GiveMeSport

If Igor Tudor didn't already know the size of the task facing him at Tottenham Hotspur over the next three months, he does now following the 4-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday.

The Croat was appointed on an interim basis until the end of the season following the sacking of Thomas Frank earlier this month, and he would have been hoping to get off to a positive start in the north London derby against their arch-rivals.

However, despite Randal Kolo Muani scoring an immediate equaliser - his first Premier League goal for the club - after Eberechi Eze gave Mikel Arteta's men the lead in the first half, it turned out to be the best moment for Spurs fans.

Once again, the bragging rights are in the red part of north London as a further goal from Eze and a brace from Viktor Gyokeres gave the Gunners a comfortable three points.

Tudor Will Have Learnt Spurs Lessons

The 47-year-old was hardly helped by only having 14 senior players to choose from against Arsenal because of injuries and suspensions, although he did suggest post-match that he hoped to have Pedro Porro and Kevin Danso back for the trip to Fulham this weekend.

While Kolo Muani did well up top for Tottenham, their defensive issues were once again laid bare against the Premier League title hopefuls last weekend.

With Cristian Romero still missing through suspension - he won't be back until the trip to Liverpool in mid-March - and Danso having been out, Tudor was forced to use midfielder Joao Palhinha in a back three alongside Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin against the Gunners, and it simply didn't work.

There is no doubting the quality of Van de Ven, who looks destined for bigger things, but Tudor will hope that the potential returns of Danso and Porro this weekend allow him to change his backline.

Tottenham Need to Drop Dragusin

When all of Tottenham's centre-backs are fit and available, Dragusin gets nowhere near the starting XI.

However, he has had to be used as a specialist player for that position in recent weeks in the absences of Romero and Danso, but it cannot continue.

The Romania international has never shown that he is good enough to be playing regularly for Tottenham ever since his £25m move from Genoa in 2024, with analyst Raj Chohan describing him as being 'not Premier League level' following the latest north London derby.

If Spurs are to survive this season, Tudor needs to immediately remove the 24-year-old from the XI, before the club moves him on this summer.

Tottenham Hotspur are ready to rip up their wage structure and make major signings this summer if they avoid relegation, according to The Guardian.

The Lilywhites have had a shocking campaign so far and currently sit 16th in the Premier League table, just four points above the relegation zone with 11 games remaining in the campaign, while they have already been eliminated from the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, but have qualified for the Champions League Last 16.

However, unless they win the Champions League then their chances of qualifying for European football next season look incredibly slim, and the club are ready to react in order to ensure this situation doesn't become the new normal.

Tottenham to Make Major Summer U-Turn

Tottenham are known for being notoriously tight in the transfer market, with former chief executive Daniel Levy infamous for his stingy negotiating techniques among the fan base.

Spurs are known to be the lowest-paying club of the 'Big Six' in the Premier League, and ex-manager Ange Postecoglou recently admitted in an interview that the north London side "are not a big club" because they can't compete for transfers with the top clubs due to their policy with wages.

However, the club are now set to make a major change to the way they do business in transfer windows, and it's reported that the new hierarchy are ready to rip up the old wage structure and spend big to get the best players to stay at the club, and get the players in that they want to improve the squad.

In fact, the club have already begun their rebuild with that in mind, after spending £35m on Conor Gallagher in January and handing him a contract worth around £200,000-a-week, making him their highest-earning player.

A source close to the owners revealed that the Lewis family recognise that greater investment in salaries is needed because finishing positions in the league correlate more closely to wages than to transfer spending.

Tottenham Must Go All-Out This Summer

Before any transfers are done this summer, Spurs are expected to sort their managerial issue out, with Mauricio Pochettino the favourite to return and become their next permanent boss, while Roberto De Zerbi has also been strongly linked.

But it's worthwhile to note that one of the reasons the Argentine left initially was that the squad wasn't strengthened sufficiently after they reached the Champions League final, and Pochettino saw results and performances stagnate before he was sacked.

Tottenham will have a big decision to make in the summer over the appointment of a new head coach and it could centre on which division they find themselves in.

Spurs are flirting with relegation from the Premier League this season, sitting dangerously close to the bottom three with just 11 games of the season to play.

Relegation to the Championship would seem to be unthinkable, but, given they finished 17th last season, having focused later on in the campaign on the UEFA Europa League, it should not be wholly surprising to see the Lilywhites down there again.

Tottenham Have Two Names In The Frame For The Summer

Igor Tudor has been handed the reins on an interim basis until the end of the season, with his mission clear - to keep Tottenham in the Premier League.

Were they to drop into the Championship, the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto De Zerbi, who have both been heavily linked with the role and are the two that GIVEMESPORT understands are the leading contenders to take over, would be harder to convince to bring in, given their standing in the game.

But they could appoint someone who knows the club - and the Championship if necessary - inside out and, who probably knows Spurs better than Pochettino himself in Kieran McKenna.

The Ipswich Town boss has been linked with the Spurs job in the past, most recently during Ange Postecoglou's final few months at the club and has a strong connection with the Lilywhites. He was also heavily linked with the Chelsea job after Pochettino was sacked, and the Brighton job after De Zerbi left.

McKenna started his career in England with Spurs, joining the club in 2002 when he signed a scholarship deal at the age of 16. Persistent injuries stopped him from having a career in senior football, but the Northern Irishman went straight into coaching, playing a key role in the Tottenham academy set-up for a number of years before moving on to Manchester United.

He had various roles at United in a five-year spell before taking on the manager role at Ipswich Town in 2021, where it has been almost non-stop success since.

McKenna Is Loved By His Ipswich Town Players

McKenna led the Tractorboys to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League and while they were relegated last season, the 39-year-old has them towards the top of the Championship once again this season and eyeing up promotion back to the big time.

Ipswich full-back Wes Burns told Sky Sports in 2024 that McKenna was "such a brilliant coach that we have 100% trust in everything he says" in a big piece with a number of Tractorboys players talking about their manager. The Guardian reported that "Ipswich believe McKenna is a world-class talent" the same year.

Tottenham legend Clive Allen saw McKenna earning his stripes at Spurs. He said: "A player and person that you know, every single day, whether training or playing, was 100% committed about everything he did.

"A determined and committed character, who is also intelligent and articulate – don’t be surprised if Kieran rises to the top of the game as a coach."

McKenna has already risen to the top and is hungry for more of it.

His teams often feature a double pivot in the midfield and he has been known to play three at the back in a 3-4-2-1 formation or a 3-4-1-2. In the second half of his first season with Ipswich in League One, he played almost solely a 4-2-3-1 formation - synonymous with a certain Pochettino at Spurs.

McKenna Could Be The Best Of Both Pochettino And De Zerbi

In an analytical piece on his style by the Coaches Voice, McKenna has also been likened to De Zerbi.

"The dropping movement from McKenna’s pivots – similar to those seen at Brighton under Roberto De Zerbi – also helps draw and drag opponents forward, centrally," the report said.

His Ipswich side are a high-press, possession-based team, building from the back and employing an intense counter-press too. His team have defensive solidity but an impressive attacking nous too. They are the second highest goalscorers in the Championship this season behind leaders Coventry and have the second-best defensive record - just one goal worse off than second-placed Middlesbrough.

Pochettino and De Zerbi are the leading candidates to take over from Tudor at the end of the season, but McKenna should not be discounted.

Ipswich have been braced for approaches for the man they believe is a "world-class talent" in the past and they should expect another one this summer.

A video has circulated online appearing to show what Declan Rice said after a Tottenham fan attempted to mock him during the North London derby on Sunday.

Arsenal emerged victorious in the Premier League encounter as goals from Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres sealed a 4-1 win and bragging rights. The Gunners maintained their five-point lead at the top of the table, despite Rice's error in the first half.

Just seconds after the away team took the lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Arsenal had thrown it away. Rice took a chance in his own defensive third and lost the ball. Randal Kolo Muani took full advantage, but the mistake didn't prove costly.

Declan Rice's Conversation With Bukayo Saka

During the match, a home fan tried to mock the English midfielder. An image emerged online of a Tottenham supporter holding up a picture of Rice's girlfriend, Lauren Fryer, behind him when taking a throw-in.

Fryer has faced social media abuse and derogatory comments in the past, which at one point led to her wiping all images from her Instagram account. Dani Dyer, the wife of West Ham star Jarrod Bowen, opened up on the abuse Fryer had faced following a 'sad' conversation between the pair (per The Mirror):

"It was so hard for her, the trolling, as she doesn't put herself out there. I think it's harder when you are not in [the celebrity world] and you are being personally attacked. I found that hard. She is a really good mum, who keeps to herself. No one deserves to be criticised like that.

"It was so cruel. We didn't speak about it a lot. What we did talk about is how she is so nice and so great and looks absolutely gorgeous. Plus, she's Dec's childhood sweetheart and you can see how much he adores her."

Now, footage has appeared online of Rice having a chat with Arsenal teammate Saka following the full-time whistle. It has been speculated that the England international said: "When I went to take a corner … they were like showing it, so obviously I was angry."

Watch the video below:

Piers Morgan Condemns Tottenham Supporter

Famous Arsenal fan Piers Morgan took issue with the supporter and blasted his actions on social media. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the British journalist labelled the fan 'pathetic' and managed to get in a dig about Spurs' potential relegation. He tweeted:

Tottenham Hotspur senior officials are in a 'state of panic' over the potential exodus of a number of their stars this summer, according to TEAMtalk.

Spurs moved a point closer to the Premier League relegation zone over the weekend as 18th-placed West Ham United registered a draw against Bournemouth, while Igor Tudor's Tottenham were comfortably beaten 4-1 by arch-rivals Arsenal.

Finishing the season in the bottom three is a genuine possibility for the north London club, who are without a league win in 2026 and have just two victories in their previous 18 top flight matches.

A shock demotion to the Championship would likely see a number of Tottenham players fight for an exit.

Seven Tottenham Stars Could Leave Tottenham

Tottenham's board is said to be deeply concerned about the talent they could lose from their first-team should they find themselves in the Championship next term, according to TEAMtalk.

The north London club's view is that they would be seen as the club to target by elite teams should they get relegated.

Micky van de Ven, who was accused of ignoring Tudor during his debut, is expected to leave this summer regardless of which division Spurs find themselves in next season, as he looks to play regular Champions League football.

His centre-back partner Romero's future would also be in doubt, with the Tottenham captain another who would be unwilling to play in the second tier for the club. Previous reports from his homeland have suggested he's certain to leave at the end of the season.

Finally, left-back Destiny Udogie is another who could look to go having already been linked with a move back to Serie A in recent weeks.

Tottenham Attacking Exodus Possible

The biggest exodus could happen further forward in Tottenham's team though, with many high-profile names ready to jump ship should the worst happen.

James Maddison, who has missed the entire 2025-26 campaign through injury, is one of those who could seek an immediate exit to ensure he is playing at the top level.

The same can be said of another player who has barely played this term in Dejan Kulusevski, along with 2025 summer signing Xavi Simons.

Finally, there would also be doubts over whether club-record signing Dominic Solanke would remain at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Who Would be Biggest Player for Tottenham to Lose?

GIVEMESPORT asked ChatGPT which player would be the biggest player for Tottenham to lose this summer if they did go down, and this is what it said:

Tottenham Hotspur enter their final 11 matches of the Premier League season knowing they need to pick up points, and quickly, if they are to avoid being dragged into the relegation zone.

Spurs were soundly beaten 4-1 by arch-rivals Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday in Igor Tudor's first match in charge, and they will need to be better than they were against Mikel Arteta's men to pick up the wins they need in the coming weeks.

Indeed, the north Londoners are yet to pick up a league victory in 2026, with their previous one coming towards the end of December against Sunderland.

Fortunately for Tottenham, 18th-placed West Ham United were unable to find a breakthrough during their goalless draw with Bournemouth, which kept them four points above the bottom three.

Tottenham's Final 11 Fixtures

It was always going to be a difficult task to take anything against Arsenal, especially in Tudor's first match in charge, but he now has a week to work on his side's tactics ahead of the trip to Craven Cottage to face Fulham next Sunday.

Tottenham's March concludes with home matches against two low-on-confidence sides in Crystal Palace and 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, while they also travel to Anfield to face Liverpool in mid-March - the game captain Cristian Romero will return from his four-match suspension.

Spurs then have three fixtures in April as they host Brighton and Hove Albion at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with that match sandwiched by visits to Sunderland and rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Finally, the north London club finish off a packed May with a trip to Aston Villa before they host Leeds United, and then finish up with the visit of Chelsea to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before they travel to Everton on the final day of the campaign.

Tottenham's Shock 2024-25 Record

We all know that Tottenham's 2024-25 Premier League campaign was particularly bad, but if you were looking at their remaining fixtures this term and thought they were good on paper, there is some bad news when you look at the corresponding games last season.

As reported by journalist Simon Collings, posting on X, if you take out the Leeds and Sunderland games and look at the same nine matches from last season, Spurs only picked up three points.

They all came in the same match too, as Tottenham recorded an away victory at Goodison Park against Everton. They lost all the other eight matches.

Even taking into account the Leeds and Sunderland matches, Spurs would only be taken up to 32 points if they mirrored those results in the next weeks, leaving them only able to take a maximum of 38 points.

While repeating the 2024-25 scenariio may be unlikely, Tottenham do only have two wins in 18 Premier League outings and are suffering from a major lack of confidence.

Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has been criticised for his reaction to Igor Tudor's instructions during the game against Arsenal, but journalist George Sessions has rushed to his defence, suggesting that he does care after being spotted 'devastated' in the mixed zone.

Spurs suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat at home to their north London rivals Arsenal on Sunday, with Tudor enduring a nightmare start to his tenure.

Van de Ven is one player who has come under heavy criticism after the game, but there aren't many who came away from the Arsenal clash with much credit.

It was an embarrassing result and performance for the supporters to endure, and with the threat of relegation looking more serious every week, it's a worrying situation for the north London outfit.

Van de Ven Spotted in Tottenham Mixed Zone

Reporting on X, journalist Sessions has shared what he saw from van de Ven in the mixed zone after Tottenham's defeat against Arsenal. Sessions claims that van de Ven looked 'devastated' and is 'hurting', after fans suggested that he didn't care.

This all comes after van de Ven was captured, seemingly ignoring instructions from manager Tudor. The Dutch centre-back appeared to look over to Tudor after he was urging his team to push up, but he turned the other way and barely moved an inch.

Tudor's reaction spoke volumes, with the Tottenham boss clearly frustrated that he was unable to get his message across to his players.

Van de Ven Reaction Blown Out of Proportion

Although it's certainly not ideal if Van de Ven was truly ignoring the instructions of Tudor, it's certainly difficult to understand the full picture from a short clip.

The Dutch centre-back has been a reliable performer for Spurs in recent years, and arguably one of their better players, so it would certainly be out of character.

Van de Ven comes across as one of the leaders of the Tottenham side, and he's certainly got enough credit in the bank to allow a moment like this to slide.

Coming out and explaining the situation would be a smart move from van de Ven and would likely get fans onside.

Wayne Rooney has suggested that Tottenham Hotspur may have made the wrong appointment with Igor Tudor following the sacking of Thomas Frank earlier this month.

Having decided they wanted an interim manager rather than a permanent one as Frank was dismissed after the defeat to Newcastle United, Tottenham opted to move for the available Tudor to keep them in the Premier League.

The Croat had the enviable task of beginning his reign with the visit of arch-rivals and league leaders Arsenal on Sunday, which ultimately ended in a 4-1 defeat despite some promising glances in the first half.

Rooney has suggested that while he respects what Tudor has achieved in Italy, another manager who knows the Premier League in Robbie Keane may have been a better shout.

Keane Would Have Been 'Good Fit' for Tottenham

As GIVEMESPORT sources revealed in the aftermath of Frank's sacking, the three leading candidates to take charge on a permanent basis were Mauricio Pochettino, Roberto De Zerbi and Keane.

The issue with the latter was that while Tottenham's preference would have been to bring in their former striker until the end of the season, on a similar deal to Tudor's, Keane was said to want a longer-term agreement.

Despite that potential issue, Rooney told the Wayne Rooney Show on BBC that he believes the two-time title-winning manager would have been a 'good fit' for Spurs.

"I think he [Tudor] has done it over in Italy, where he's gone in to save teams from getting relegated, but the Premier League is completely different. So surprised [about the appointment]. But who else is out there? Robbie Keane. He keeps getting overlooked for some reason. He's done a fantastic job in the places he's been.

"I think you're looking and he gets overlooked by Celtic all the time, and this time by Tottenham when potentially, it could have been a good fit."

Tottenham's Next Five Fixtures Compared to West Ham and Forest

Sunday's defeat means Tottenham have remained just four points above the Premier League relegation zone, so naturally attention is now on who they, and their main bottom three rivals, face in the upcoming weeks.

Two of Spurs' next five league games are at home, against two teams struggling for form in Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest, while they face trips to Fulham, Liverpool and Sunderland in the next six weeks.

West Ham's next five look more difficult on paper, as they travel to top-four hopefuls Liverpool and Aston Villa, as well as Fulham, before hosting title-chasing Manchester City and rock-bottom Wolves.

Meanwhile, 17th-placed Nottingham Forest face Spurs, Brighton and Man City on the road, and host Fulham and Villa at the City Ground.

Is Robbie Keane the Right Next Manager for Tottenham?

GIVEMESPORT asked ChatGPT if it thought Keane was the right choice to be Tottenham's next permanent manager when Tudor leaves, and this is what it said:

Ex-Premier League referee Keith Hackett has demanded answers from PGMOL following 'frankly unacceptable' scenes during Sunday afternoon's north London derby between Tottenham and Arsenal.

Tottenham welcomed their fierce rivals to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium looking to mark Igor Tudor's first match as interim manager with a victory.

It wasn't to be for the Lilywhites as they fell to a heavy defeat. Things looked bleak for Tudor's side when they fell behind in the 32nd minute courtesy of Eberechi Eze's goal. Tottenham bounced back quickly, restoring parity minutes later thanks to Randal Kolo Muani.

Arsenal dominated proceedings after the break, though, and eventually ran out 4-1 victors thanks to goals from Eze and Viktor Gyokeres, who was brilliant throughout.

Keith Hackett Slams Technology Errors During North London Derby

The game was twice held up due to communication problems between the match officials. It was delayed for over five minutes in the first half because of an issue with the battery pack worn by assistant referee Blake Antrobus. The start of the second half was also delayed for several minutes so the issue could be fixed.

Ex-Premier League referee Keith Hackett has now slammed PGMOL for the 'unacceptable' issues. Hackett, formerly head of PGMOL, told Tottenham News: “It is frankly unacceptable that the communication kit failed and held up the game.

“When the kit is used after a game, it has to be cleaned, dried and stored. Before the next game, the system should have new batteries installed.

“One hour and 15 minutes before kick off, the officials go onto the pitch wearing their communication kits, and a check with all four officials and Stockley Park is carried out.

“The system should be fail-proof, and PGMOL should give adequate reasons for this system failing. Frankly, it is a disgrace that we have another failure this season.

“I introduced the communication kits to the game. Maintenance after each game and a check on battery life, and that the system is 100 per cent, is carried out before every game kicks off."

Hackett has demanded that PGMOL make it public as to why the system has started failing.

He added: “The PGMOL need to be transparent and tell us why a long-standing system is suddenly failing. It is ridiculous that this has happened twice in the game.“

Arteta Speaks Out on Communication Issues

Mikel Arteta was asked about the communications errors after the match, which Gary Neville called on commentary 'an absolute shambles.'

"Yeah, I mean, every time we are out of the dressing room, we get huge fines," Arteta said, per the BBC.

"So, I said to them who's going to get this fine because that's six, seven, eight, nine minutes. So, someone is going to get a big fine, and I'm sure that everyone is going to look at Sky, probably to the Premier League, the Premier League to Sky. So, yeah, we've got one in the bag now."

The big games keep coming for Arsenal as they face Chelsea in their next match. The game will take place at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday March 1. Spurs face Fulham on the same day.

Things could not have gone much worse for Igor Tudor in his first game as interim Tottenham Hotspur head coach and his comments after the defeat to Arsenal have gone viral.

Up against Spurs' fierce north London rivals, it was probably the most difficult game he could have encountered in his opening match, given the perilous situation Spurs find themselves in and Arsenal's position at the top of the Premier League table.

And after a solid enough opening 45 minutes, in which Arsenal had all the possession but went into the break at 1-1 after Randal Kolo Muani found the back of the net with Tottenham's only touch in the visitors' box to cancel out Eberechi Eze's opener, everything went pear-shaped in the second period.

Different Tottenham Manager, Same Problems

Viktor Gyokeres scored twice, with Eze netting another to round off a 4-1 win - the exact same scoreline the Gunners won by in the reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium in November.

It was a case of new manager but same old problems for the Spurs supporters, who are staring down the barrel of the real possibility of the unthinkable relegation to the Championship.

The mood inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium prior to kick-off was electric, with the fans getting behind the new coach and the team for a new start. By the final whistle, there were less than 25% of the home supporters left inside the ground following a bruising defeat.

The Tottenham job is often seen as a bit of a poisoned chalice for coaches and just one week into the role, it looks like it has already taken its toll on Tudor.

His interview after the match has gone viral, with the Croatian questioning all of the players at the club and admitting that Spurs need to alter their bad habits.

Tottenham Players Have To Face The Music Under Igor Tudor

Speaking in his press conference, he said: "The goal of this club? Where is the goal of this club? Where is the goal of this team? Where is the goal of this coach and these players and all the staff?

"To become serious, not just the group of 20 players and the medicine is you look in the mirror, each of us look in the mirror and you really try to change the habits."

​​​​​​​

Defeat to their north London rivals was Spurs' eighth at home this season - only bottom club Wolves have lost more at their home ground than Spurs. It leaves the Lilywhites 16th in the Premier League table and only four points off the bottom three.

If Tudor was not aware of the scale of the job on his hands before he arrived, he certainly will be now.

Tottenham's next five fixtures