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Tottenham Hotspur’s injury problems have played a major role in their difficult campaign, but Cristian Romero is now stepping up his recovery work as Spurs continue their battle to avoid relegation.

Tottenham Hotspur have certainly had their fair share of injuries this campaign, with the list of absentees reaching double figures at different stages of the season.

In fact, Spurs Web recently reported that Tottenham are the unluckiest side in the Premier League, largely because of the number of days their players have spent sidelined through injury.

Tottenham’s injury woes worsened further in recent weeks as the club lost captain Cristian Romero, Dutchman Xavi Simons, right winger Mohammed Kudus and centre-forward Dominic Solanke. With relegation still a very real possibility, those injuries have come as huge blows for Spurs.

Cristian Romero steps up Tottenham injury recovery

According to Diario Cronica, Romero has now stepped up his rehabilitation work in London following the knee injury he suffered last month against Sunderland.

It is explained that the defender had initially planned to travel back to Argentina to continue his rehabilitation at the national team’s training centre in Ezeiza.

However, the Romero instead decided to remain in London close to Tottenham as the club continue their fight against relegation.

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That decision has reportedly seen Argentina’s medical staff adapt by sending kinesiologist Luis Garcia to England to help oversee the recovery process directly.

With the defender continuing his rehabilitation, the report claims there have already been positive physical developments, with Romero now out of braces and progressing into more active rehabilitation exercises.

Spurs and Argentina monitoring Cristian Romero recovery closely

Spurs Web reported at the time that Romero was expected to miss the rest of the season, although fresh reports now claim that the Argentine is pushing to return before the campaign comes to an end.

However, while that remains the player’s desire, it is further explained that his recovery is currently being managed with two separate objectives in mind.

Tottenham want Romero back as quickly as possible for the relegation battle, while Argentina are also carefully monitoring the centre-back ahead of the World Cup.

Diario Cronica adds that the friendlies against Honduras and Iceland are viewed as potentially crucial for Romero’s preparation before Argentina begin their World Cup campaign against Algeria on 16 June.

It remains to be seen if Romero will make a comeback just in time for one of Spurs’ two final games of the Premier League season, or if he has played his last game for Tottenham.

Daniel Levy has overseen countless managerial changes during his time at Tottenham Hotspur, but fresh details have now emerged regarding one appointment that never materialised because of concerns over the manager’s nationality.

In the last decade, Tottenham Hotspur have seen a host of different managers come through the door as the club chased success on the pitch.

During Daniel Levy’s time as chairman, a staggering 15 managers were sacked as Spurs struggled to establish sustained success.

This season alone, Tottenham have already had three managers, with Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor both spending time in the dugout before Roberto De Zerbi’s appointment.

Daniel Levy blocked Morten Olsen from joining Tottenham

The current situation at Tottenham is not too different from what it was back in 2004. Back then, Spurs found themselves near the bottom of the table following a poor start to the season under Glenn Hoddle.

David Pleat then took charge and brought some stability to the club, helping Tottenham secure a respectable 14th-place finish.

However, following that disappointing campaign, Spurs began searching for a new manager and one of the candidates under consideration was Morten Olsen, who was highly regarded in European football at the time after guiding Denmark to the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004.

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Frank Arnesen, Tottenham’s sporting director, was particularly keen on appointing him, and he has now explained in his book Total Football that Daniel Levy opposed the idea because he did not want to appoint a coach from Denmark or the Netherlands.

Speaking about the situation, Arnesen explained that Levy feared extra pressure would come his way if results did not improve quickly because of his links to those countries.

He said, “Tottenham needed a new head coach the summer I joined the club. I wanted Morten Olsen, but I was not allowed to take a coach from Denmark or the Netherlands.

“It was a requirement. If things didn’t go well in the first three or four months, I would come under extra pressure because I had chosen a coach from a country I was attached to, Daniel Levy thought. There was no reason to take any risks.”

Ironically, that particular logic would have prevented Johan Lange from hiring fellow Dane, Thomas Frank last summer.

Former Spurs target Morten Olsen reveals his stance

Morten Olsen has also reflected on Tottenham’s interest and revealed that Spurs had attempted to bring him to the club earlier in his career while he was still a player.

Speaking about that interest, Olsen explained that he instead chose to join Cologne. He said, “They wanted to take me at some point while I was still playing. I ended up going to Cologne instead.”

The former Denmark boss also insisted that even if Tottenham had made a serious approach during his managerial career, he would likely have rejected it because he was fully committed to his role with the national side at the time.

Explaining his stance, Olsen added: “The job is now such that you get noticed if your team does well, if your performance is good.

“So of course it is nice to hear when others show interest. But I would not have accepted the offer if the offer had come. The offer would have came in the middle of a contract. And I did not want to leave in the middle of a contract period.”

Even when coming back from a year out injured, James Maddison showed he has what Tottenham are missing in absolute spades.

Avoiding relegation must be Tottenham’s only concern and number one priority.

While their 1-1 draw with Leeds United puts them a point further in the zero-sum game that is Spurs’ quest for Premier League survival, at this stage of the season, the result of every fixture could put the relegation battle on its head and spell disaster for the club.

Spurs will therefore need all the help they can possibly get, and despite the subpar result at home, they received a massive boost in the form of the return of James Maddison from his ACL injury.

Even though Maddison’s short cameo was not able to alter the result, the midfielder’s immediate impact on the pitch was clear as daylight and completely changed the tactical makeup of the game’s closing stages. Here’s how.

How Tottenham approached the game against Leeds

To better understand how Maddison impacted play when he finally made his long-awaited appearance, we should probably understand what the rhythm of play was before he was substituted on.

In terms of their out-of-possession approach, Spurs approached the game against Leeds with a very similar hybrid pressing system they used in their game against Aston Villa, which means that De Zerbi is sticking to his word when he said he doesn’t want to introduce too much new instruction for the players between games.

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On the other side, Leeds used a typical man-to-man press. The match quickly settled into Spurs establishing early settled possession against Leeds, but due to the 1v1 duels all over the pitch and lack of quality to get out of pressure and beat their man, Tottenham struggled to progress the ball in dangerous ways.

But while De Zerbi’s pressing game paid dividends in their game against Villa, Leeds quickly abandoned their buildup phase and were content to simply punch the ball up the field to force Spurs into further 1v1 duels when competing for second balls.

So, even with a lion’s share of the possession in the early stages of the match, Spurs regardless had to rely on dead-ball situations to create their chances, which is in the end how they managed to score their only goal.

After Spurs opened the scoring, the game naturally opened up somewhat, and the somewhat chaotic nature of play that followed suited Spurs and allowed them to create more chances.

On a different day, Spurs manage to put away one of the openings they created, but alas, Mathys Tel’s penalty shout in the 70th minute again completely changed the tactical makeup of the game.

Until that moment, actually, Spurs’ in possession approach and more patient buildup allowed to put in a very solid defensive performance, limiting Leeds’ chances to a bare minimum, even the penalty conceded by Spurs resulted from a completely needless mistake by Tel, who was competing for the ball on the edge of the penalty box.

But unfortunately, a football match is never really just tactics, and after conceding Spurs again fell back into a pattern they’ve been guilty of all year, that is, of not being able to respond to setbacks with a cool head.

For the ten minutes of play that followed the Calvert-Lewin penalty, Spurs lost all control over the match, which turned, as De Zerbi called it, “frenetic”.

The truth is, that Spurs’ lack of technical ability, their squad not being used to the heightened emotions and anxieties of a real relegation scrap but also their desire to win and make something happen, means that in moments when they should look to slow the game down and exert control over the ball, the players instead make hectic decisions leading to cheap losses of possession, fruitless attacks and the ball coming back at them even quicker.

It was only when James Maddison finally made his appearance in the 85th minute that we finally saw the balance of play shift towards Spurs again.

James Maddison and the difference he makes

We finally get to James Maddison’s and his 25-minute cameo, which showed how desperately Tottenham missed both his technical ability and personality.

Even when not fully fit or sharp from not having played a competitive game in more than a year and a half, Maddison was able to take charge of the game for Spurs and slow down the proceedings to his pace.

A lot of that has to do with his personality and his desire to dictate the tempo of the game. So far this season, when faced with adversarial situations Spurs have had no one to rely on to give structure to their possession and create a gamestate which would actually suit Spurs again.

Maddison needed a few minutes to get his first touch in the game, which came in the 89th minute, but what he did after revealed his intentions

After winning back possession in a 50-50 against a Leeds player, Maddison plays a short pass to Spence. Maddison then gets the ball back and decides to play a simple one-two pass with Lucas Bergvall. He looks up to see if there is a crossing option on, but seeing none and not wanting to risk losing possession…

…he just decides to run back infield. For the entire duration of the season, Tottenham Hotspur had no player available who had the confidence and assertiveness to slow down their attacks.

And his decision immediately pays off, because after Leeds players packed the left side of the pitch to make life difficult for buildup on that side, space freed up on the right side, and Pedro Porro was able to find RKM on the edge of the box with a straight pass, which then allowed the winger to drive into the box and win a corner.

All of Maddison’s following impact on the game was focused on creating an opening for Spurs but not at the cost of losing possession.

He demanded the ball at every opportunity he had…

…and showed that bit of technical flair which Spurs were missing since Xavi Simons’ injury.

Maddison’s desire to control Spurs’ posession shows even more clearly on the heatmap of his touches. Maddison was happy to drift all over the pitch in search of space or to relieve pressure.

Could Maddison still be Spurs’ saviour?

Maddison did nearly receive the hero’s return when he probably should have won a penalty for Tottenham in the 113th minute.

While Spurs still continue to receive the short end of the stick with the refereeing decisions, as VAR refused to look at the incident for more than 20 seconds, it’s easy to understate the impact that James Maddison had on the game against Leeds.

If Tottenham can count on his services in their upcoming fixtures, he could be the one player to guarantee Spurs’ survival in the Premier League.

The upcoming game against Chelsea is likely to be more transitional, and there could be fewer consequences for Spurs in not playing a technical player like Maddison. However, against Everton, Spurs will likely have to show some creativity and control again to break down an organised side, so James Maddison could still be the hero they need.

Radu Dragusin has barely featured under Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham so far, and that has already raised doubts about his future at the club as he may not suit the manager’s style of play.

Roberto De Zerbi has made a strong start since taking over at Tottenham Hotspur during the international break, and the team have already shown clear signs of improvement under him. The Italian coach has picked up seven points from his first four Premier League games, including wins over Aston Villa and Wolves in his last two matches.

Before his arrival, Spurs had only taken five points from 13 league games under Igor Tudor and Thomas Frank combined, a run that left them in the relegation zone.

Since coming in, De Zerbi has also helped improve a few players, with Joao Palhinha and Conor Gallagher both impressing in the win over Villa, where Gallagher also scored.

Even so, not every player looks part of his long-term plans, and some are already facing questions about their future.

Radu Dragusin struggling for opportunities at Tottenham under Roberto De Zerbi

Radu Dragusin has found it hard to get regular game time at Tottenham under De Zerbi. He has played just eight minutes in the Premier League since the new manager arrived, which shows he is not currently a main part of the team.

He did come on late in the win over Wolves, but since then he has not been trusted to start games. Because of this, there are now questions about how well he suits De Zerbi’s style of play, especially with defenders who are expected to be calm on the ball.

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Dragusin joined Spurs from Genoa for £25m in January 2024 under Ange Postecoglou to help strengthen the defence. But since the change of manager, his progress has slowed and he has struggled to build a regular place in the team.

Some fans have even been very critical, with a few calling him Postecoglou’s worst signing and saying he should not be in the team again, showing how divided opinions are about his performances.

His stats also show some of the problems in his performances…

Radu Dragusin Stats (Premier League 2025/26)

These numbers also show that his overall performance has dropped a bit, especially when it comes to passing. He is not as sharp on the ball as before, which is important in De Zerbi’s system. He has also made a few mistakes that have led to chances and goals for opponents. Even though the numbers are not too high, these errors are still a concern and affect how much he is trusted in big games.

Because of all this, his future wiyh the Lilywhites is not clear right now. With only five league starts this season, it is becoming harder for him to break into the team, and he may struggle to become a regular starter unless things improve quickly. And That uncertainty is not limited to Dragusin, as Yves Bissouma is also facing a similar situation at the club.

Yves Bissouma also facing an uncertain future at Tottenham

Yves Bissouma is another player whose future at Spurs is now uncertain, despite joining from Brighton for £25m in 2022. His contract runs out at the end of June, although the Lilywhites do have an option to extend it by a year. And that option could be used mainly to protect his value rather than keep him long term, so the club can still sell him in the summer instead of losing him for free.

In recent games under De Zerbi, Bissouma has not made a strong impact. Against Brighton and Wolves, he was taken off around the hour mark after quiet performances, which adds to doubts about his role in the team.

Yves Bissouma Stats (Premier League 2025/26)

The midfielder has only started seven Premier League matches this season, which shows he is no longer central to the team. Even though his passing accuracy remains high, his influence in games has dropped, with no key passes, shots, or interceptions recorded in the recent stats shown.

Because of this, Tottenham may now look to move him on in the summer and bring in a midfielder who better fits De Zerbi’s system and style of play.

Tottenham’s summer transfer window is already shaping up to be one of the most consequential in a generation, and we have now identified the one decision above all others that will define whether Roberto De Zerbi’s rebuild has any real chance: keeping Micky van de Ven.

Contract talks are on pause. Liverpool are circling. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United have all been mentioned in the same breath as our most valuable player. And with Cristian Romero almost certainly heading for the exit, the prospect of losing our entire first-choice centre-back partnership in a single window is not just alarming; it is the kind of thing that can set a club back half a decade.

We understand survival comes first. Three games remain, and nothing else matters until we are mathematically safe. But the board needs to have a plan ready for the morning after. Because if we stay up and immediately lose Van de Ven, we have answered one existential question only to create another.

Here are five reasons why tying him down has to be the number one priority this summer.

There is an argument to be made that we should cash in on a player whose head might have been turned, bank the £80m to £100m, and rebuild around younger options. We understand that argument. We just don’t agree with it.

When Liverpool, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona are all monitoring the same defender, you are not looking at a player you can easily replace. Real Madrid have been tracking Van de Ven this season, and Liverpool see him as a Van Dijk successor. That level of sustained, cross-continental attention tells you something. Elite clubs do not queue up for decent centre-backs; they queue up for special ones.

Van de Ven’s pace, his reading of the game, his ability to cover enormous amounts of ground and still arrive composed enough to play out under pressure: these are attributes that take years to develop and cannot be bought off the shelf. If we sell him and spend the fee on a replacement, we are not buying a player of equivalent quality. We are buying a project, and we’ve had enough of those.

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Nobody is pretending Cristian Romero‘s situation is fixable. Fabrizio Romano said publicly that both the player’s camp and Tottenham expect a summer exit, with Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona all registering serious interest. The knee injury he suffered in April has ruled him out for the rest of the campaign and reportedly cast doubt over his World Cup place, which only accelerates everything. Romero is, in all likelihood, gone.

That being the case, Van de Ven does not just become our best defender next season; he becomes our anchor. The one player the entire back four organises around. Lose him too, and we go into De Zerbi‘s first full season with Luka Vuskovic and Kevin Danso as our first-choice pairing.

Vuskovic is genuinely exciting: 19 years old, six goals in 27 Bundesliga appearances for Hamburg, the kind of talent that has Lothar Matthaus reaching for superlatives. But exciting is different from ready. Danso has been a reliable backup, no more. Building a title-challenging or even top-six defence around that axis, from day one under a new manager still imposing his system, is not a plan. It is a gamble with the entire rebuild.

A few weeks ago, the story from most credible sources was fairly bleak: Van de Ven’s head had been turned, the contract offer had been rebuffed, and a summer exit felt inevitable. Then Roberto De Zerbi walked through the door.

Ben Jacobs reported last week that Van de Ven is now “extremely open” to signing a new deal, specifically because of the manager’s arrival. The Dutchman is said to be enjoying his football again under De Zerbi, and his performances in the past few weeks have reflected that: Romero’s injury thrust more responsibility onto him, and he has responded. Back-to-back away wins at Wolves and Aston Villa did not happen despite Van de Ven; they happened partly because of him.

A player who was mentally halfway out the door and is now reconsidering because he believes in the manager: that is not nothing. In fact, in the world of football transfers, where decisions are made on money and ambition, that kind of connection between player and manager is genuinely rare.

Break it up now, before it has had a single pre-season together, and we are not just losing a centre-back. We are dismantling the foundation De Zerbi is trying to build before the cement has dried.

Spurs are currently valuing Van de Ven at between £60m and £100m, depending on which source you read and whether relegation is avoided. Let’s say we sell for £80m. Great. Now we need a centre-back. A good one. One who can step into De Zerbi’s system, handle the pace of the Premier League and be ready from August.

Who are we buying? Any defender of Van de Ven’s quality in today’s market costs at least that, probably more. And they would be arriving cold: no knowledge of our teammates, no pre-existing relationship with the manager, no familiarity with what De Zerbi asks of his backline in terms of press traps, high lines and covering wide spaces. Van de Ven already knows all of that. He’s lived it. A new signing needs a season just to get there.

The sell-to-reinvest logic works when you are buying upward. It does not work when you are essentially buying sideways, at the same price, with none of the accumulated familiarity. Keep him, get the new deal signed, and put the summer budget into the areas where we genuinely need reinforcement.

Of all the reasons to keep him, this one should be the easiest for the board to grasp. Van de Ven is 25. His contract runs until 2029. He is not a player entering the last year of his deal with Tottenham in a weak negotiating position; he is a player in the middle of his prime, under contract, valued at a premium and now, crucially, reportedly open to extending that contract further.

Selling a player at 25 who wants to stay, under a manager who wants to work with him, because rival clubs have made enquiries: that is exactly the sort of reactive, short-term decision-making that has held this club back for years. We sold players when we should have built around them. We cashed in when we should have backed the project. We cannot keep making the same mistake and expect a different result.

If De Zerbi is serious about building something at Spurs, he needs Van de Ven at the centre of it. And if the board is serious about backing De Zerbi, the first thing they should do this summer is sit down with Van de Ven’s representatives and not get up until there is an agreement.

Can Spurs finally back their own project when it matters?

The condition, of course, is survival. Everything above depends on Tottenham staying in the Premier League over these final three games. If we go down, the conversation changes entirely and Van de Ven will almost certainly follow Romero out the door. We accept that.

But if we stay up: the window is there. Ben Jacobs’ information is clear. The manager has rebuilt the player’s belief. The player is open. The contract leverage exists. All of this lines up in a way it rarely does in modern football, and the board’s job now is not to get clever about it, not to play hardball over wages, not to test his resolve by seeing what offers come in. Their job is to close it, quickly, before the summer window creates noise that complicates everything.

We’ve spoken before about Tottenham’s habit of letting the right moments slip through their fingers. This is another one of those moments. The question is whether anyone in that boardroom has learned from the ones that came before.

Tottenham have stumbled through ten months of misery at home but found something unexpected on the road, and Chelsea away might be the place where that discovery becomes salvation.

The home record is embarrassing. Since New Year’s Day, Spurs have not won a single Premier League match at home in 2026. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium turned into a monument to dropped points, blown leads, and growing dread.

Monday night against Leeds finished 1-1 after Mathys Tel scored early in the second half only to give away a penalty that Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted, keeping the relegation fight precarious. But it also revealed the pattern: Tottenham at home are brittle, nervous, unable to close.

Tottenham thrives when the pressure comes from outside

Away from N17, it’s different. The narrative shifts. Roberto De Zerbi‘s only victories have come away at Wolves and Villa, and they were not flukes or smash-and-grabs. Spurs have been winning the ball back in the final third more than any other side under the Italian. The high press works better when the crowd is against you, when there is no expectation to control, when you can play on the break and trust your aggression.

This is the tactical reality that makes Tuesday’s trip to Stamford Bridge less terrifying than it should be. Chelsea are collapsing. They have lost six consecutive league matches before finally drawing 1-1 at Liverpool, the kind of run not seen at the club since 1993. Interim manager Callum McFarlane looks lost. They sit ninth, far from European contention, defensive errors everywhere.

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Now look at the maths. Tottenham sit 17th on 38 points. West Ham are 18th on 36 points with an 11-goal worse goal difference. West Ham’s remaining games are Newcastle away and Leeds at home. If they beat Newcastle, a draw at Chelsea keeps us level on points going into the final day and our superior goal difference becomes a cushion.

If West Ham lose to Newcastle, a draw at Chelsea could end this with a game to spare. And if we actually win at Stamford Bridge? The Opta supercomputer has us at 19.3 per cent relegation probability; West Ham are over 80 per cent. One win flips everything.

Why Tottenham’s away form is not a fluke

The high press under De Zerbi is not theatre. Spurs average 5.3 ball wins in the final third per game under the Italian, the best single-manager record in the division this season. That aggression has teeth.

At Molineux and Villa Park, Tottenham suffocated opponents in their own half and punished mistakes. The xG against has dropped from 1.52 per match before De Zerbi arrived to just 0.79 under him, nearly 50 per cent down.

The problem at home is psychological. Spurs have failed to win each of their last five league games when taking the lead. That is not tactics; that is fear. The crowd expects the collapse. The players sense it. The whole stadium braces for the sucker punch, and it arrives like clockwork.

Away, those expectations vanish. The pressure comes from the opposition’s crowd, not ours. There is no demand to dominate possession or control territory. You can press, win the ball, and break.

Conor Gallagher has been partnered with Rodrigo Bentancur in midfield for Spurs’ three games since the opening defeat to Brighton, with Joao Palhinha joining them at Villa. That midfield three is workmanlike, not pretty, but it wins duels and recovers the ball. It is designed for hostile territory.

Chelsea at Stamford Bridge is exactly the kind of match where this system thrives. They are wounded, leaking goals, playing with no confidence. Their form over the last five matches shows one win, three goals scored, eight conceded. They cannot defend set pieces. The individual errors keep coming, game after game.

The mathematical pressure is on West Ham, not Spurs

If Spurs beat Leeds on Monday and open up a four-point gap, West Ham will need two slip-ups from us in the final two games. But even after drawing with Leeds, the fixtures tell the story. West Ham face title-chasing Arsenal this weekend, Newcastle away, then Leeds on the final day. We get Chelsea in freefall, then Everton at home.

West Ham’s schedule is rated as the second-hardest run-in in the league by Opta. The bookies have West Ham at 1/4 to be relegated; Spurs are 3/1. The pressure is not on us to go to Stamford Bridge and win. The pressure is on them to take points off Newcastle and somehow match our results while carrying an 11-goal worse goal difference.

A draw at Chelsea does not feel like a surrender. It feels like control. If West Ham beat Newcastle, we stay level on points with better goal difference and one home game left. If West Ham lose, we go three points clear with a game in hand. The permutations all favour the team that does not panic.

De Zerbi has given Tottenham an identity when it matters most

There is a version of this season where Tottenham limp to Chelsea away terrified, chasing a result they do not believe in, and get battered. That version ended when De Zerbi walked through the door. Two wins from the first four games under the Italian have flipped the relegation probabilities and given the squad something it has not had all season: belief.

Gallagher told TNT Sports after the Villa win: “Every player in the squad has taken to him, everyone trusts him, he makes you feel good, confident, he’s bringing the best out of players and it’s only the start”. That trust is the foundation.

De Zerbi arrived promising pragmatism but delivered more than that. He gave Tottenham an identity built for survival, high-pressing chaos that works best when the opponent expects to control the game.

Chelsea will expect to beat us. Their home crowd will demand it. But expectation and reality have diverged at Stamford Bridge this season. They have lost four consecutive home league matches, a run not seen at the club since 1978. They are fragile. They make mistakes. They cannot hold leads or defend transitions.

That is the kind of opponent this De Zerbi side was built to exploit.

A point at Chelsea is worth three anywhere else for Tottenham

The final day against Everton at home carries its own pressure. We will need the crowd behind us, not waiting for the collapse. But if we take a point from Stamford Bridge, that home game becomes manageable. Everton are mid-table and safe. There will be no intensity from them. The crowd will know what is required.

The Chelsea match is the hinge. Opta projects 40 points as enough to secure survival, and we are on 38 with three games left. One point from Chelsea and we are staring at 39 points with Everton at home to come. West Ham would need to win both of their final games and hope we collapse.

This is not about heroics or statement victories. It is about cold mathematics and tactical reality. Our home form is broken, but our away form under De Zerbi is a weapon. Chelsea are there for the taking. A draw keeps us in control. A win could end this fight with a week to spare.

We have spent ten months fearing the worst. Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge is the moment we start believing the maths and trusting what De Zerbi has built. Away from home, in a hostile stadium, against a team in freefall, Spurs have shown they can handle the pressure. One point might be all we need.

Daniel Levy has shed light on his conversation with Prince William about Tottenham Hotspur’s relegation battle.

With just two points separating Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United heading into the final two games of the season, the race for survival is still very much alive.

Roberto De Zerbi is remaining positive about Spurs’ survival chances, calling on his players not to forget that their position is much better than it was a couple of weeks ago.

The club’s former chairman has been in the news for the past few days, with Levy remaining optimistic that the Lilywhites can avoid relegation.

Daniel Levy reveals Prince William is hoping Tottenham stay in the Premier League

The former Spurs supremo attended an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, where he was made a CBE by Prince William for his services to charity and the community in Tottenham.

Levy shared what the Prince of Wales, who is a big Aston Villa man, had said about Spurs’ battle for survival.

The 64-year-old said (via The Express): “I thanked him (Prince William) for allowing us [Tottenham] to beat Aston Villa when we played them a few weeks ago. He wished us luck for the rest of the season, very much hoping that Tottenham survive in the Premier League.”

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Mayor Sadiq Khan says Londoners should want Spurs’ relegation

While the Prince of Wales seemingly wants Tottenham to stay up, the same cannot be said about the Mayor of London.

Earlier this week, Sadiq Khan explained that taxpayers of London could miss £2.5m a year if West Ham get relegated.

Khan explained that this is down to the fact that the London Stadium was given the Hammers rent-free for a century.

Tottenham Hotspur have two games left to save their Premier League status, but for three players in particular, Chelsea away and Everton at home could be the last matches they ever play in a Spurs shirt; and we have now identified what is at stake for each of them.

The 1-1 draw with Leeds United bought some breathing room, but not much. Spurs are still in the thick of a relegation battle that nobody at this club wants to think about, and with just Chelsea away and Everton at home left to play, the margin for error is gone. Every player on the pitch has a reason to give everything they have left.

For most of the squad, that’s straightforward enough. Points, survival, the league table. But for Richarlison, João Palhinha, and Rodrigo Bentancur, these final two games carry an extra weight that has nothing to do with the table.

Their futures at Tottenham are genuinely uncertain, and what they do in the next 180 minutes will shape what happens next.

According to TransferMarkt and the option-to-buy Spurs have in Palhinha’s loan, the trio are worth around £65m in total heading into the summer.

Richarlison rumoured to have an exit agreement with Tottenham, but he can still finish on his own terms

This one is not easy to write, and anyone who watched Richarlison against Leeds knows why. He was physical, combative, constantly pressing, constantly making life miserable for the centre-backs.

That is the Richarlison Spurs thought they were getting when they paid £50m for him in 2022. On nights like Monday, you see exactly why the fee felt justifiable.

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Of course, the reality of his time at Tottenham has been more complicated than one good performance. Injuries have derailed him repeatedly, and De Zerbi has made clear he wants a different profile up front going forward.

Reports from ESPN Brazil have also confirmed that a verbal agreement is already in place for Richarlison to leave at the end of this season for around £21.8m. Flamengo remain interested. Turkey has emerged as the likelier destination. Everton, the club where he became a cult figure, continue to monitor the situation.

What makes this harder is that Richarlison has been Tottenham’s top scorer across all competitions this season; ten goals in what has been a genuinely desperate campaign. He kept showing up even when the club was falling apart around him, even when he was in and out of the team, even when it was clear to everyone that his time here was running out.

These two games are his farewell tour. If he gives everything at Stamford Bridge and at Goodison Road, which his recent performances suggest he will, then Spurs fans can send him off with the gratitude he has earned. He deserves that much from this club.

Joao Palhinha needs to convince himself as much as anyone else

Of the three players here, João Palhinha‘s situation is the most complex, but it is also the one with the clearest path to a good outcome for Spurs.

Tottenham hold an option to sign Palhinha permanently from Bayern Munich for £22m at the end of his loan spell. Roberto De Zerbi has said publicly that he wants him to stay.

Since De Zerbi arrived, Palhinha has looked like a completely different player: authoritative, dominant in defensive midfield, the kind of presence this squad has been crying out for. His partnership with Rodrigo Bentancur against Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers offered something we have not seen consistently from this midfield in years.

It is not as simple as just activating the option, though. Palhinha settled in Munich. He liked his life in Germany. Personal reasons could genuinely influence his decision here, and Bayern still hold him under contract through 2028. The reports suggesting a return to Germany has not been fully ruled out are not just noise.

What De Zerbi needs from Palhinha in these final two games is not just solidity. He needs a statement performance: the kind that makes it impossible for Palhinha to imagine himself anywhere else.

A commanding display at Stamford Bridge, where Spurs will need every ounce of defensive structure they can find, could be the moment that tips the decision his way. The club wants him. De Zerbi wants him. The ball is in Palhinha’s court.

Rodrigo Bentancur’s quiet excellence means Spurs cannot afford to lose him

Of the three stories here, Rodrigo Bentancur‘s is the quietest, and that is precisely what makes it the most significant. Bentancur signed a contract extension back in October, which offered some reassurance. But several senior Spurs players have relegation clauses in their deals, and Bentancur is understood to be among them.

AC Milan, who have tracked him for over a year now, are ready to move if Tottenham go down. Former Spurs director Fabio Paratici, who knows Bentancur from their time together at Juventus, is involved with the Milan project. That is not a connection to dismiss lightly.

What makes this situation so frustrating is that Bentancur has been one of the most consistent performers at this club since De Zerbi arrived. The disciplined positioning, the reading of the game, the way he gives structure to everyone around him without ever demanding the spotlight: that is exactly what this system needs. When Bentancur is at his best, Spurs look like a functioning midfield. When he is absent, the gaps are obvious.

He extended his previous deal because he believed in the direction this club was heading under Thomas Frank. That commitment, at a time when Spurs were in genuine difficulty, was not nothing. The question now is whether De Zerbi makes it unmistakably clear, in public and in private, that Bentancur is central to what he is building here. Two games to show it on both sides.

Can Spurs make the right decisions after the final whistle?

Three different situations, three different possible outcomes. Richarlison almost certainly leaving, Palhinha at a crossroads that a performance or two could settle, Bentancur somewhere in between; valued, wanted, but with real alternatives and real uncertainty clouding things.

It remains to be seen how the club handles all three cases in the summer. Spurs have a habit of letting these decisions drift, of not communicating clearly enough, of allowing good players to leave for nothing or near-nothing when a bit of decisive action might have changed the picture. We have seen that pattern too many times to ignore it going into another transfer window.

What we do know is that these next two games will define more than just league status. They will shape futures. And in football, how a player performs when everything is on the line tells you more about who they are than anything that came before.

Roberto De Zerbi still has plenty to do in the final stretch of the season even as Opta’s supercomputer continues to back West Ham United for relegation following Tottenham Hotspur’s draw with Leeds United.

The Premier League relegation battle took another turn on Monday as Tottenham Hotspur were held by Leeds United. While it was a frustrating result for the Lilywhites, they still remain two points above West Ham United in 18th place with a much better goal difference that could become very important by the end of the season.

The game also showed why Tottenham are still far from safe. Mathys Tel gave Spurs the lead early in the second half and looked set to be the match winner, but the mood quickly changed when his overhead clearance led to a penalty for Leeds. Tottenham then came under pressure late in the game and needed a big save from Antonin Kinsky in stoppage time to avoid a damaging defeat.

Tottenham’s fight to stay up goes beyond tactics

That nervous ending against Leeds showed the bigger problem Roberto De Zerbi has been trying to fix since arriving at Tottenham in late March. He walked into a squad low on confidence and struggling badly for results, so improving the mentality of the players quickly became just as important as improving the football on the pitch.

Because of that, De Zerbi has spent a lot of time trying to bring belief and energy back into the squad during the relegation battle. After the Leeds draw, he admitted that survival is not only about tactics or quality, but also about staying calm and handling pressure in difficult moments. That has been one of Tottenham’s biggest problems throughout the season.

There have still been some positive signs in recent weeks, with players like Joao Palhinha, Conor Gallagher and Antonin Kinsky stepping up at important moments as Spurs have shown more fight and determination. However, the Leeds game also showed why De Zerbi knows the job is far from finished. Tottenham are still making costly mistakes in key moments and continue to struggle for consistency, which is why the final two matches of the season will be so important.

Roberto De Zerbi and Spurs still have work to do

Even though the Lilywhites are currently outside the relegation zone, the pressure is still very high going into the final two matches of the season. Opta’s projections as of 11 May still strongly back West Ham to be relegated after another poor run of form.

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The opta’s supercomputer gives West Ham an 81.3 per cent chance of going down compared to Tottenham’s 18.70 per cent. That puts the Lilywhites in the better position for now, but the final fixtures will still be difficult. West Ham face Newcastle and Leeds in their last two matches, while Spurs travel to Stamford Bridge before hosting Everton on the final day.

With so little separating the teams near the bottom, De Zerbi knows Tottenham cannot relax yet. The numbers may favour Spurs, but there is still plenty of work to do before Premier League safety is secured.

What relegation could mean for West Ham and Tottenham

If West Ham are relegated, the impact would be serious both on and off the pitch. The club could lose around £60 million in revenue and also see fewer fans at the London Stadium in the Championship.

That kind of setback would also force big changes to the squad. Players like Jarrod Bowen could attract interest from other clubs, while Crysencio Summerville is also on Tottenham’s radar as they look at possible summer options.

If West Ham go down, they would not only be fighting to come back up but also trying to avoid the problems other clubs have faced after relegation. Teams like Luton Town and Leicester City have shown how difficult it can be to recover quickly once you drop out of the Premier League.

Because of that, the final matches of the season are very important for Tottenham. For De Zerbi, the focus now is on keeping his side calm and consistent under pressure and making sure they do not lose control in key moments.

De Zerbi’s men on the other hand, will need to stay disciplined and show more control in the final games because any mistake at this stage could quickly change their position in the table

It’s no secret that Tottenham’s history at Stamford Bridge is pitiful at best, but if Spurs are to retain their Premier League status, it’s looking increasingly likely that they will have to do the unlikely.

We have had some epic battles with Chelsea over the years, and it goes without saying that the opportunity to put another nail in our coffin would end a dismal season for Chelsea on a high.

They do have a cup final to contend with on Saturday and are currently without a permanent manager after sacking Liam Rosenior. If we ever had a chance to beat our old rivals, this is it.

Here are the five best performances at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League era to give us hope that we can get the much-needed win.

Tottenham’s first-ever Premier League visit to Stamford Bridge ended with a deserved point in an entertaining 1-1 draw.

Teddy Sheringham gave us the lead from the penalty spot midway through the first half after a dominant opening period from the visitors. Darren Anderton was particularly influential, repeatedly troubling the Chelsea defence with his direct running and creativity.

Chelsea improved significantly after the interval and eventually found an equalizer through Tony Cascarino in the 52nd minute. From that point on, Tottenham were forced onto the back foot and had to withstand sustained pressure to secure the draw.

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While it may not have been a famous victory, it was an early example of Tottenham showing resilience in one of the league’s toughest away fixtures.

The opening months of the 2008 season were among the most chaotic in recent Tottenham history.

Fresh from winning the Carling Cup earlier that year, optimism around the club was high. However, the prolonged transfer saga involving Dimitar Berbatov quickly overshadowed preparations, with Manchester United eventually signing the striker on deadline day.

Tottenham endured a disastrous start to the campaign, collecting just two points from their opening eight league matches, a run that ultimately led to Juande Ramos being replaced by Harry Redknapp. Surprisingly, one of those points came away at Chelsea.

The home side dominated much of the contest. Nicolas Anelka missed a glorious chance, Frank Lampard forced Heurelho Gomes into action, and Michael Essien rattled the crossbar before Juliano Belletti eventually gave Chelsea a deserved lead.

But just before half-time, Luka Modrić found space in midfield and slipped a perfectly weighted pass through to Darren Bent, who levelled the match against the run of play.

Chelsea laid siege to the Tottenham goal throughout the second half, but Spurs defended resolutely to claim their first league point of the season.

The “Battle of the Bridge” remains one of the most infamous matches in Premier League history.

Tottenham arrived at Stamford Bridge knowing only victory would keep their title hopes alive. What followed was a chaotic, emotionally charged encounter that ultimately handed Leicester City the Premier League crown.

We were outstanding in the first half. Harry Kane and Son Heung-min fired Mauricio Pochettino’s side into a deserved 2-0 lead, with Chelsea struggling to cope with Tottenham’s intensity and aggression.

Yet the game quickly descended into disorder. Tempers repeatedly flared, challenges flew in across the pitch, and the match became increasingly fractured by confrontations and stoppages.

Gary Cahill pulled one back early in the second half before Eden Hazard’s stunning late equalizer crushed Tottenham’s title ambitions. By full-time, Stamford Bridge had descended into complete chaos, with players and coaching staff from both sides involved in heated altercations.

Spurs finished the night with nine yellow cards – still a Premier League record for a single team in one match – but despite the heartbreak, the performance embodied the fighting spirit of Pochettino’s young side.

For years, Stamford Bridge had been Tottenham’s most unforgiving destination. Then, in April 2018, Mauricio Pochettino’s side finally ended the long wait for a league victory there.

Spurs arrived in excellent form, unbeaten in 13 matches and full of confidence despite Harry Kane only being fit enough for a place on the bench.

Chelsea took an early lead, but Christian Eriksen produced one of the great Stamford Bridge goals to level the scores before half-time, unleashing a stunning strike from distance into the top corner.

The second half belonged to Dele Alli. On his 100th Premier League appearance, Alli scored twice, first bringing down Eric Dier’s long pass with remarkable composure before finishing calmly, then capitalizing on a defensive mistake to seal a famous 3-1 victory.

It was a landmark result for Pochettino’s Spurs and another significant step towards securing Champions League football once again.

The last time Tottenham avoided defeat at Stamford Bridge came in one of the Premier League’s most heated modern touchline battles.

Antonio Conte and Thomas Tuchel dominated the headlines after an explosive post-match confrontation, but the game itself was equally dramatic.

Chelsea controlled large periods of the contest and deservedly took the lead through Kalidou Koulibaly. Tottenham struggled to establish themselves, while tensions between the two managers simmered throughout the afternoon.

Pierre-Emile Højbjerg’s equaliser sparked the first major clash between Conte and Tuchel on the touchline, with both benches becoming increasingly animated as the game wore on.

When Reece James restored Chelsea’s lead with just ten minutes remaining, it appeared Tottenham were heading for another familiar defeat in West London. Tuchel celebrated wildly in front of the home supporters, only for Harry Kane to rescue Tottenham deep into stoppage time with a dramatic header.

The full-time whistle brought further chaos as Conte and Tuchel confronted each other during an infamous handshake that resulted in both managers being sent off.

For Tottenham supporters, however, the most important takeaway was simple: We had finally shown the belief and resilience required to leave Stamford Bridge with something to show for their efforts.

Tottenham’s history at Stamford Bridge remains overwhelmingly difficult, but football has a habit of producing moments when least expected.

If we’re to keep survival in our own hands next Tuesday night, we will need to produce another performance worthy of being added to this list.