining fixtures:

Where to pick up points? The fixtures have fallen fairly kindly for Leeds and the chances are there for them to secure Premier League football next season. Three wins would definitely be enough to survive and two may well do it, so they’ll be eyeing up home fixtures against the current bottom two – Wolves and Burnley – to get over the line. Away games against relegation rivals Tottenham and West Ham also look like prime opportunities to get results on the board.

Tricky contests? Their first game after the international break, away to high-flying Manchester United, is their toughest remaining fixture on paper and leaving Old Trafford with anything would be hugely impressive. That is their only game against a team currently above 10th in the standings but a trip to Bournemouth in April and hosting European football-chasing Brighton in their penultimate fixture won’t be easy. Will an FA Cup quarter-final against West Ham straight after the international break prove to be a welcome distraction or a hindrance?

Final straight? Leeds will be desperate to have secured safety by the time they travel to West Ham on the final day but if not, that could be a high-octane shootout for survival. Games against Brighton and Spurs immediately preceding that are too unfriendly as finales go.

Position: 16th | Played: 31 | Points: 32 | GD: -12

Remaining fixtures:

Where to pick up points? The three points they picked up by securing their first Premier League win since late January by hammering Tottenham 3-0 in the final match before the international break could prove vital with a tricky-looking remaining schedule. A home fixture against seemingly doomed Burnley is a golden opportunity for Forest to collect three more points and one further win in addition to that could be enough to get over the line. A home game against a mid-table Bournemouth side who may have nothing to play for on the final day could be their best chance.

Tricky contests? Games against three of the current top six still await Forest with trips to Man United and Chelsea on the docket as well as Aston Villa heading to the City Ground just three days after Forest travel to Porto for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final. A trip to Wearside to face this season’s surprise package Sunderland at the end of April is also a tough ask.

Final straight? It’s not the best with a journey to Old Trafford on the penultimate day of the season far from ideal although, as mentioned above, hosting Bournemouth on the final day could offer a chance to snatch the points required if things aren’t wrapped up by then. A home match against a floundering Newcastle as their antepenultimate fixture could also be worse. Things could be complicated if they are still going in the Europa League by that point, however.

Position: 17th | Played: 32 | Points: 32 | GD: -17

Remaining fixtures:

Where to pick up points? Their impressive form since hugely damaging back-to-back defeats to Wolves and Nottingham Forest at the start of the year have seen West Ham go from doomed to having a genuine chance of survival – even climbing out of the bottom three by thumping Wolves 4-0 straight after the international break. They may well be questioning exactly where the form that has seen them claim five wins and three draws from their last 11 league games was earlier in the season but a trip to struggling Crystal Palace next suddenly looks like a golden chance to keep the momentum going. Welcoming Leeds to the London Stadium on the final day also looms incredibly large.

Tricky contests? The Everton (H), Brentford (A), Arsenal (H) run from late April to early May does not look very friendly. The games before and after that run appear to be much better chances to pick up the points the Hammers need to pull off an impressive escape.

Final straight? If West Ham can get through that three-game stretch with a realistic shot at survival then an away game against Newcastle and a home clash with Leeds to finish the season might just be the ticket to get them clear of the drop zone. The final-day showdown against Daniel Farke’s side could be an all-time classic but won’t be a pretty watch if both sides are still fighting for their lives. However, the fact that the Whites are coming to the London Stadium at least plays into Nuno and co’s hands.

Position: 18th | Played: 31 | Points: 30 | GD: -10

Remaining fixtures:

Where to pick up points? At the moment, Spurs can’t pick up points from anywhere... They haven’t won for 14 league matches, with their last Premier League triumph coming against Crystal Palace back in December and their most recent attempt being a 3-0 hammering by relegation rivals Nottingham Forest. On paper, a game away to Wolves at the end of April is a good opportunity for three points, as is a potentially pivotal clash with Leeds at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium three matches from the end of the campaign, but every clash is tough currently. Roberto De Zerbi is now in charge and his first game is away to Sunderland on Sunday. Can he get off to a flying start?

Tricky contests? Sidestepping the obvious quip of ‘every single one’, given their recent form, away games at Champions League-chasing Aston Villa and Chelsea in May don’t look too fruitful. Even home fixtures top-half sides Brighton and Everton suddenly look that much more dangerous as well.

Final straight? Leeds at home as the third-last game is absolutely huge. Should that game go awry and Spurs head into the final two matches in the relegation zone, then a trip to Stamford Bridge and clash with Everton to finish up appear unlikely to provide succour.

This could genuinely go in any direction and you’d have to be a brave person to predict the outcome with any confidence.

It will surely all come down to the final day when West Ham host Leeds in a showdown for the ages, Spurs play Everton and Nottingham Forest host Bournemouth. Leeds generally have the kindest fixtures and although the goals have dried up for them recently, they should have enough to survive given the current cushion.

Forest could be adversely affected by their Europa League run and will probably need to have survival wrapped up going into the final couple of games, while West Ham’s boosted their chances with that Wolves win.

Meanwhile, Spurs are desperate to get a new manager bounce under De Zerbi. At this stage, we’ll say they won’t get one and condemn Tottenham to the Championship for next season. But everything will change week by week.

After months of utter misery at Tottenham Hotspur, there is genuinely a changed mood around the training ground. The players, according to numerous sources, “love” Roberto De Zerbi.

They feel engaged, like they’re actually progressing.

It is more than just the energy that comes from a new manager – since Igor Tudor certainly didn’t inspire this response - or even the clarity that comes from actually having a permanent coach again.

De Zerbi offers an idea, and enthusiasm.

This is precisely why some around the club are said to be conspicuously confident of staying up - even if we won’t see whether that is actually justified until we watch his new team in a few games. The situation remains complicated, and highly pressurised. Others at Spurs, of course, remain anxious.

Amid that, though, a private quip from one player illustrates a genuine difference the squad have felt.

They feel that De Zerbi has already coached them more than Thomas Frank, Ange Postecoglou and Tudor combined.

Training has so far been “excellent”, with players responding very “positively”.

Again, if this sounds like the sort of thing always said in such situations, it wasn’t like this with Tudor. It hasn’t been like this at other relegation-threatened clubs, which opens up a whole other discussion about how this survival scrap will develop.

At Spurs, however, they can already see why Pep Guardiola so admires De Zerbi. To give a much-criticised hierarchy their due, too, you can see why they were so adamant on getting the Italian.

Spurs actually went back to De Zerbi several times.

With Mauricio Pochettino essentially ring-fenced until the USA’s World Cup is over, the former Brighton coach quickly became their number-one target.

Spurs didn’t want to persevere with stand-ins, given the huge uncertainty that the generally underwhelming profile of temporary candidate fostered.

They wanted someone permanent, to also illustrate a proper vision; something that could inspire.

When De Zerbi’s camp gave their hardest no in the process to taking over this season, Spurs did consider other high-profile options.

An informal approach was made to Fulham over Marco Silva, who now feels like he has been a potential Tottenham manager for so long that it’s just one of those things that is never going to happen. No deal could be struck. The possibility remains that Silva actually commits longer to Fulham.

I have similarly been told that Spurs did investigate whether Unai Emery was possible. But Aston Villa just wouldn’t countenance letting him go, and the Basque would also have designs on returning to one of the absolute top-tier jobs were he ever to leave Villa Park.

There is some speculation over whether the timing of that could be influenced by this season. Returning to the Champions League is seen as absolutely key for Villa, due to just how drastically the guaranteed money from qualification changes the club’s prospects.

Spurs know all of that too well.

With other appealing options just proving too difficult to get, though, Spurs kept going back to De Zerbi.

Now, the first great test is just about keeping them up.

There remain doubts about whether the squad has the “character” for this, especially when a phrase constantly used is that the players have too much football “scar tissue” there.

And yet this is also where De Zerbi’s own character may be so important, even amid the debate over how it can take teams a while to internalise his ideas. There is still a lot of quality in that squad. That should allow them to absorb what he wants more quickly.

And if there are doubts about their “personality” for this, that is what De Zerbi also supplies. He’s got bags of personality. He may well need it if West Ham United do beat Wolves on Friday, putting Spurs into the relegation zone before their Sunday trip to Sunderland.

Of course, it is also one reason why some clubs end up seeing him as “trouble”, but that’s not a concern for now.

The crucial point is that it’s unusual to get someone so good at that end of the table, but then that comes from how it’s unprecedented to have a club of Spurs’ wealth down that end of the table.

Either way, De Zerbi represents the “jolt” that has long been needed.

It explains the rationale of not waiting until the summer for a permanent coach. And such sudden disruptions to tend to have a disproportionate influence in relegation battles, after all.

Hence Nottingham Forest repeatedly making changes, even if the extent of that is obviously explained by Evangelos Marinakis’ idiosyncratic approach.

But that alone points to the potential importance of this switch.

Now, after a situation where it was hard to see where Spurs would pick up their next win, it’s hard to see the same quality elsewhere.

I should acknowledge that other clubs do see this as “a risk”, as was reported last week. And that also remains true. There’s the sense of surprise at a new project being started when a club is in the most problematic position possible.

Even if De Zerbi’s approach does take time to fully apply, though, he’s surely too good a coach to not come up with a gameplan to turn one or two individual matches.

De Zerbi will surely get that one win Spurs need to transform the feeling, and from that another to turn the survival race.

As most members will know, Inside Football does have a results prediction game every week – and it’s probably worth making a bigger one here. I think Spurs end up staying up with relative comfort now, that they extend a bit of a gap.

One figure who knows the new Spurs manager well sounds a note of caution, mind: “There’s never an issue with De Zerbi at the beginning…”

That may be enough for now. The truth will only be revealed by performances.Spurs nevertheless feel better prepared there than they have been for some time.

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Tyson Fury was on top form at the final press conference before his boxing return on Saturday and even took aim at “shocking” Premier League strugglers Tottenham.

Fury will step out to fight in the UK for the first time since 2022 when he takes on Russian heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after 16 months outside the ring.

During an entertaining half an hour media activity inside The Pelligon in Canary Wharf on Thursday night, Fury claimed to be the “Money Man” of the division and insisted his rivals will be “begging” to fight him given his star quality as the latest sporting athlete to feature live on Netflix.

Fury, who also used the final press conference to promote the second season of his Netflix series, turned his focus towards relegation-threatened Tottenham during the final ember of the ‘Gypsy King’ circus.

Spurs, who play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and are the ninth richest football club in the world, are currently on a 13-match winless run in the Premier League and embroiled in a first relegation battle for 29 years.

“It has been four years since I’ve been boxing in the UK,” Fury started.

“I’ve been out in Saudi Arabia, which was fantastic for me. It was unbelievable.

“Yeah, to come back to England and fight here, in a stadium at Tottenham Hotspur, let’s hope I do a lot better than Tottenham are doing right now because they are shocking at the minute!

“But it’s an unbelievable experience you know to have 60,000 cheering fans for you on Saturday night.”

Given Tottenham have only won two home league matches during a difficult campaign, Fury will hope to avoid the familiar tale of a home loss in N17 this season.