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There is zero question that Mohammed Kudus has been the best player on Tottenham Hotspur this season, and he has been sorely missed these past several months with a major hamstring injury he suffered in January. Kudus was already expected to miss a couple of months, but after the initial time line came and everyone thought he would be ready to star for new manager Roberto De Zerbi, it was announced that the Ghanian international had suffered a setback and would be out for the remainder of the 2025/26 Premier League season.

Tottenham have managed to get themselves within one point of safety in the Premier League even without Kudus, who was arguably the best dribbler in the entire Premier League and basically carrying the Spurs attack in the worst of the Thomas Frank "era".

Spurs supporters simply cannot wait for Kudus to come back next season at full strength, and they are beyond ready for his debut under Roberto De Zerbi. In fact, in response to a Spurs fan posting how excited he is to see Kudus play under De Zerbi, the man himself wrote on X "Watch ME" with an hour glass and a raised hands emoji.

Mohammed Kudus is a stellar player

Prior to his season ending injury, Mohammed Kudus was averaging 2.7 dribbles completed and 1.2 key passes per game with five assists. He was doing this as the star man of an attack that was basically dead in the water and not even trying to score goals under Thomas Frank.

Tottenham are much better under De Zerbi with more progression and control over games, as the midfield has been miles beyond under his leadership. Conor Gallagher, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Joao Palhinha are all playing way better than they were previously, though the attack hasn't quite woken up with all the injuries and the poor performances of the strikers.

Xavi Simons and Kudus were the two big splashes that even Daniel Levy couldn't resist making - or screwing up - but between the two of them, Kudus was already adjusted to the Permier League as a former West Ham star. He's also been the one out the longest and will return sooner than Simons, who tore his ACL not but a few weeks ago, and in just two words, he has Spurs supporters even more excited for his return to the starting lineup. Kudus is a special player, and he will thrive under a more attacking - and more competent - manager.

Tottenham Hotspur defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha has been one of the most difficult players in the squad to figure out. When Spurs were actually winning games at the beginning of the season under Thomas Frank, which is so far removed from the past that it's almost hard to believe this was even the case at all, Palhinha looked like a lock to stay at Spurs permanently and have Johan Lange and Co. activated his 25-30 million euro buy clause from Bayern Munich to follow in the foot steps of the much younger Mathys Tel.

But as Tottenham fell off under Frank as the season went on in their descent towards the Premier League relegation fight, so, too, did Palhinha's play and influence. He was riding the bench and a big part of the problem when on the pitch, getting overruled in the midfield with sloppy positional errors and even worse passing as Spurs struggled to progress the ball or maintain any semblance of midfield quality and control even against the worst of opponents in the English Premiership.

Lately, though, Palhinha has been a man revived, and new Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has managed to have him join the crew of Conor Gallagher and Rodrigo Bentancur as veteran midfielders who have gone from major liabilities to players driving Spurs charge to safety in the relegation battle - and Tottenham are now just a point away from confirming their place in the 2026/27 Premier League season.

Joao Palhinha may not stay with Tottenham after all

While De Zerbi and Spurs are wanting Joao Palhinha to be more in than out, an old friend from the Portuguese top flight is complicating things by trying to bring the former Fulham star back to his home country.

According to reporting from George Lyall of Sky Sports and Portuguese outlets like A Bola, Sporting CP are very interested in poaching Palhinha from Bayern Munich under the noses of Tottenham and their option to buy cause. They are among a number of clubs reportedly interested in Palhinha and may even be negotiating currently to make a move this summer.

Obviously, the ball is in Tottenham's court. If they want him, he is theirs due to their clause, and they have the right of first refusal in that way. But it's also partialy in Palhinha's court. If Palhinha would rather move back to Portugal now that he is 30 and sees more playing time with Sporting, as well as actually having top European football with Spurs either finishing 17th or 18th this season, then they could tempt him. Sporting have now thrown another wrench in the discussions around N17 about keeping Palhinha.

Richarlison officially won't be going to the 2026 World Cup with the Brazil national team. Despite a close relationship with new Selecao manager Carlo Ancelotti, including great success during their time together at the Merseyside with Everton, and a catalogue of success with the national team, Richy won't be in the final squad in North America after the breakout performances of Endrick for Lyon - and the desire to see if Neymar can give Brazli "One Last Dance" this summer.

In truth, while Richarlison's snub may seem surprising to some Spurs fans, he hasn't played well enough over the past couple of seasons to merit inclusion. And if anything, his wasteful display against Leeds United probably sealed Ancelotti's decision to leave him at home, which still may not have been an easy decision for the Italian legend.

Still, while Richarlison will be bitterly disappointed at being left off the team, his snub is actually great news for Tottenham Hotspur. Because Richy now has a real chip on his shoulder, if he didn't already, in the final two games of the 2025/26 Premier League season with Spurs still needing one point against two tough teams, Chelsea and Everton, to secure survival over rivals West Ham United.

Richarlison won't be going to the World Cup

Tottenham need someone to emerge as a true hero in the attack. Dominic Solanke is still injured, and he's not going to be able to play on Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge. And it sure as heck isn't going to be Randal Kolo Muani to lift Spurs up, as he's been the worst striker in the entire Premier League this season with no signs of getting better under Roberto De Zerbi.

Aside from the young Mathys Tel, Richarlison is it, and he is Tottenham's leading scorer for a reason. Spurs need a motivated, hungry, and energetic Richarlison to show up against Chelsea and his former employers Everton. We know Richy always gives his all to the club and is at his best when his team is up against it, and it's time for the Brazilian international to live up to that reputation.

He has pride to play for, in addition to Spurs survival, and those two ingredients make for a dangerous dish when it comes to Richarlison. Tottenham fans want to see the full fury of Richy out on the pitch after Carlo Ancelotti, of all people, discarded him for the summer, and this may be the motivation to tip him over the edge for Spurs.

Tottenham Hotspur are seemingly willing to give up on Alfie Devine after an impressive loan spell at Preston North End.

The 21-year-old joined the club from Wigan Athletic when he was 16, and became the club's youngest-ever player when he featured in the FA Cup tie against Marine five years ago. Devine has long been touted for big things, and we've seen sustained periods of good form in the second tier this season.

A dynamic and athletic midfielder with box-crashing capabilities, Devine has just completed his fourth loan since joining the club. Previous English Football League stints at Port Vale and Plymouth Argyle failed to return much success, before he scored six times in 32 games for Belgian Pro League side Westerlo last season.

He moved through the gears at Preston, having signed a new deal with Spurs last summer. Devine settled in at Deepdale and was named their Young Player of the Season after scoring eight times in the Championship.

Now, PNE, who finished 14th, are hopeful of securing the midfielder's signature on a permanent basis.

Preston ready to pull Devine trigger

There was an agreement in Devine's loan deal that Preston could buy the 21-year-old outright for £4.5 million. That'd be a club-record fee for the Championship side, who don't want to let Devine return to north London.

According to Alan Nixon (via Lilywhite Rose on X), Preston are attempting to negotiate a payment structure with Spurs that'd allow them to pay off the transfer over multiple years—a common practice.

It's not yet clear whether Spurs are willing to accept such a proposal, although it's one I don't think the club should be entertaining anyway. We'd bank some pure profit on a player we've nurtured since he was 16, but Devine is surely more valuable to us than £4.5m? Even if he's not integrated into Roberto De Zerbi's squad next season, another successful loan in 2026/27 could see his value inflate further.

This isn't a player we should be borderline discarding for a relatively minute fee.

Spurs hold the cards, with Preston having the option to sign Devine permanently, not an obligation. Shouldn't we be giving De Zerbi the chance to work with him this summer, given that our midfield has hardly emerged as a position of strength this season?

The Italian will build this Tottenham squad in his image, and he may appreciate Devine's lung-busting runs.

Tottenham Hotspur captain Cristian Romero is one of the best center backs in the Premier League, and although he has been missed over the past few games due to a right MCL injury, the fact is, Spurs have been getting results in his absence and are now just one point in one of their last two games away from safety in the relegation battle.

Nobody disputes Romero's individual quality, and he does care more about Spurs than it may have seemed several weeks ago after he and fellow star center back Micky van de Ven deeply disappointed the Spurs faithful with a string of poor performances.

But there's been something unsettling about Romero this season that has led many Spurs fans to be of the opinion that it is perfectly OK if the Argentinian star wants to finally call it quits and join a "bigger" club in Spain this summer transfer window after flirting with a move in 2025.

Cristian Romero can be constructively critiqued

Perhaps this point was articulated best by former Tottenham Hotspur star center back Toby Alderweireld, who was, quite frankly, twice the player and leader that Romero is. Alderweireld was a star center back alongside fellow Belgian Jan Vertonghen for Spurs in the 2010s when they were at their best under Mauricio Pochettino.

In a recent interview with Tom Allnut of The Times, Alderweireld wasn't afraid to criticize Cristian Romero for being a disappointment despite his obvious individual quality. He said, “I think he’s an unbelievable player, in moments. For example, with the red cards, you don’t help your team. When your team needs you, you need to be the captain steering the ship, not putting it in more trouble. He’s a very good player but he should have done better in some situations. For me, centre backs are players you need to count on, to be flawless, not crazy. Win your battles, be secure, that’s the number one. Long balls, passes between the lines, of course that’s a plus, but the basic is to be secure. A captain has to be aware not to — I don’t say he’s causing trouble — but not to be a risk to himself. I call them trustful leaders. You need to be a calm person.”

What Toby Alderweireld is saying about Romero may seem a bit scathing, but nothing he is saying here is inaccurate at all. Every Tottenham Hotspur supporter has felt at some point that Romero has let them down with rash challenges and bad games in big spots at the worst possible time, hurting the team with a rash or overly aggressive mistake.

In a way, he has been like a better Guglielmo Vicario. The flashy stuff is there, but the basics and the security are not, and it can cost Tottenham points. Alderweireld isn't currently attached to the club but is a legend of the club as a center back, so he is in the best position to say the unspoken out loud.

Tottenham Hotspur travel to Stamford Bridge knowing that a point would all but confirm their Premier League status for 2026/27, and Roberto De Zerbi is hopeful that James Maddison will be able to play a part.

Maddison's absence as a result of a devastating knee injury sustained last August has been keenly felt, and Spurs' rotten luck on the fitness front has exacerbated the unavailability of our primary playmaker.

Xavi Simons recently succumbed to a similarly severe ligament injury and will sit out for the remainder of 2026, but Spurs will hope to have a fully fit Maddison purring for what we can only hope will be another top flight campaign next season.

The Englishman had spent weeks in the matchday squad, operating as a cheerleader on the touchline before De Zerbi handed him his first minutes of a wretched campaign late on in last Monday's then-ambivalent draw with Leeds United.

While the slickest iteration of Maddison isn't yet ready to come to the fore, we were treated to glimpses of the creator's magic, and he surely should've earned a penalty that would've given us the chance to earn all three points.

De Zerbi discloses Maddison's status for Stamford Bridge trip

Our situation suddenly isn't so desperate thanks to another late-season Geordie favour, but we'd rather have Maddison available as an option on Tuesday night than not.

As expected, De Zerbi confirmed that the Englishman, who entered the fray in the dying embers against Leeds but was treated to 13 minutes of stoppage time, isn't ready to come into his starting XI midweek.

“At the beginning of the week, he didn’t work for a small problem, but yesterday and today, James is working very well,” the Italian said. “Now, he is not ready to play 90 minutes. I want to speak with him tomorrow morning and to take the best decision with him.”

The update's encouraging, with his recovery over the weekend suggesting there will be a spot on the bench for Maddison in west London. This doesn't scream of a game where we'll desperately require his craft and ingenuity, as was the case last week, but Maddison's invention will come in handy if we're chasing the result we'd love to secure.

Anything but a defeat, which are admittedly common at the Bridge, will keep us up. Well, unless there's a 13-goal swing on the final day. Surely, such a scenario is beyond the ’Spursy’ realm.

Tottenham Hotspur were unable to hire Mauricio Pochettino in March when they canned Igor Tudor shortly after hiring him to replace Thomas Frank, as Spurs needed a top manager immediately to save them from relegation. Although the fans badly wanted Poch, because he is currently managing the United States men's national team before the 2026 World Cup - in North America, no less - he was unable to move and the USMNT were obviously not going to let him double dip with so much (financially, included) on the line.

So Spurs went out and hired Roberto De Zerbi to both be an important short and long term upgrade at the club, and, so far, the Italian manager has paid major dividends with Spurs now needing just one point in their next two games against Chelsea or Everton to save themselves from Premier League relegation - and doom another historic London club, rivals West Ham United, to the EFL Championship instead.

But Pochettino is always loved around these parts, and in a recent interview with Tom Allnut of The Times, his former superstar center back Toby Alderweireld predicted that Poch will one day manage Tottenham Hotspur again.

Tottenham chose De Zerbi now over waiting for Pochettino

The legendary fiery Belgian defender said of the best modern Tottenham manager, “For sure he will go back to Tottenham one day. He wants it, the fans want it — I don’t know the board — but I think when the manager and the fans want it, it will happen. He wants to come back to finish his job.”

There is nothing bold about this prediction from Toby Alderweireld, especially since Mauricio Pochettino has always publicly praised Tottenham and spoken fondly about the club, including his desire to one day come back and coach them. He seemed almost solemn when he learned that the window had shut after Spurs had to hire Roberto De Zerbi instead, though it appears Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange had the controversial Italian manager ranked No. 1 on their short list all along anyway.

Spurs fans will actually hope the Pochettino reunion talk doesn't start up again too soon, because they would like to see De Zerbi actually be a positive for them and stick around at a club for more than just one or two full seasons at a time. The early returns on RDZ are good, but you always do get the feeling, like Alderweireld does, that Pochettino is going to come home again one day.

Tottenham Hotspur forward Mathys Tel scored a beauty against Leeds United last week on Monday Night Football, but the Lilywhites 1-0 lead in the Premier League relegation fight was short lived. Because Tel himself made a couple of horrible errors, including conceding the penalty that led the Peacocks to draw it up 1-1, leaving Spurs with the feeling of two points lost rather than a point gained in the fight to stay alive in the English top flight.

Sadly, there were predictably disgusting reactions towards Tel from people who really should not be referred to as Tottenham fans, because no racist belongs at the club. Roberto De Zerbi immediately came to the young man's defense and praised him. Although De Zerbi didn't start Tel from the out set, even at that time, he made it clear he had high hopes for the former Bayern Munich forward, and now that he is in the starting lineup again, De Zerbi is continuing to back him.

Tel is the only healthy true winger for Tottenham, and he is by far the best forward on a front line that has been abysmal, even under De Zerbi with all the other units in the team improving markedly as Spurs sit just one point away from confirming their place in the Premier League next season.

Mathys Tel is a future gem for Tottenham

Ahead of a must draw game against rivals Chelsea, Roberto De Zerbi continued to speak highly of Mathys Tel, and he remains optimistic that the 21 year old left winger and striker is going to be a wonderful footballer for Tottenham Hotspur in the future.

De Zerbi told reporters at the press conference before Tottenham vs. Chelsea, via Football.London's Alasdair Gold, "Great reaction. Very mature guy, maybe more so outside the pitch than on it because he hasn't played that many games. He's a lovely guy, strong character and in the future he can play better and better and become a great player for us."

Despite the big mistakes he had against Leeds United, Mathys Tel is still an expected starter for Tottenham Hotspur in this vital rivalry clash on the road against Chelsea, in large part because he is the best option of the forwards.

Tel brings excitement, energy, hard work, goals, and quality that is missing from the Spurs attack. De Zerbi is wonderfully right to stand by Tel, and his abiilty to back his players and say the right things at press conferences has been hugely uplifting compard to his predecessors. Tel has everything to be a great player at Tottenham indeed.

Tottenham Hotspur will battle Chelsea on Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge with Premier League survival still very much on the line for the Lilywhites. After watching Newcastle United smack down rivals West Ham United 3-1 on Sunday, all Spurs need to stay up in the English top flight for next season is a solitary point against an even bigger rival that smacked them down 1-0 earlier this season (and the deficit shoudl have been even worse, based on how poorly Thomas Frank had them playing).

But it is a new era for Tottenham under Roberto De Zerbi, as the former Brighton manager has Spurs on an undefeated streak, rather than the winless streak they were previously on. Conor Gallagher and Rodrigo Bentancur are men reborn under De Zerbi, and even crucial stars like Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven are performing significantly better.

On Tuesday night against Chelsea, though, the real X-Factor may not actually be the revenge game from Gallagher or even the potential return of James Maddison to the starting XI, as the No. 10 is likely another game away from being able to go longer in a match.

Tottenham need steel in midfield

No, the X-Factor could be another new face who is doing a lot better under Roberto De Zerbi, Joao Palhinha. Though the Portuguese international on loan from Bayern Munich has scored some important goals for Tottenham Hotspur this season and has shown up on the ball better than expected lately under De Zerbi, we all know his calling card is on the defensive end.

Against a Chelsea midfield of Moises Caicedo, Andrey Santos, and Enzo Fernandez, the steel Palhinha brings, his energy as a ball winner, and his ability to improve positionally in his reading of the game and progression under Roberto De Zerbi lately are all going to be crucial to Spurs getting a hard earned point on the road against one of the Premier League's more talented squads (even if they haven't shown that quality lately).

With Liam Rosenior out the door and Xabi Alonso soon to follow, Chelsea are more dangerous, and Tottenham need a defensive bulldog to quell that danger by snapping into tackles but also avoiding any major holes on the counter.

It is all on the line for Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge when the Lilywhites take on the Blues in the second to last game of this nightmare of a 2025/26 Premier League season. But after West Ham United lost 3-1 behind a brace from young Newcastle United breakout star William Osula, the stage is set for Spurs to stay up in the Premier League offiically by getting a mere point from their bitter London rivals.

Earlier this season, Spurs lost 1-0 to Chelsea, but they played so poorly under Thomas Frank that the score line may as well have been 10-0. So Tottenham have a lot of work to do, even against a wounded Chelsea, though the Blue are more dangerous from an emotional stand point after confirming the hire of one of the best young managers in the world, Xabi Alonso.

Tottenham need to get better at scoring goals, because even though Roberto De Zerbi has turned around a lot at this club, most of those positives are in the midfield and the defense. Up top, he can't turn water into wine and get the forwards to play markedly better, including failed loan signing Randal Kolo Muani.

Dominic Solanke is still out injured

Unfortunately for De Zerbi, he will still be down one key forward in Dominic Solanke, the main starter in the central No. 9 position. Solanke has been out with a hamstring injury these last few weeks, and the Italian manager confirmed that his striker is still not ready to return against Chelsea.

De Zerbi told reporters at the press conference before Tottenham vs. Chelsea, via Tom Barclay of The Sun, Solanke is not good yet. He’s not available. He feels something. I don’t want to take risk for this game. We hope for Sunday, maybe for Sunday, he can be available for one part of the game."

The positive is that Tottenham Hotspur could have Dominic Solanke available on Sunday for Matchday 38 of the 2025/26 Premier League season against Everton, who are another tough opponent to get a point out of in the relegation fight.

Solanke has not been in his best moment this season with a myriad of injuries, and his worst displays, even under Roberto De Zerbi, have come in the relegation battle. But even in his first season at Tottenham as a blockbuster signing from Bournemouth, he showed a huge clutch factor with goals in the box and all around play en route to the Europa League Final. So while he has been running cold, Solanke is still a big miss in these important games.