Hotspur HQ

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has taken over officially, and he is setting his team up for his first game in charge against surprise package Sunderland this weekend. Whereas the Black Cats have overperformed after several smart summer signings and boast a great, cohesive defense, Tottenham have been shambolic with a host of chronic underperformers whom De Zerbi is now tasked with reviving.

Although he is crucial to Spurs success in the relegation fight and has experience willing a team over the line in the past from a shock demotion to the EFL Championship, former Everton striker Richarlison has not looked like a star since moving to the N17, marred by inconsistent play and blighted by frequent injuries.

Richy has been decent in front of goal and is the team's only real goal threat this campaign, but he has fallen short in the other respects. Knowing that full well as he evaluates this team and sets expectations, De Zerbi seemed to have a clear message aimed for his Brazilian No. 9.

Richarlison's future is at stake

Roberto De Zerbi once spoke about what he wants from his strikers to Glenn Murray on Sky Sports back when he was coaching Brighton, which Football.London's Alasdair Gold wisely dredged up back to the surface.

The new Italian manager said, “If we want to control the game we need the number nine to be smart, intelligent to understand when he has to play, when he has to attack the space and when he has to open the space.”

That quote goes for every striker at Tottenham Hotspur, Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani included, and it may go more towards the England international in the eyes of many, since Solanke is usually the starter when Spurs go for a lone wolf since he is better at getting others involved.

But if we know Solanke can do this better than the others and we also know that Kolo Muani may not have much a future at Spurs as a disappointing loan signing from PSG, the onus is then on Richarlison, who is fighting for his Tottenham future while also fighting against relegation.

So what Tottenham need is for Richarlison in these last few weeks to step up in his understanding of the game. He is experienced enough, but we have yet to see the Brazilian international show those game smarts and create space for his teammates. That is going to be his next big task under RDZ, and he will need to rapidly click to save his future.

Many have said that life just hasn't been the same since the Covid-19 pandemic forced us into lockdown, but Tottenham supporters will tell you that the real turning point of their existence arrived a year before.

Mauricio Pochettino's Spurs were on the cusp of an unfathomable achievement. The most dramatic of two-legged triumphs over a title-winning Manchester City team and Europe's babyfaced darlings, otherwise known as Erik ten Hag's Ajax, meant just 90 minutes separated the Lilywhites from a continental conquest.

In the aforementioned period of lockdown, I rewatched the 2019 Champions League final for the very first time. I was cruelly reminded of the opening-minute penalty decision that compromised our dream, as well as the spirited showing that followed. We were pretty good in Madrid, but bereft of final third invention.

Our two biggest chances fell to the hero of Amsterdam, Lucas Moura, who couldn't beat Alisson and bring us level. Divock Origi's dagger was gut-wrenching, but somewhat inevitable.

Since that day, Tottenham Hotspur have embarked on a journey towards the near-abyss. Sure, there have been highs along the way, such as Antonio Conte's immediate impact, and Europa League glory under Ange Postecoglou, but we're now threatening to endure the nadirest of nadirs. A first relegation in almost 50 years is staring us in the face.

Christian Eriksen describes Champions League final defeat as "biggest nightmare"

Christian Eriksen was an imperative figure in Poch's Spurs, functioning as the subtle but ingenious playmaker who ran relentlessly. He epitomised everything our cherished former manager was about, with the Dane, signed for a bargain price from Ajax in 2013, the only overwhelming success story of the ’Gareth Bale 7’.

The present-day bleakness has forced many supporters to indulge in Poch-led nostalgia, but no rose-tinted glasses are required to reach the conclusion that things were just so much more fun back then.

In an interview with The Times towards the end of last year, which I missed because I was on the other side of the world amid a football detox, Eriksen lamented football's absence of flair, but also discussed his time in north London, specifically his biggest regrets.

"Losing the 2019 Champions League final is one of the biggest nightmares of my career," he said.

"It was all the pressure from the few years before that, like the balloon got bigger and bigger, and when we lost, the air just went out of the balloon, for the club and for the players."

Eriksen, for a long time a revered fan favourite, was chastised during his final few months at the club, leaving for Conte's Inter in January 2020 after Pochettino was sacked the previous November.

The era that could've returned the most lucrative prize in European football was suddenly no more, but it was perhaps that journey, and how close we came, that shifted the thinking of Daniel Levy into the world of 'win-now'.

Although Tottenham Hotspur fans will forge ahead with Roberto De Zerbi as their new manager and hope that he has learned a thing or two from his mistakes of the past and is able to carry on the values of the club appropriately after his controversial decisions at Marseille, there will always be a sad sense of, "What if?" for many fans about Mauricio Pochettino.

One of the greatest managers in the club's history, if not THE greatest, Poch was competing for Premier League and Champions League titles on a shoe string budget. Back then, Daniel Levy was investing even less than Spurs and the Lewis Family are now, and yet Poch was getting twice the results. In hindsight, he put future hires Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho - two of the biggest managerial legends of the last 30 years - to shame.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters thought that Pochettino never should have been fired in November 2019 and made the scapegoat by Levy and Co. for the front office's obvious failings, and, thus, they were all for the Argentinian coach returning again to save the club in 2026 after his USMNT duties at the World Cup.

A Pochettino reunion is not ruled out

Instead, Tottenham only had eyes on Roberto De Zerbi, with Vinai Venkatesham, Johan Lange, and the Lewis Family all clearly valuing the volatile former Brighton and Marseille manager above their own club legend.

The good news is that a reunion in the future cannot be ruled out still. According to Ben Jacobs in his appearance on Last Word on Spurs, Mauricio Pochettino is still open to returning to Tottenham one day in the future. At no point in the managerial search process did he reject Spurs, as Jacobs confirms that the De Zerbi appointment was totally more about the club choosing RDZ than Poch picking against them.

While there was an element of the club picking against Poch, who is to say that they do not come to their senses in the future and change their minds? It feels like there is so much unfinished business between Pochettino and Tottenham, and fans will never truly know if 2019 was the right time to part ways until they try to run it back.

Given De Zerbi's track record of never lasting more than two years at a club before he blows things up in a sort of Antonio Conte Lite fashion, perhaps that Pochettino reunion could come sooner than the Lewis Family may think right now.

While Roberto De Zerbi is an excellent tactician and a better footballing hire as the next Tottenham Hotspur manager than most of the other options they could have hired - and definitely any of the options they could have hired immediately during the March international break - he is decidedly not the top option that Spurs fans wanted.

No, Tottenham supporters were bristling at the major interest and high salary sent to De Zerbi, as he has not lasted long at any of his previous stops and is a volatile coach. Tottenham want stability, and the fans were also concerned with his past defenses of Mason Greenwood and the sorts of characters he brought into the Marseille dressing room that go againt the values they want from Spurs.

Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino was the star manager who never should have left - the man who built up Spurs into a near juggernaut capable of competing for Premier League and Champions League titles. And with his pure love for the club, Spurs fans knew he would be in it for the right reasons and lead the club proudly.

Tottenham are totally missing the point

However, Spurs went with Roberto De Zerbi and didn't seem to think twice about it. Now, we know why, as Ben Jacobs told Last Word on Spurs that the reason for the club leadership not rolling with Pochettino had a lot to do with politics.

Jacobs said of the situation, via The Spurs Watch, "My understanding about Pochettino is that there were senior figures at Tottenham against hiring him as it would be a nod back to the Daniel Levy era even though it was understood it would be a popular move. Vivienne Lewis is understood to be one of those against rehiring Pochettino."

What is most infuriating about this information from Jacobs is that Tottenham's decision to hire De Zerbi over Mauricio Pochettino seems to have had little to do with any valid sporting reasons and was more about the optics of not wanting to go back to the Daniel Levy era.

But the thing is, the mistake Levy made was not the hiring of Pochettino. No, the remnants of the Levy era and what would have been a regression to that time was the fact that Levy never actually backed his best ever manager on the transfer market, leaving him with players who were either not good enough or totally run down and jaded (or outright finished) alongside the superstars Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. Instead of taking ownership and improving the squad, Levy threw Pochettino under the bus, fired him, and then cycled through bigger name managers who could not even touch Poch's results before.

This information from Ben Jacobs only highlights the disconnect and fundamental misunderstanding of the ills of Tottenham Hotspur, probably because the Lewis Family and these long time decision makes themselves are as much a part of the rot as Levy was, though they would be loathe to admit it.

Tottenham Hotspur supporters have a lot of reasons to be upset with their beloved club, who sit dangerously close to the Premier League relegation zone. And after losing 3-0 to Nottingham Forest before the March international break, relegation to the EFL Championship may be nothing less than they deserved.

Although there is no love lost for Daniel Levy, Johan Lange and Vinai Venkatesham have done such a poor job of running this club, even leading Fabio Paratici to run away to Serie A's dysfunctional Fiorentina, that some Spurs supporters see the club as in a much worse state without the notoriously stingy former CEO.

So much about sponsorship deals and coaching searches have been mismanaged, and the winter transfer window, in which Spurs signed nobody besides overspending for Conor Gallagher when they justified it by not wanting to panic, was another nadir.

Johan Lange is in trouble

Tottenham Hotspur supporters want to see serious heat under both Vinai Venkatesham and Johan Lange, and they will be happy to hear that this is indeed the case. Speaking in his regular interview session with Last Word on Spurs, transfer insider Ben Jacobs divulged that both men are under the microscope.

Per Jacobs, Lange is at greater risk of being fired than Vinai, but both men are on the hot seat. Specifically as it relates to Lange, the sporting director's job is at risk even if Tottenham were to stay up in the Premier League.

It's that last note that really seals it for Spurs fans who are rightfuly displeased with the job Lange has done in leading this team and setting its transfer strategy and coaching searches. If Spurs are able to do the bare minimum and remain in the Premier League next season, then that does not suddenly wash away all the mistakes Lange made to get them into this mess.

Firing Lange is not the only option on the table, though. As many Tottenham fans will point out, Lange does serve a use to Spurs, in that his identification of young talents like Lucas Bergvall has been quite good. Keeping him around in a more scouting role instead of being the main front office voice as Fabio Paratici's ersatz as sporting director would be preferred. And in any case, Lange was only supposed to be an emergency replacement for Paratici in the short term anyway.

Lange is closer to getting canned by Tottenham than ever before, and with Jacobs reporting that his job is formally under threat with a review set after the season ends that will not necessarily absolve him of blame if Spurs are saved from relegation, the end could be near for him at the club.

Last year, it seemed like Cristian Romero would leave Tottenham Hotspur. Even before the season ended, he was pretty openly flirting with a transfer to La Liga, and Atletico Madrid were highly interested in adding him to their defense, with the characte fit with Diego Simeone seemingly perfect. But after winning the Europa League with Romero as the Player of the Tournament, Spurs were able to convince Romero to stay.

Even though they fired Ange Postecoglou, with whom Romero had a great relationship, Spurs were able to convince him on the project with Thomas Frank. And it most likely helped a lot that they made him the captain to succeed club legend Son Heung-min, who wisely rode off into the sunset with LAFC in MLS, avoiding the chaos that would follow.

While Cristian Romero himself has been partially responsible for the disappointing 2025/26 season at the N17, it is hard not to feel as though Spurs failed him by convincing him to stay then saddling him with Frank and a full on disaster of a season.

Cristian Romero's release clause exists?

Now, Romero is back in the transfer rumor mill, and while the reports of an active release clause to La Liga giants Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid are not on base, Fabrizio Romano's clarified that there was a handshake agreement between Daniel Levy and the star center back. But even that has now been complicated by some very strange information from Romero's own father.

Speaking in an interview with Argentinian outlet Cadena 3, Victor "Quito" Romero stated that there is a release clause in Cristian Romero's contract, "He has two more years on his contract with Tottenham and a very high release clause. The English club won't let him leave for free; it's between 50 and 70 million dollars,"

There are a couple of things that are bizarre about this claim, though. Firstly, Fab and others have denied the reports of an active release clause in Romero's contract. Secondly, Transfermarkt states that Romero is under contract until the 2028/29 season, which means he would have three more years left on his contract after this season - not the two that Romero's father claims.

The last strange anecdote from the interview is that Romero's dad stated that he would like his son to return to Belgrano, the club of his childhood in Cordoba, Argentina. Apparently rumors in the local media have linked him to that move, but why would Romero already go back to Argentina at 27 when the top La Liga clubs are linked? And also...if Tottenham have a release clause in his contract of 50-70 million dollars (or euros...or pounds), would Begrano really able to even remotely afford that?

But there is one thing about the interview from Romero's father that Tottenham fans can take away, maybe two. The first is that Tottenham are not going to sell Romero for anything less than their internal price point, since they have him under contract and don't really have to. They'd only have to if Romero went on strike, which would be crazy for a captain to do, or if they get relegated. That point has seeminlgy been communicated clearly to the Romeros, regardless of the release clause talk.

And the second possible takeaway is that Romero sounds like he's trending out of Tottenham. Spurs fans can read it in his body language and statements about the dysfunction at the club on social media, but it's not like his dad doused cold water on the rumors. He never said his son was happy at Spurs or downplayed the rumors, if anything, he fanned them in a weird way by bringing up his childhood club in Argentina.

As Tottenham Hotspur prepare to come out of the March international break, there has been a lot of reflection on the state of a squad that sits 17th in the Premier League again, except this time with just one point holding them above relegation water. Their 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest before the break exposed just how truly dire things are for Spurs, especially since they were lulled into a false sense of optimism after a 1-1 draw with Liverpool and a win over Atletico Madrid.

Pape Matar Sarr has made 13 starts this season, and while he started the campaign as an asset under Thomas Frank, his play has devolved back into mediocrity. There are a wide array of opinions on Sarr, and he has become something of a litmus test over the international break for how Spurs fans feel about the quality of this squad.

There is no question that Sarr is far from the biggest problem plaguing this squad, and even if the conversation were solely restricted to the midfield, winter signing Conor Gallagher is considerably worse.

The Pape Matar Sarr litmus test

Sarr is a decent role player for Tottenham Hotspur, and if we were to compare Spurs squad in 17th with other teams in the botom half of the table or even in the mid table, Sarr would be able to start for a number of those clubs. But he would not be their best midfielder or even a star player. And if we were to compare Spurs midfield to the midfields of the other Big Six clubs in the Premier League, it's hard to make an argument that he would even be a key rotational player, let alone a starter, for a club like Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, or Liverpool.

Pape Matar Sarr is important to Tottenham right now because Spurs are so poor. They are a mid table side that are underperforming even that, and so Sarr is a worthwhile short term rotational piece. But having a player of Sarr's caliber, which is to say, mediocre in most regards, as a key member of the midfield is emblematic of a longer term issue that cannot persist.

Tottenham have been rewarding average players for being average because average, in comparison to terrible (thinking of Gallagher here) looks pretty good. But in comaprison to where Tottenham need to be, which is competing for Champions League places, average is far below the standard that should be set. And when reflecting on this, a realization sets that all the conversations about Sarr are inherently misguided. He is a perfectly OK player and thus helpful to Spurs in this current, dire situation on effort alone, but in a longer term view, his status in the squad is a symptom of the pervasiveness of Spurs mediocrity over the last few years.

Tottenham Hotspur are only one point above the drop zone in the Premier League after falling 3-0 to Nottingham Forest, who moved ahead of them in the table after the result. Spurs have had weeks to marinate during the March international break and are currently taking in the new teachings of Roberto De Zerbi, who promises to be a significant upgrade on both Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor as the club's new manager.

Spurs are in a state of crisis, and while many Arsenal fans are relishing in the misery of Spurs going down during the same season in which they are close to closing in on the Premier League title, at least one Gunners icon isn't of the same mindset.

Jens Lehmann was the starting goalkeeper for the Invincibles Aresnal side and one of the best Premier League shot stoppers of the 2000s. He also played for Borussia Dortmund and was a star there, and he had a unique perspective explaining why he doesn't want Arsenal fans to go down - and these are words the Arsenal faithful would do well to listen to.

Spurs going down is not best for business

Here's what he told the Clutch 9 Football and Buvey podcast, “I would be happy for them to stay up,

for example, as I told you before, there was a situation in Germany where Schalke got relegated two years before and the Dortmund fans are happy about it, but when you ask the fans, they say, ‘Wow, we’re missing the derbies.’ And so you don’t really want Tottenham to go down because, you know, I love to see these derbies Tottenham against Arsenal.”

While there are some great rivalries in the Premier League like Everton vs. Liverpool and Manchester United vs. Manchester City, no rivalry in all of England has the same heat to it as Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur. The North London Derby was a dud this season because of Spurs futility, but most of the time, it is the most tightly contested rivalry matchup in the country and maybe the only rivalry that can stand up in terms of bitterness, fan banter, and quality on the pitch with the great rivalries in other top European leagues.

The Premier League can't afford to lose the battles between Spurs and Arsenal. When these two teams are at their best, it is blockbuster. There is all the animosity of the Schalke and Borussia Dortmund rivalry that Jens Lehmann is referencing in the Bundesliga with the same duality of hatred between two fan bases right next to each other. The additional globalization of the Premier League and the massive nature of Spurs and Arsenal add even more heat to this rivalry, and it would be very sad to see it go with Spurs going down. Careful what you wish for, Arsenal fans. Just ask the Dortmund faithful in Germany.

Although he may not be ready to start, let alone play the full 90 minutes yet, Tottenham Hotspur right winger Mohammed Kudus is expected to return from his injury next weekend when Spurs return from their international break to take on Sunderland.

Every single game is crucial for Spurs with just a point separating them from West Ham Untied in the Premier League relegation fight, and out of all people, Kudus will not want to be sent packing to the EFL Championship after just leaving the futility of the Hammers to try and help Spurs maintain European football.

While Europe is out of the window now, Spurs can build something special under Roberto De Zerbi, with Kudus as a center piece player. Even under the horrendous and highly defensive Thomas Frank, Kudus was a massive bright spot and the team's best player, and anyone doubting his merits only needs to look at this mind blowing stat that highlights just how tremendous Kudus is compared to his Premier League peers.

Mohammed Kudus is elite

According to data from WhoScored, despite missing months with injury, Mohammed Kudus remains fourth in the Premier League in successful dribbles completed with 52. Only Manchester City star Jeremy Doku, Brighton gem Yankuba Minteh, and one time Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Iliman Ndiaye of Everton have more. And all of these players have appeared in at least three more games than Kudus, with Ndiaye playing six more games with just three more dribbles completed per game.

Now, most Tottenham fans knew that Kudus was playing amazing football on the wing, but there were likely several fans who did not realize just how dominant Kudus was at beating defenders and carrying possession.

Spurs have missed Kudus badly. Mathys Tel isn't a progressive profile the same way Kudus is, and he's still raw. Kudus is growing, too, at the age of 25, but he is already one of the elite Premier League wingers, and you could sincerely argue that with a better coach and environment, he could prove to be the best out and out winger in the entire English top flight.

A stat like this doesn't happen by accident. Tottenham may have missed out on Antoine Semenyo or any other winger signings in the winter transfer window, but the boost Kudus will provide Spurs, especially with De Zerbi in the building, is something worth cheering for in the final seven games of the season.

There is a serious case to be made that after Lamine Yamal over at Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur center back Luka Vuskovic is the biggest young gem in world football. The teenage sensation is bossing the pitch on the ball, marking strikers out of games, racking up more clearances than anyone else, scoring bangers, and establishing himself as one of the best overall players in a Bundesliga that includes Ballon d'Or front runner Sir Harry Kane.

The only concern with Vuskovic from a Tottenham perspective is that he is balling out to such a degree at Hamburg, who are ranking significantly ahead of Spurs in their league against the odds, that Vuskovic may be tempted with a move to one of Europe's top three elite clubs. Real Madrid fans are dreaming of Vuskovic, Barcelona are already just as interested in the Croatian as they are in current Spurs starting center back Micky van de Ven, and Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich have been subtly flirting with the idea of signing the future world class superstar.

With Tottenham Hotspur sitting just one point ahead of West Ham United in a tense Premier League relegation fight, the Lilywhites aren't exactly bargaining from a position of strength if Barcelona, Bayern, and Madrid start throwing around serious offers at Vuskovic.

Luka Vuskovic doesn't want to leave yet

But Tottenham have always been under the impression that Vuskovic actually wants to stay with Hamburg in the Bundesliga for one more season. It's not just for his own development, but it's also to play with his brother Mario Vuskovic, who will return from suspension to Hamburg for the 2026/27 season.

Ahead of Hamburg's match against Augsburg in the Bundesliga, Luka Vuskovic affirmed his wishes to play with Mario next season, stating that Spurs are aware of this. He also subtly affirmed his commitment to Spurs by mentioning he is their player and under contract with them.

He said, via The Spurs Express, “After this season, I’ll be a Tottenham player again. I have a contract there until 2030. It’s also my dream to play alongside my brother, Mario, at Hamburg. I would give everything for that. Spurs know that too.”

The Vuskovic brothers clearly share a special bond, and Hamburg supporters are very excited to see these two top talents shine together for a team that has outperformed expectatoins this season. Vuskovic is already more than ready to start for Spurs or even play for Bayern or Real, but with a little more seasoning and work in training to become faster, he can be an even bigger star.

Vuskovic wanting Hamburg for another year delays a decision Tottenham have to make, keeps the transfer suitors at bay, and increases the chances of Vuskovic coming to Spurs as a first team player if the club experience a positive turn around under Roberto De Zerbi.