Hotspur HQ

Tottenham Hotspur are in a much better place now than they were even just a few weeks ago, as Roberto De Zerbi has got a squad that previously looked like they had given up on even pretendign to care to one that is believing - and more importantly, winning.

But even if Tottenham manage to stay up in the Premier League and hold off the push from crosstown rivals West Ham United, there are three players who are going to leave the club anyway this summer transfer window.

ST Randal Kolo Muani

The most obvious player who is going to leave Tottenham this summer is loan signing Randal Kolo Muani, who was brought in on transfer deadline day last summer to bolster a weak striker lineup. And while Spurs were disappointing up front and had a major injury to Dominic Solanke, Kolo Muani, outside of a hat trick against PSG in a game Spurs lost anyway, did a whole lot of nothing.

Kolo Muani's sheer lack of effort has been appalling and infuriating to Spurs fans. With not even Roberto De Zerbi able to get more out of the French striker, the common refrain around the former Eintracht Frankfurt man will be "good riddance".

GK Guglielmo Vicario

Serie A champions Inter Milan are driving hard after the signing of Guglielmo Vicario, and it appears his move back to Italian football is a mere formality at this point. Vicario was once one of the best goalkeepers in Europe at Empoli, but he has outworn his welcome at the N17, exposed as a hugely mistake prone goalkeeper in the Premier League. With Antonin Kinsky shining since Vicario finally got surgery to repair a hernia, there is clearly no use left for the veteran goalkeeper.

CB Cristian Romero

With Micky van de Ven suddenly more in than out, perhaps galvanized by the coaching of Roberto De Zerbi, the most likely star center back to leave Tottenham Hotspur - even moreso than young gem Luka Vuskovic in Hamburg - is captain Cristian Romero.

The Argentinian international has not behaved very captain like this season, and while it was nice to see him take the board to task, it's not like his actual play on the pitch or leadership was the proper response. Romero is a good player, but he's not great. And he may choose to chase his own greatness by asking for the change in scenery he had already pondered last year.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi is not known for being a man who likes to keep quiet or avoid controversy and speaking his mind. But Spurs probably hired him for his personality and boldness, wanting to go back to a swashbuckler like Ange Postecoglou than rather a more conservative - and almost cowardly - figure like Thomas Frank.

De Zerbi already has Tottenham closer to survival in the Premier League, and he is getting the most out of players Spurs had written for dead like center midfielders Rodrigo Bentancur and Conor Gallagher, who are now spurring the comeback charge.

But Gallagher and Bentancur are not the only veteran midfielders De Zerbi appears to be high on. Even though defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha has not been a nailed on starter for the Italian manager, RDZ sounds convinced that the Portuguese international is someone he wants around Spurs for longer than the 2025/26 season when his loan deal with Bayern Munich wraps up.

Roberto De Zerbi is sold on Joao Palhinha

De Zerbi told reporters at the press conference before Tottenham Hotspur vs. Leeds United on Monday Night Football that he "100 percent" wants Palhinha to be back in a Lilywhite kit next season.

The Italian manager said, via Chris Cowlin, "One hundred per cent. We have to start from these types of people. More than players, we need reliable people, reliable players. Palhinha is one of the best, as a player for sure, but as a guy. I want to see the players with the same passion, spirit, personality and we are lucky to have Palhinha with us."

Although the 30 year old Palhinha only came off the bench in De Zerbi's first three matches in charge against Sunderland, Brighton, and Wolves, he got the full 90 in the win over Aston Villa. And Palhinha has been pretty good in these two wins against Wolves and Villa, scoring the decisive goal against Wolves while playing good defense and even passing at a high level in both matches.

With Xavi Simons down for the count and James Maddison still working his way back from an ACL tear of his own, Joao Palhinha is going to become even more important to De Zerbi, and it sounds like the manager trusts his No. 6 100 percent.

Spurs have been going back and forth all season long on Palhinha, who started the season hot, cooled off, and now may be reviving himself with solid defense, big goals, and potentially even passable work on the ball under his new manager. De Zerbi is making bold claims and does have some say over personnel, so this is a situation to watch with Bayern.

The Tottenham Hotspur faithful have been eagerly waiting the latest injury news on star attacking midfielder James Maddison, who has been practicing with the squad and appears ready to get into some action. In the spirit of togetherness, Roberto De Zerbi has even been naming the former Leicester City star into his official matchday squads so that the No. 10 can be around his teammates.

Yet De Zerbi hasn't given Maddison a lick of action, even though the veteran midfielder has become even more important to Spurs since the announcement that breakout star Xavi Simons is done for the rest of the season with a brutal ACL tear at the worst possible moment.

Even though Spurs let the good times roll last weekend with a massive win over now Europa League Finalists Aston Villa, they could still use Maddison's leadership and end product for the remainder of the Premier League relegation battle, which includes upcoming fixtures against Leeds United and rivals Chelsea these next two weeks.

Tottenham are holding off on James Maddison

In the latest press conference before the Leeds tilt, Roberto De Zerbi explained a little bit more about why he isn't rushing James Maddison back and is taking it extra slow despite these being desperate times for Spurs. RDZ said, via Football.London reporter Alasdair Gold, “I am thinking about James Maddison because I am watching a top, top player. Maybe he is not ready yet to play, not as a physical condition but for the rhythm or intensity of the game. You are playing in Premier League, most difficult league in the world for rhythm and intensity.”

Honestly, even the biggest proponents of Maddison getting immediate game time and his biggest fans can only look at that De Zerbi quote and think, "Yeah, fair," to themselves. Maddison is an experienced star in the Premier League, but he is coming off an ACL tear and is a bit older. Mentally, nobody can question he will be ready, but, physically, it is likely a different story - and De Zerbi is going to know that better than those of us who are not professional managers with years of experience in a top five league.

At the same time, Maddison is a class player who can change games in an instant with one set piece, through ball, or bomb from the blue. As De Zerbi says, Maddison is an absolute top player, and you'd think Spurs could use someone like that, especially with Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus, Dejan Kulusevski, and Dominic Solanke all out of commission in the attack.

Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United will battle it out on Monday Night Football in the Premier League, and while The Peacocks are slowly moving clear of the threat of going back down to the EFL Championship, Spurs will still consider this a relegation tilt. And regardless of the placement of their opponents, every single game from here on out is a must win for Spurs, as they are locked in a desperate fight with rivals West Ham United.

Last weekend, Tottenham pulled ahead of the bottom three by taking full advantage of West Ham's shellacking at the hands of Brentford, upsetting Europa League Finalists and their former top four rivals Aston Villa, 2-1, in the biggest Roberto De Zerbi win to date.

Key to that victory was young goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, whose woeful night in Spain is now a thing of the distant past. Kinsky has been one of Spurs best players these last several weeks since Guglielmo Vicario went on the sidelines with a hernia surgery to repair an ailment that had allegedly been responsible for his poor season.

Roberto De Zerbi has a Guglielmo Vicario injury update

And Kinsky has taken full advantage. Although Vicario's absence was only expected to be for a game or two, if that, he has been out for a few now. According to De Zerbi in his latest press conference before the Leeds match on Monday, via Chris Cowlin, Guglielmo Vicario will still not be ready to return for Spurs next Premier League fixture.

Roberto De Zerbi said of his veteran goalkeeper, "No. I am happy because we are working well with the players. Another very important week. We have no [new] problems. No, he [Vicario] is not ready yet. I don't know what will be the plan. He is suffering because he would like to help the team and his teammates, but he is not available yet."

The good news is that Tottenham Hotspur don't have any new injuries to worry about vs. Leeds United, which is a rare sight indeed in this miserable 2025/26 campaign. And while Vicario still being out is technically bad news, a lot of Spurs fans will be treating it as good news, because it means that there isn't even the possibility that he will start over the superior Antonin Kinsky.

With the Czech goalkeeper playing well enough to make Spurs supporters wonder if he is the guy for the future, they don't see a reason in playing Vicario, who is worse and is probably gone to Serie A champions at the end of the season anyway. Kinsky will get one more start against Leeds, at a minimum, and Spurs would benefit from him being in goal for the rest of the relegation battle.

England youth international Archie Gray is one of the most talented players in the Tottenham Hotspur squad, and he is so good that clubs as big as Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and still others in the Premier League are monitoring him as a potential transfer target. With Spurs getting closer to survival under new manager Roberto De Zerbi, these elite clubs are less likely to vulture in and steal Gray, but Spurs are still guarding against the threat of losing one of England's biggest midfield gems.

But the funny thing is, Gray hasn't actually been a big part of the upturn under De Zerbi. Even though he was the best player on Tottenham during their worst period of weeks as they descended into the relegation abyss, Spurs have opted to go with more veteran players as an edict from De Zerbi.

Even funnier, it's actually paid off. Rodrigo Bentancur has started again over Gray after losing his job to the young man even under Thomas Frank at the beginning of the season, and since returning from a hamstring injury, Bentancur, along with winter signing Conor Gallagher, has been brilliant, rebounding in a huge way under the Italian manager.

Roberto De Zerbi sees Archie Gray as a captain

Although Gray has not been important to Tottenham these last few matches, Roberto De Zerbi still clearly has plans for the future superstar. He told reporters at the press conference before Monday night's big game in the relegation battle against Gray's former employers Leeds United that he sees big things ahead for Gray, even labeling him as a future captain, which is a sentiment Spurs supporters will wholeheartedly agree with after watching him fight for the badge at their lowest point.

De Zerbi said of Archie Gray, via Football.London journalist Alasdair Gold, “He's very young. Big potential as a player. I think he can become the future. I'm sure he can become the future of this club, the captain of this club. He has to understand better what will be his position on the pitch because he can play in a lot of positions but I would like him more specific in his positions. We are working with him on that with individual meetings.”

It is incredible how spot on De Zerbi already is in his early tenure as Tottenham manager, and with Gray, it looks like he is having his cake and eating it, too. Because not only is he benefiting from Rodrigo Bentancur and getting the veteran Uruguayan ticking again wtih Spurs racking up results in the relegation battle, but he's also getting a chance to work with Gray away from the pressure of games to play his best position in the future.

De Zerbi is playing the long game with Gray and probably grooming him to be a true 6, rather than jostling him around the pitch like Thomas Frank, Ange Postecoglou, and Igor Tudor all did. Tottenham fans have to be very excited for Gray, because De Zerbi is a better coach than the others and recognizes the importance of the right approach with him.

Tottenham Hotspur have another pivotal matchup in the Premier League relegation fight slated for Monday Night Football, as the Lilywhites will take on a Leeds United side that has been mighty impressive of late, getting closer and closer to playing themselves out of the threat of relegation, just like Nottingham Forest.

So Spurs will need to get the three full points in this next battle, having finally scooped up back to back wins to get out of the bottom three with a hard fought 2-1 win over Aston Villa - a team they used to be fighting with for Champions League places not too long ago.

After battling Leeds, Tottenham will face a familiar rival who had embarrassed them earlier this season in Chelsea. And according to Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi, the Lilywhites may have one of their starting attackers back by then.

Dominic Solanke is nearing a return

Striker Dominic Solanke was one of the latest notable players to go down with an injury, hurting his hamstring the previous week in what was deemed a multi week injury. Via Spurs Army, De Zerbi told reporters at the press conference before Spurs game against Leeds that Solanke is making positive progress. He pretty much ruled Solanke out of the Leeds game but said that the England international could be ready for the May 19 matchup on Tuesday night against Chelsea.

Although Tottenham Hotspur may seem to be better off without Solanke based on how poorly he has played in recent weeks, the former Bournemouth star was actually the central No. 9 of choice for Roberto De Zerbi until his hamstring injury. De Zerbi was starting him regularly and praising his all around quality.

Solanke, on paper, should be Tottenham's best striker. He was their record 65 million pound signing in 2024, ostensibly for a reason, and although he has been pretty terrible this season outside of a brief purple patch when he returned from his nagging foot injury, he was key for Tottenham even last season during the Europa League title triumph.

At this point in the Premier League relegation fight, Tottenham need all hands on deck. Plus, Chelsea have a suspect defense, and a trio of Richarlison, Dominic Solanke, and Mathys Tel could be a great group to deliver goals. Solanke, in theory, is a good fit for the middle because of his technical ability and chance creation, and De Zerbi may want to see if he can unlock a partnership between Solanke and Tel before the season ends.

Micky van de Ven's future at Tottenham Hotspur has been uncertain this season, with the club involved in a relegation battle. However, it has recently been speculated that he would be willing to stay at Spurs should they remain a Premier League side.

Tottenham's chances of staying in English soccer's top flight have been boosted recently with the win over Aston Villa. This coincided with West Ham United losing to Brentford, which meant that Roberto De Zerbi's side leapfrogged their way out of the bottom three.

If Van de Ven were to stay, then it would no doubt have rippling effects throughout the soccer world.

Tottenham Hotspur fans

Spurs fans would hate to see one of their best defenders leave the club. If he stayed, it would also have meant that Tottenham would not have been relegated to the Championship.

Not only is Van de Ven a great defender, but he is also a threat at the opposite end. This season, he has scored seven goals with one assist in 42 games in all competitions. This included a fantastic solo effort against Copenhagen.

Micky van de Ven

Tottenham may have endured a difficult campaign, but they are still one of the biggest clubs in England. Van de Ven has already won the Europa League with Spurs and could go on to win more trophies with the club.

Spurs have one of the best stadiums and training grounds in the world. Therefore, he will still have a very enjoyable career if he were to stay at the club.

Roberto De Zerbi

If Van de Ven stays, then De Zerbi can focus on strengthening their side as they look to get back into European contention. The Italian took a gamble by taking over at Spurs when they were in a relegation battle.

It is not over yet, but many Tottenham players may still want to leave after the season they have endured. Keeping Van de Ven would be a huge boost to De Zerbi's plans at Tottenham.

Potential suitors

Van de Ven has been linked with multiple clubs, including Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona, and Real Madrid. He is only 25 and one of the top defenders in the world. It would be a huge blow for any of these clubs if Van de Ven chooses to stay at Spurs. They would then have to focus on alternative targets.

Premier League rivals

If Van de Ven stays, then Spurs can build on next season. They will not be expected to be in another relegation battle unless something disastrous happens again. Under De Zerbi, Tottenham will be expected to challenge for Europe once more.

The Premier League is becoming unpredictable, and we do not know who Spurs' rivals for European soccer will be next season. At the same time, we do not know if Tottenham will be in another relegation battle and who they will be fighting to avoid the drop. It would be too far to expect that De Zerbi's side could win the division next season. However, they may just have a mid-table finish.

Cristian Romero

Cristian Romero is Tottenham's captain, but with him and James Maddison injured, Van de Ven has been wearing the armband. Romero has not been the best leader for Spurs recently; he has had two sendings off in the Premier League and has often taken to social media for outbursts against the club.

Guglielmo Vicario's expected return to Italy this summer will bring to an end three seasons of joyous then dismal chaos at the goalkeeper position for Tottenham Hotspur.

Vicario once represented Ange Postecoglou's upwardly mobile Lilywhites, who's frenetic nature between the posts epitomised a frantic game model that dazzled just as much as it bewildered.

For a while, it appeared as if the former Empoli shot-stopper would stick around for the long haul. However, Vicario hasn't ever been the same since breaking his ankle midway through the 2024/25 campaign, with his decision-making over the past 12 months, before he underwent surgery for a hernia, becoming more bizarre and developing into a distinct hinderance.

His summer move to Inter Milan is as good as done, with the Nerazzurri on the hunt for a potential Yann Sommer usurper. Vicario has the potential to be that guy, but only if a sense of stability is restored within.

For Spurs, there will be a new No. 1 in town come the start of 2026/27. Whom that is likely depends on our Premier League status, but the club may believe they already have Vicario's successor on their books.

Here are four goalkeepers who could be Tottenham's starter next season.

They said his career in north London was "over" after those 17 humiliating minutes at the Metropolitano. Antonín Kinsky's Champions League debut couldn't have gone any worse, with three rapid concessions, two of which were woeful Kinsky blunders, convincing Igor Tudor to turn to Vicario off the bench.

As Kinsky stormed past our former interim manager and down the tunnel, consoled by a couple of his teammates, you did wonder how this vulnerable young Czech goalkeeper could ever come back from that?

Well, Vicario's hernia offered Kinsky an immediate shot at redemption. He's started all four games under Roberto De Zerbi and has struggled to put a foot wrong, with his confidence in possession quickly restored. Suddenly, he looks like the hugely promising talent who was named Man of the Match on his Spurs debut again.

Kinsky will almost certainly be the starter if we succumb to the second tier, but there's bound to be stiff competition if we stay up.

There seemingly isn't a club in English football that hasn't been linked with a move for Manchester City's James Trafford.

Trafford joined the Cityzens last summer expecting to be their starter, but the surprising availability of Champions League winner Gianluigi Donnarumma forced the once-perennial champions to double-dip.

Trafford hasn't had much of a look-in as a result, with his opportunities limited to the domestic cup competitions after Donnarumma made his Premier League bow in September. The young Englishman laid out his credentials in the Carabao Cup final, executing a superb triple save early on in the 2-0 victory over Arsenal, and it's clear that he's far too good to be rotting on the bench in Manchester.

This is a potential future England No. 1, and a pursuit of Trafford does make a whole lot of sense. However, a bucket load of teams also have a similar idea, so Johan Lange will have to do some serious persuading to convince Trafford that De Zerbi's project is the right one for him.

De Zerbi could turn to his former employers for upgrades at multiple positions this summer. There was overlap between the Italian and Bart Verbruggen on the south coast, with the Dutch international joining the Seagulls in 2023.

Verbruggen did lose his starting job at one point to Jason Steele, with De Zerbi appreciating the Englishman's ball-playing abilities, but the Dutchman is certainly no slouch in that regard. He'll start between the posts at the World Cup for the Netherlands this summer off the back of an excellent Premier League season.

According to Opta, Verbruggen leads the division with 6.4 goals prevented, highlighting his shot-stopping prowess, and also boasts the fourth-highest save percentage (70.2). He's certainly grown since De Zerbi's departure, with Fabian Hürzeler saying towards the end of 2024 that Verbruggen, then only 21, reminded him of Manuel Neuer. Lofty praise.

“Neuer plays a very modern style, he’s good with his feet, always very reactive and has the ability to make great saves. It is similar to Bart," the Brighton boss said.

Verbruggen does have a Hugo Lloris brain fade in him, but you'd struggle to find a goalkeeper who doesn't.

Ideally, Tottenham wouldn't have to shell out a small fortune to acquire their No. 1 for the long haul this summer. The scouting and purchase of Kinsky last January was a rare box tick for Lange and company, with the young Czech a potential option to succeed Vicario, as we've mentioned.

If we are to go down a different route, likely restricting Kinsky to a back-up role, then a considerable fee will likely have to be shelled out. Brighton won't let Verbruggen walk for peanuts, and Sunderland will drive a hard bargain for their starting goalkeeper, Robin Roefs.

The Black Cats spent no more than £10 million to sign the NEC Nijmegen shot-stopper last August, and could bank a hefty profit if they're swept off their feet by an offer this summer. Pete O'Rourke believes Tottenham are plotting a move.

Roefs has had an excellent debut season on Wearside, helping Sunderland retain their top-flight status without much fuss. He's made the second-most saves in the Premier League (103) and has the fifth-highest save percentage (70.1).

De Zerbi will love what the Dutchman can do with the ball at his feet, that's for sure. Like Kinsky, Roefs is comfortable off both over a variety of distances.

Although nobody would mistake Richarlison for being Erling Haaland or even Joao Pedro, the Brazilian international has been the best striker on Tottenham Hotspur this season. That's not really a high compliment, given how invisble Randal Kolo Muani and Dominic Solanke have been lately, but a reflection of the entire 2025/26 season really emphasizes just how important Richy has been to the club.

He has his flaws, obviously, and he has never been a 60 million euro player for Tottenham. At the same time, he is the only player on Spurs with double digit Premier League goals this season at 10 - and nobody else has even half that - and there are only two other players with more than his four assists (and neither of them happen to be healthy right now).

So Richarlison just might be the MVP of the 2025/26 season for Tottenham when you factor in the reality that the very best players on Tottenham probably don't qualify because of the sheer number of matches they have missed due to injury.

Richarlison isn't as bad as they say

But then there is another concept Tottenham fans have to think about as a branching point off the discussion of Richarlison's value this season. Tottenham have been one of the worst teams in European football this season and have only just gotten themselves out of the relegation places. Their midfield has been overrun all season long. Before Roberto De Zerbi arrived, there was no progression or real patterns of play, and the strikers were starved of chances.

And when you put that into context, then Richarlison never really stood a chance. He was in and out of the lineup, competing with Kolo Muani and Solanke for minutes, and isolated while running around for scraps in a system that wasn't really even a system, especially with how much Thomas Frank's vision of football was built on sheer cowardice.

Richarlison's 10 goals look even better under that lens, and when Tottenham Hotspur think about how they are rebuilding their squad this summer transfer window, especially if they remain in the Premier League and have more room to maneuver (and more tough decisions to make), Richarlison's chances of staying have to be higher than some may think.

Because if Richy is showing a great attitude, healthier than before, scoring more goals than his teammates, creating more assists than the other strikers, and performing passably well on mere scraps, then maybe Tottenham have been undervaluing him this whole time. Tottenham, as a whole, have been terrible, but a lot of what has been so terrible about this team has made the individuals, like Richarlison, look even worse than they really are and even shrouded over positives worth praising.

Earlier in the season, Tottenham Hotspur played out a 2-2 draw with Manchester City. This was a good result with Spurs on a bad run of form, but it did do Arsenal a favor in the title race. Tottenham fans now find themselves in a similar predicament.

West Ham United play Arsenal in the Premier League this weekend. The Hammers are in a relegation battle with Spurs, so they need them to drop points. However, a West Ham win would throw a spanner in the works of Arsenal's title challenge.

Tottenham leapfrogged West Ham out of the relegation places last weekend after beating Aston Villa 2-1. The Hammers had already lost 3-0 to Brentford, which ended a run of three games undefeated for Nuno Espirito Santo's side.

Both West Ham and Tottenham have just three Premier League games left to play this season. As well as facing Arsenal, the Hammers have to play Newcastle United before facing Leeds United on the final day of the season. Tottenham also has to play Leeds, and then they face Chelsea before a match with Everton on the final day.

Tottenham fans will be getting Déjà vu

The Premier League is a division where there can often be many twists and turns, even with just three matchdays to go. West Ham are not expected to beat Arsenal, but have got results against the Gunners in the last three seasons, which helped scupper their title challenges.

Nuno's side's best chance at picking up three points comes against Newcastle, who are on a bad run of form. Recent results for Leeds have ensured they are all but safe from relegation. Therefore, they could be 'on the beach' when they face the Hammers on the final day.

The team from Elland Road could be mathematically safe with a result against Spurs on Monday night. The London derby against Chelsea will be tasty, but the Blues are on a disastrous run of form. Then the Everton match could be tough for Spurs. The Toffees may still have a chance of qualifying for Europe.

Another similar predicament for Tottenham occurred during the 2023/24 season when many of their fans wanted them to lose to City, as it would help deny Arsenal the chance of claiming the title. Spurs did lose that game, and City went on to win the division that campaign.

Spurs fans will be getting Déjà vu as this keeps on happening. Arsenal are currently five points clear of City at the top of the Premier League. However, City does have a game in hand. On the previous occasions where Spurs fans may have wanted their team to lose to City, they were not in such a perilous position at the bottom of the Premier League. Therefore, fans would be worried about the Hammers climbing out of the bottom three at Spurs' expense if the Hammers were to beat Arsenal.