Flashscore.com

Luka Vuskovic has enjoyed a spectacular breakout season, establishing himself as one of football's most exciting young defenders while on loan at Hamburger SV from Tottenham Hotspur.

He quickly established himself as a defensive anchor for Hamburg this season and posted the highest challenge success rate in the league (69.1%) while also developing into a dominant force and reliable capacity in the air.

Vuskovic, who earned a spot in the Bundesliga Team of the Season, was the most prolific centre-back in the Bundesliga, netting an impressive six league goals, while his remarkable backheel goal against rivals Werder Bremen was voted the German Goal of the Year.

Tottenham agreed to a £12 million deal to purchase the highly-rated Croatian centre-back from Hajduk Split in 2023. Because of FIFA transfer regulations regarding minors, the move could not officially go through until the summer of 2025, after he turned 18.

In August 2025, Hamburger SV secured him on a season-long loan, and it was expected that he would return to London after the World Cup. However, on the back of his impressive Bundesliga campaign, he has allegedly been monitored by European powerhouses, and Flashcore sources now reveal that Luka Vuskovic does not want to join Tottenham but instead is looking to seal a transfer with either Barcelona or Real Madrid.

After the end of the Bundesliga season, Vuskovic commented on his situation in an interview with German media Sport Bild: “I'm torn. In football, you can’t have everything you want. The future will show what happens. It's, of course, nice that my name is being linked with such big clubs. I also don’t know whether everything that is written about other clubs and me is true. I'm a Tottenham player. We will see what happens in the summer.”

The London club secured survival with a crucial 1-0 win over Everton under interim boss Roberto De Zerbi, who guided the team to safety after taking charge during a difficult campaign.

Tottenham had won only seven of their opening 31 league games before De Zerbi oversaw a dramatic turnaround.

Speaking to BBC’s Match of the Day, the Netherlands internation expressed frustration that a squad with such quality had found itself battling relegation until the final weekend of the season.

"It is unacceptable that the last game we played this season we play for relegation. This club has some unbelievable players. It was embarrassing to let it come to the final day, but we did it, and that is what is important," he said.

Tottenham - Leeds  Flashscore.com

'Rocket' Ronny Rosenthal may not have played in the Premier League for 29 years, but he is still remembered fondly by supporters of both clubs.

Flashscore's Stanimir Todorov and Jason Pettigrove tapped into Rosenthal's knowledge of the North London outfit and got his thoughts on what they need to do in order to improve upon their 2025/26 showing.

Read part one of our interview with Rosenthal here.

Tottenham's issues started before Son left

Ange Postecoglou recently admitted on a podcast that the ‘Spursy’ tag around the club is justified and that so many people there don’t have the big club mentality. That’s clearly a massive problem, but how do you overcome that as players and staff?

"First of all, I don't think that I agree with that assessment from him, not totally, because I watch them regularly. To start with, Tottenham don't have enough speed in the side. Under Postecoglou, they played fantastic, amazing football with good combinations, but don't forget, Son was there, and he's not there anymore. So you have something a little bit similar to the upcoming Salah situation at Liverpool.

"Tottenham's biggest problem started when Son was still there, because they were leading games one-nil, two-nil, but couldn't kill the opposition off. They would still be pressing the opposition in their half, which, for me, there is no need to do.

"They should've been forming a defensive block, but they didn't. They're not Real Madrid or Barcelona, and if you can't kill the game, you at least have to maintain your lead. Nothing else matters. Defensively, they weren't good enough, and things got even worse when selling, for example, Brennan Johnson, because you don't sell a striker and bring in a midfield player to replace him.

"Injuries to key players haven't helped either, and one of Spurs' most important players, and the only player for me at Tottenham who can make a real impact, Mo Kudus, has been injured for so long.

"Tottenham don't have wingers or players with electrifying pace, and that's precisely what they do need. Even Manor Solomon would be better than what they have now. Xavi Simons is doing some amazing things, and yes, he scored a crazy goal two weeks ago, but look at his numbers. He can't do it throughout the whole season.

"They're the reasons why Tottenham are struggling. In the Premier League, you have the biggest combination of explosive players. When I retired from football, I already understood that speed would be the name of the game.

"It's why I discovered players like Samuel Eto'o, Cristiano Ronaldo, Vincent Kompany, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and many more, because I was looking for the top sprinters in football. I saw Cristiano in his second or third game for Sporting's first team, and I immediately alerted Tottenham, but they didn't follow it up."

Villa game turning point in Spurs' season

As of today, how do you assess the chances of Tottenham surviving in the Premier League? It's between them and West Ham right now, so how much of a disaster would it be for them to get relegated?

"Of course, it's a crazy situation for Tottenham, but after the last win against Villa, I think they have maybe a 40% chance of going down, and 60% to stay up. They obviously have to beat Leeds to stand a chance, and hope that West Ham don't win. There's still a chance for them to forget this horrible season."

So, the Villa game was a possible turning point?

"I think so, yes. It seems to me that tactically, the new manager understands the defensive side of the game because he knows he doesn't have a top team, and he cannot kill off games."

Van de Ven is the best in the world

Regarding the De Zerbi appointment... only one loss and back-to-back wins in the last two games. Assuming Spurs do stay up, how does he get the best of the squad in the next 12 to 18 months? What did he manage to change in your opinion, and shouldn't they have made the managerial change sooner?

"It's still early days. I want to see what he does during the games. Two of the previous managers (Postecoglou, Thomas Frank) played good football, but that's not the way, in the end, to win games. There's a lot of expectation that Tottenham need to always be in the top six, so he (De Zerbi) will need to bring in four new players, but really top, top stars.

"He has the main players there already; Van de Ven... Spence is important, Maddison is important, and Kudus, but there are too many mediocre players. I don't know the club's financial situation, so you hope that the big names in the squad can make an impact on the rest of the players.

"As for Igor Tudor, there was one game in which I didn't quite understand what he was doing when he took off Van de Ven. I said to myself that maybe he was injured, but after the game, I understood that Tudor just wanted to replace him with another player for no reason.

"For me, this is the best defender in the world. He's the quickest central defender in the world, and at the end of the season I'm sure that whether Tottenham stay up or go down, the two or three biggest clubs will be looking to try and sign him."

Tottenham just need to add quality

Richarlison has done well for Tottenham this season and has continued to score goals. How can he get even better, and do you think he'll be in the Brazil squad for the World Cup?

"He will play for Brazil, yes, and he's certainly got quality, but I wouldn't say he's a player with top quality. If you're a club that wants to be in the top six, then he needs to do more. Tottenham don't have too many strikers though, so he's an important player for them, it's obvious."

Aside from the Europa League, Spurs haven't won a major trophy in almost 20 years. So what specifically needs to change at the club, aside from bringing in top players, in order for their aspirations to become a reality?

"It's just about adding quality, as simple and obvious as that. It's going to be very difficult, and it's very expensive, and they also need the manager to have an understanding of how to hold onto a lead. That's what Tottenham have lacked in the last three years."

Tottenham - Brighton  Flashscore.com

The Italian took over from interim boss Igor Tudor at the end of last month and Spurs started his first match at the helm in the Premier League drop zone after West Ham beat Wolves on Friday.

Their defeat, courtesy of Nordi Mukiele's heavily deflected strike in the second half, left them two points behind the Hammers with just six games to go.

Sorry Spurs have not won a Premier League game since late December and are facing a huge battle to avoid their first relegation since 1977.

But former Brighton and Marseille boss De Zerbi - the London club's third manager of a shocking season - said a win would change the mood.

"We have to work on one win because with one win we can change everything this season," he told Sky Sports.

"I have 24 hours per day and it is not a problem of time. We created chances in the first half, the same we have done in the week.

"The players have great quality but we have to believe more in ourselves and the crucial part is to win one game.

"We can play much better than today but after five or six training games it is difficult. All together we have to stay focused to win one game."

Tottenham face Brighton next week, with a game against bottom club Wolves to follow but it is difficult to see where their next win is going to come from.

De Zerbi said his new team, who have lost half of their 32 league matches this season, had the quality but were suffering a crisis of confidence.

The Tricky Trees started the game one place and one point below Spurs in the table, with both teams teetering on the brink of the bottom three.

With third-from-bottom West Ham's game against Aston Villa taking place at the same time, it wouldn't be known until full time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, exactly who would be in that final relegation spot.

Morale-boosting win in midweek for Spurs

The Lilywhites hadn't won in 12 league games, whilst Forest were on a seven-match winless run of their own, though the visitors had certainly got the better of their hosts in recent head-to-heads, having won 3-0 at the City Ground last time out, as well as the two games beforehand, letting in just one goal in that time.

After a terrible start to his time in the Tottenham dugout, the Atleti result and a battling draw against Liverpool at Anfield suggested that Igor Tudor had finally turned a corner.

Albeit the Croatian will have been in no doubt before the game as to just how important a win against this particular opponent would be.

Tottenham on the front foot but toothless in attack

Although Spurs looked to attack in the early stages of the game, their accuracy was off, and none of Mathys Tel, Richarlison or Pape Matar Sarr could find the target with their efforts.

Forest were biding their time, but looking to make inroads down their left side. Indeed, Djed Spence's four attempted tackles in the first half-hour were the most of any player, but only completing one successfully was a sign of things to come.

Teammates Kevin Danso and Cristian Romero were working overtime in order to stifle Forest's attacking threat, and some of the former's 13 one-on-one duels won (from 18 attempted) were a chief reason why it took until the last minute of the first half before the hosts went a goal down.

When the opening goal arrived, it was simplicity itself. Igor Jesus had won a corner with his first on-target effort and was then left unmarked at the back post, and had the easy task of heading into the net unchallenged.

Boos at half-time

Ominously, Spurs hadn't won any of their previous 10 home matches this season (D3, L7) when conceding the opening goal, and Forest hadn't lost when scoring it (W5, D2).

What's more, an 18th goal conceded in the final 15 minutes of a first half is the worst record in the entire Premier League in 2025/26, and suggests a collective 'switching off' by Tottenham's players, as they head towards the half-time break.

The hosts' response was to get their first shot on target in stoppage time, but the boos which greeted the team as they made their way down the tunnel spoke volumes.

Tudor had seen enough and made a double substitution at the break, but his side just weren't at the races for long periods.

Forest biding their time

Archie Gray, normally one of his side's most creative players, couldn't string two passes together and his 77.6% completion stat was one of the worst on show.

Richarlison fared even worse, with a 50% showing coming about because of just five accurate passes from only 10 made.

The Brazilian was marked out of the game thanks to an excellent defensive performance from Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic, who won 100% of their tackles.

The pair were ably supported by Elliot Anderson and Ibrahim Sangare, who made 10 tackles between them and contested 37 one-on-one duels alone.

Up front, Omari Hutchinson was causing Tottenham all sorts of problems, winning four of his seven dribbles and eight of his 13 attempted duels.

Once again, it appeared that the fight had gone from the Lilywhites' squad, and in what was effectively a relegation six-pointer, that's unforgivable.

Gibbs-White in acres of space

As the hour mark approached, there was a flurry of attacks from the North Londoners, though none of their efforts at goal were on target, and they were quickly made to pay.

Callum Hudson-Odoi wasn't challenged as he made his way from the sideline to the touchline, and his pull-back found Morgan Gibbs-White by the penalty spot without a Spurs player anywhere close to him.

Though Guglielmo Vicario got in the way of the Forest forward's shot, he couldn't stop it from going in, and the silence that then fell over the stadium was deafening.

A double substitution with 25 minutes left saw Richarlison and Mathys Tel replaced by Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani, though the latter pair managed just one touch in the Forest box between them in the entire time both were on the pitch.

Even having three-quarters of possession leading into the final stages of the match didn't lead to anything approaching a goal or even a chance from Tottenham.

When Taiwo Awoniyi added a third Forest goal towards the end of the game, it was no more than they deserved, and the first time they'd scored three goals this season since the last fixture against Spurs.

Better late than never, Dominic Solanke had two shots on target in the final minute, neither of which troubled Matz Sels.

A 13th game without a win for Tottenham is their worst run in Premier League history, and what will be most galling for Tudor and Spurs fans is that, actually, in a number of metrics, the hosts were significantly better than their opponents.

More passes, more possession, a better pass accuracy, more crosses and more dribbles.... and yet, when it came down to it, they were second best in terms of tackles made and won, and interceptions made.

When they really needed to fight for their lives, Tottenham just didn't have the spirit to do exactly that.

Tottenham - Nottingham  Flashscore.com

After a battling performance at Anfield that saw the Lilywhites pick up their first Premier League point under the Croatian, they followed it up with a Champions League win over Atletico Madrid.

Tottenham's fighting spirit

Though the North Londoners ultimately didn't progress in the premier European competition, both that performance and the one against the Reds at least showed the fighting spirit that the players still possess.

Against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, however, the recent upturn in form will mean nothing if Spurs are unable to get all three points.

With eight games left to play in the 2025/26 Premier League season, both teams are teetering on the brink of dropping into the bottom three.

Currently, West Ham are third from bottom on 29 points, the same total as Forest, who have a slightly better goal difference than the Hammers.

Forest have won the last three vs Spurs

Tottenham sit one place and one point above the Tricky Trees, so if the East Londoners can win their game against Aston Villa earlier on Sunday, then either Spurs or Forest will end the weekend in the relegation places if they lose.

In terms of current form, the hosts have won one, drawn one and lost three of their last five matches in all competitions, whilst their visitors have won one, drawn two and lost two.

Somewhat ominously for Tudor, Tottenham have lost their last three league games against Forest, scoring just once, despite having won six in a row against them before that.

Heading to North London is normally a happy hunting ground for the Midlanders, too, given that they've won away at Spurs on four separate occasions in the Premier League era. Only at Southampton (five wins) do Forest have a better record.

No league wins for Tottenham in 2026

Tudor also can't escape the fact that his side is the only team without a Premier League win in 2026, drawing five and losing seven of their 12 games. In fact, Tottenham have won just two league matches at home all season, drawing four and losing nine.

To put their recent run into some sort of perspective, only from April to November 1912 (13 games) and from December 1934 to April 1935 (16 games) have Spurs ever gone longer without winning in the English top-flight.

Only three other teams have gone longer without a win from the start of a calendar year, and all three (Sunderland, 17 games in 2002/03; Derby, 18 games in 2007/08 and Middlesbrough, 14 games in 2016/17) were relegated.

Forest also have a new man in charge in Vitor Pereira, with the Portuguese being unbeaten in his three games against Tottenham to date (W1, D2). One of those draws came away at the North Londoners when he was in charge of Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this season.

Anderson will dictate the tempo

The visitors haven't won for seven Premier League games themselves, however (D4 L3), so the odds of this being a low-scoring affair remain high.

Certainly, if Tottenham want to get anything out of this match, then they have to stop Elliot Anderson from dictating the tempo and flow of the game from midfield.

The England international has created the most chances for his team this season (45) and has also made more successful passes than any other midfielder in the Premier League this season (1,679).

Even if the hosts do somehow manage to dilute Anderson's influence, they still have to be aware of Ibrahim Sangare raiding deep into enemy territory and Morgan Gibbs-White's ability to make something out of nothing in the box.

Richarlison the key for Tottenham

With no new injuries other than their long-term absentees, Forest therefore have a relatively clean bill of health ahead of the game.

Tottenham, on the other hand, are still without James Maddison, Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, Mo Kudus, Ben Davies and Yves Bissouma, with both Dominic Solanke and Joao Palhinha set to undergo late fitness tests to determine their availability.

One player who is fit for the Lilywhites and who will lead the charge against Forest is Richarlison.

The Brazilian silenced Anfield last time out in the Premier League, and with nine goals already this season in the top-flight, he's already scored more than twice as many goals as any other Tottenham player, and that's despite starting fewer than half of Spurs' games (14/30).

With Xavi Simons also starring against Atletico in midweek, and plenty of others finally putting in a real shift for their manager, if Tudor can get his team selection spot on, then at the very least this could become a very intriguing relegation six-pointer indeed.

Tottenham - Crystal Palace  Flashscore.com