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In a season in which Tottenham Hotspur have performed well below expectations, supporters have deemed a number of players ‘not good enough’ while calling for their sales.

Yet with contract negotiations stalling amid rumoured interest from Real Madrid, Micky van de Ven’s potential departure is the most polarising.

In the aftermath of Spurs’ Europa League final triumph, those in charge made a pivot. Manager Ange Postecoglou was relieved of his duties, and a line of key figures have followed since: Daniel Levy, Donna Cullen, Fabio Paratici and the scorer of the game’s winning goal, Brennan Johnson.

The moves signalled a change in direction headlined by the appointment of Thomas Frank.

Van de Ven’s relationship with the club appears to have soured since. The defender has been visibly frustrated all season, with cameras capturing moments that fuelled speculation he had ‘ignored’ both Frank and his successor Igor Tudor in North London derbies.

Tottenham’s form has faltered at a time when Van de Ven’s individual stock continues to rise. Spurs will be aware that he left former clubs Volendam and VfL Wolfsburg shortly after seemingly outgrowing them. Luka Modric and Gareth Bale have already proved the pathway from Tottenham to Madrid can be fruitful.

If the Dutchman’s head has been turned, it may explain why many supporters believe his level has dropped this season.

Yet Van de Ven’s frustrations are understandable. He joined a club fighting for Champions League places. Now he is expected to lead a team riddled with inexperience.

Serving as captain against Arsenal, Tudor expected leadership. If there is even a perception of detachment, it undermines the cultural reset Tottenham need.

Tottenham’s age profile is a reflection of a broader recruitment strategy, which has focused on finding talented prospects rather than established stars. Among the most talented is Luka Vuskovic, who is currently impressing on loan at Hamburg after his pathway into Spurs’ first team was effectively closed by Van de Ven’s presence. If Tottenham are to double down on their new direction, Vuskovic’s development will hold priority over an unhappy Van de Ven.

Van de Ven’s services will be in high demand. If he is made available, a bidding war will likely ensue. In an inflated market, surpassing the current world-record fee for a defender is not implausible. This summer will bring more change for Tottenham, who are still searching for their next permanent manager. Van de Ven’s sale would significantly bolster their capability to rebuild the squad for whomever they appoint. Sacrificing established figures to make way for a new direction has become a trend, and selling him would reinforce that.

Maintaining a strategy is crucial now. Having seen a vast turnover of managers and directors in the last decade, Spurs are in need of stability. The board showed patience with Frank, underpinning their determination to trust a process. If Van de Ven’s timeline does not coincide with the club’s project, a separation is mutually beneficial.

Although difficult to see during a tumultuous season, Spurs have built some long-term foundations. They cannot afford another half-commitment. If they are rebuilding, they must rebuild completely – even if that means selling one of their best players.

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur have no intention of selling Archie Gray amid interest from Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

Gray joined Tottenham from Leeds United for £35million in the summer transfer window of 2024.

The 19-year-old played 46 times across all competitions last season as his side finished a disappointing 17th in the Premier League but won the Europa League, beating Manchester United in the final.

Naturally a midfielder, Gray played at right-back, centre-back and left-back due to constant injuries to Spurs defenders.

Injuries and suspensions have piled up in recent months, which has led to Gray playing more in defence again.

He will be delighted to play so many minutes for a ‘Big Six’ club while displaying incredible versatility, but rarely playing in his natural position is far from ideal.

Spurs’ struggles have hardly helped either. After an abysmal 17th-place finish last season, they currently sit 16th, only four points above the relegation zone.

Under Ange Postecoglou last term, Spurs could prioritise the Europa League because the bottom three were so catastrophically bad. This year, that is not the case.

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Wolverhampton Wanderers have looked as good as down since November, while Burnley look doomed, but the final relegation spot remains uncertain, with Spurs, West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United among the teams in danger.

Should Spurs go down, there will be a mass exodus of players, and even if they stay up, their better players will probably look to leave after another shocking league campaign.

Gray is one player who could depart, while Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero have also been linked with exits.

According to Tribuna, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are both interested in signing the teenager.

The report states:

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are closely monitoring the England U21 international. In Munich, a midfield spot is expected to open from the summer of 2026 following the confirmed departure of Leon Goretzka.

However, any potential transfer would come at a high cost. Tottenham are reportedly demanding around €60 million (£52.6m) for the teenager. With his contract running until 2030, Spurs are in a strong negotiating position.

Transfer journalist Pete O’Rourke has added that Spurs are very unlikely to sell Gray – who could replace Arsenal target Goretzka at Bayern – this summer.

Speaking on Football Insider’s Transfer Insider podcast, he explained: “Nah, I don’t see it at all. Obviously Tottenham spent a lot of money to sign Archie Gray from Leeds.

“He’s been one of the shining lights for Tottenham in the last 12–18 months.

“Such a versatile player, he’s slotted into so many positions – right-back, centre-back, midfield – he’s played everywhere and been a real success for Spurs.

“Tottenham want to keep hold of their best players. Obviously they’re battling relegation, but I don’t think they’ll be entertaining any offers for Archie Gray.

“He’s still only 19. I think he’s got the potential to be a world-class player, he’s got so much potential, and if he fulfils that, I think he’ll be a long-term success at Tottenham.”

You’d better believe it’s another Big Weekend. They all are at this time, with The Business End Of The Season rapidly approaching.

It’s another big London derby for Arsenal, who will hope it goes much like last week’s. And another big London derby for Tottenham and Igor Tudor, who will hope it very much does not go like last week’s.

Erling Haaland returns to his home city, and we might even get a slightly clearer idea of whether Vitor Pereira’s start at Nottingham Forest has actually been particularly bouncy at all.

Game to watch: Arsenal v Chelsea

For the second week running, Arsenal face the prospect of having to respond in a Super Sunday London derby to whatever pressure Man City have applied on Saturday evening.

There’s good news and bad news for the Gunners beyond that, though. The good news is that they won’t have to spend this weekend fighting a bottle-based narrative. The bad news is that they don’t get to play Spurs. Particularly distressing for Ebere Eze, we imagine.

What they get instead is Chelsea. Now there are two key things to note about Chelsea at this time. They are definitely better than Spurs, but also maybe by not that much. Certainly, Arsenal ought to have few enough problems sorting out a side that had won four games in a row to seemingly take control of their Champions League qualification bid only to then come unstuck in consecutive home games against Leeds and, worse, Burnley.

The piddling away of four points in those two games, both of which Chelsea led, could be costly indeed for the Champions League chasers given a ticklish upcoming run of league games that includes not only Arsenal this weekend but Aston Villa, Newcastle, Everton, Man City and Man United by about mid-April.

Arsenal meanwhile will be less keen for this one to so accurately follow the reverse fixture as last weekend’s trip to Tottenham did, with the Gunners only managing a 1-1 draw against a Chelsea team that spent most of the game with 10 men after Moises Caicedo lost the run of himself at Stamford Bridge back in November.

Team to watch: Tottenham

Now the work really begins for Igor Tudor. The North London Derby was a bit of a free hit, but it was also f*cking grim and did appear to leave the latest poor bastard to have stumbled blinking and confused into the Tottenham hotseat realising just how big a sh*tshow he’s let himself be talked into.

But he’s also had another full week with his players and doesn’t have to play Arsenal again, which is definitely a boon. It’s also very obviously not (yet) a win-or-bust situation for Spurs, although that day grows uncomfortably close with the gap over 18th-placed West Ham having withered away from 13 points to four over recent weeks.

What this game does represent is an uncomfortably massive moment in Spurs’ season. If they can’t get a win – or at the very, very least a point and halfway-convincing overall performance – then the hopes pinned on a new-manager bounce will begin to evaporate and things could get very ugly very fast.

Spurs’ situation is a bleak one. They are a terrible team in horrible form with a nightmarish injury crisis and a slightly confused looking new manager. It has every chance of ending in a previously unthinkable catastrophe.

But there are also reasons for some optimism. That the returns of players as underwhelming as Pedro Porro and Kevin Danso is such big news for Spurs is damningly revealing in itself, but they are crucial players to have back. And more so now under Tudor than they would have been under Thomas Frank.

It’s a fair sign of just how fast and chaotically the wheel turns at Spurs, but worth remembering now that when Porro arrived at Spurs three years ago it was to play as an attack-minded right wing-back in Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 having played a starring role in Ruben Amorim’s version at Sporting.

His expected return from injury this weekend to take that job in Tudor’s slightly more 3-5-2-flavoured iteration from young midfielder Archie Gray really should make a noticeable difference. Porro can be a frustrating flatter-to-deceive sort, but he does have crossing ability in his locker as well as a knack for a diagonal ball to find midfield runners.

The return of Danso gives Tudor another chance to put a round peg in a round hole by the simple delights of having three centre-backs to pick in a formation that requires three centre-backs. The knock-on effect of being able to pick a third centre-back to be third centre-back and a right wing-back to play right wing-back is that Joao Palhinha and Gray now bolster his options for a midfield that was so alarmingly overrun in the NLD last weekend.

What we should get on Sunday, with the slightly less dire squad restraints Tudor will now be working with, is a clearer example of how and how well and indeed if Tudor’s approach will work over the perilous months ahead. It seems very hard to predict, a sense only heightened by it just always being impossible to know what you might get from Fulham one week to the next anyway.

Player to watch: Erling Haaland

Haaland returns to the city of his birth this weekend, looking to help find a way past Leeds’ newly resolute five-man defence and help get himself out of one of those (relative) mid-season funks of his.

Haaland has a bit of a habit of this during his time in England. It is all very, very relative; had any other striker in the Premier League scored only three goals in the year approaching the end of February you’d hardly notice. But with Haaland every blank feels conspicuous. Last weekend against Newcastle he even turned provider by digging out a dinked little cross for Nico O’Reilly to decisively head home in what looked like a scene from a wildly misjudged body-swap comedy.

Two of Haaland’s three Premier League goals this calendar year have been from the penalty spot and while we never like to join the ranks of those who insist they shouldn’t count for some reason – especially when one of those two penalties was the dramatic winner at Liverpool – it would be nice for City to get their main man back once again scoring more regularly in more different ways as the title race takes shape ahead of the final run-in.

Manager to watch: Vitor Pereira

A curious start to life for the latest Nottingham Forest manager. There has been a new-manager bounce of sorts but… it kind of hasn’t really got them anywhere. A 3-0 win over Fenerbahce in the Europa League play-off round was a fine start, sure, but Forest then made harder work of the second leg than they wanted or needed to.

Defeat on the night in that one followed a late defeat to Liverpool and a nagging sense of opportunity lost.

If West Ham can do to a stuttering Liverpool this weekend what Forest could not last weekend, then Pereira will begin just his second game as Forest manager at Brighton already in the bottom three. Just the prospect alone should be enough to focus minds, as should the fact that a Forest win on the south coast not only significantly improves their own prospects but also stops Brighton pulling away from the relegation squabble altogether.

Football League game to watch: Cambridge United v MK Dons

A trip down to League Two this week because why not? This one pits second v third in a key clash in the promotion race, and also two teams bang in form.

Cambridge have won nine of their last 11 league games and lost only one since October – a rogue bad afternoon at relegation-threatened Harrogate. The Dons have won six and drawn three since losing narrowly to Colchester on New Year’s Day.

European game to watch: Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich

Dortmund are just about clinging to Bayern’s coat-tails at the top of the Bundesliga but won’t be hitting this Klassiker feeling tip-top about life after dropping points last weekend at RB Leipzig and then having their pants pulled down spectacularly by Atalanta in the Champions League punishment round after a 2-0 first-leg win seemed to have set them up nicely to progress.

Having already been knocked out of the Pokal by Leverkusen, defeat this weekend would effectively be a season-ender for Dortmund before we’ve even kicked February into touch.

Fabrizio Romano has quashed reports that Manchester United will pursue Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven in the summer transfer window.

Van de Ven has been one of Tottenham‘s standout players since his arrival in the summer of 2023.

His performances helped the Londoners win last season’s Europa League, but he has been unable to lift them up the Premier League table.

Spurs currently sit 16th in the top flight and only four points above the relegation zone after 27 games.

Their dismal form this campaign means Van de Ven and some of his team-mates, such as Cristian Romero, could leave in the summer.

There would almost certainly be a mass exodus should Spurs get relegated to the Championship.

Van de Ven has attracted interest from Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid and, regardless of Spurs’ top-flight status, could move on this year.

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A move to United or Liverpool would be a tough pill to swallow for Spurs fans, but Madrid could pounce after missing out on free-agent targets Dayot Upamecano and Marc Guehi.

And in another boost (of sorts) for Spurs, a move to Old Trafford looks unlikely.

According to Fabrizio Romano, selling Romero and Van de Ven is not something Spurs would consider, and there is nothing “serious or concrete” regarding a transfer to United.

“I do not see Tottenham selling both of them,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.

“This would not be Tottenham’s style, but there is obviously a lot of attention on the players because they are among the best centre-backs in the world. And so several clubs are following these situations.

“On Van de Ven and Manchester United, these rumours in the last 24 to 48 hours, coming from England – I received many questions – but guys, I’m not aware of anything really serious or concrete at this stage.”

Romano continued: “Appreciating Micky van de Ven is absolutely normal because he is one of the best defenders around, so it’s absolutely normal to have these kinds of stories involving many clubs.

“But at the moment, as I keep telling you – and I told you here on the channel for some time – the focus for Man Utd and the big spending is going to be on midfielders. Man Utd want to invest in midfielders.

“Could Man Utd sign a defender? I think it’s a possibility in the summer.

“Let’s see what happens with Harry Maguire – if he’s going to stay or leave. But at the moment, for Micky van de Ven and United, there is nothing really serious or concrete.”

Roy Keane is “not falling for the ‘too good to go down'” trap as he picked a “doomed” club in the relegation battle, while Ian Wright insists one moment in the North London derby proved Tottenham have already “checked out”.

Spurs are four points above the relegation zone and are very much in a battle with West Ham and Nottingham Forest to avoid the drop after Igor Tudor’s arrival failed to stop the rot against Arsenal on Sunday.

The Gunners recovered from their title wobble to dismiss Spurs 4-1 on their own patch and extend Tottenham’s winless run to nine games in the Premier League, featuring five defeats.

And although Keane doesn’t believe Spurs are “too good to go down” he does think they will “find a bit more” than both West Ham and Forest in the run-in.

“I still think they’ll be alright,” Keane said on The Overlap. “I’m not falling for this ‘they’re too good to go down’ but I do think they’ll find a bit more than Nottingham Forest and West Ham. It’s as simple as that.

“West Ham have got a little bit of momentum going and Forest were hit with a killer blow last minute against Liverpool. These are all little momentum turners – it can all change week to week. But I still think Tottenham will have enough to stay up.”

The Manchester United legend picked out Forest as the “most doomed team” in the battle as new manager Vitor Pereira also has the Europa League to contend with. They hold a 3-0 lead over Fenerbahce in the knockout round play-off ahead of the Turkish side’s visit to the City Ground on Thursday.

“The worst thing with Forest is they’ve got a distraction with Europe,” Keane added. “They look the most doomed team right now. I know they have a new coach going in and you thin he needs a good start with different ideas. Again, huge weekend coming up.”

In a video which went viral after defeat to Arsenal last weekend, Tudor could be seen gesturing to Micky van de Ven – Spurs captain for the day in Cristian Romero’s absence – to move up the pitch to put more pressure on the Arsenal ball carriers.

The Dutch centre-back could be seen looking towards Tudor on a number of occasions but refused to take action, remaining deep as the Arsenal players came forward.

And Wright saw that as evidence that Spurs as a whole have “checked out” this season.

Wright said: “I saw Igor Tudor trying to speak to Van de Ven, trying to push him forward – he blanked him, totally blanked him. That says to me that they’ve checked out already.

“This guy’s new, he wants him to come up and Van de Ven ignores him. That don’t look good.”

There are two key quirks in this season’s run-in battles.

First, you have Manchester United challenging for the Champions League while having absolutely no other commitments to worry about whatsoever and a team so fresh on its once-a-week schedule that Luke Shaw is able to play every single game.

At the other end of the table you have the perhaps even greater absurdity of two teams in desperate trouble still having European games to squeeze in.

Thanks to a classic piece of mischief from our old friend the fixture computer, these two dafties even come up against each other in a potentially season-defining six-pointer the weekend after the conclusion of their business in the last 16 of the Champions League and Europa League.

Spurs and Forest are of course those two dafties in question, and the added stress of those absurdly luxurious side projects could be of huge significance.

The obvious beneficiaries are West Ham, who are not in Europe and thus have potentially a far fresher squad for the battles ahead – especially having also taken meaningful action to bolster their numbers in January.

The numbers are clear. Both Spurs and Forest have seven outfield players with more than 2000 minutes of football in their legs this season already; the Hammers have just two.

Nikola Milenkovic of Forest is way over 3000 minutes. Morgan Gibbs-White, Neco Williams and Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven will join him in the 3000 club on their next appearances. Elliot Anderson and Pedro Porro aren’t far behind.

The importance of Jarrod Bowen to West Ham is signposted by the fact he’s still managed over 2600 minutes in a non-Europe season, but no other Hammer is anywhere near those numbers. Mateus Fernandes clears 2000 minutes by less than one half of one game.

Players who have become increasingly influential over the Hammers’ recent upturn in form – your Aaron Wan-Bissakas, your Crysencio Summervilles – are relatively lightly raced.

How this all pans out depends largely on Tottenham’s injury crisis. If – and it must be acknowledged this is an if visible from space, one doing so much heavy lifting it’s about to start a toxic podcast about how women are just awful – they can get significant numbers of their walking wounded back on the park then they might, counter-intuitively, find themselves in position to benefit from some freshness for the run-in.

We’ve already seen this to an extent with Dominic Solanke making some difference to Tottenham’s otherwise miserable existence.

Pedro Porro, for instance, should return soon and looks one player ideally suited to Igor Tudor’s methods. A month’s rest isn’t what he or Spurs wanted or needed at the time, but it might help them out of a tricky spot in the end.

The fear – and in truth more likely scenario – is that Spurs simply do not have the numbers to survive. In every sense. There’s something unavoidably Spursy about the way their success in the Champions League this season could cost them everything.

It helped Thomas Frank in a job long past the point where sacking him would have been a kindness and has stretched an unbalanced and thin squad well beyond its elastic limit.

That Van de Ven’s hamstrings haven’t gone ping this season is a miracle, but there has been clear evidence in recent weeks that the strain of leading this slapstick defence has got to him. Especially as Cristian Romero is so adept at securing himself regular rests.

Somehow, Spurs spent 17 years desperately believing a trophy was all they wanted and needed yet have now discovered to their horror that winning one was not the springboard to greater things but a gateway to hell.

And somewhere out there sits a sheepish Spurs fan holding a monkey’s paw and wishing he’d listened to the warnings of a Moroccan shopkeeper.

Tottenham Hotspur have been tipped to “go down” from the Premier League unless new head coach Igor Tudor “quickly addresses” their “biggest” problem.

The north London outfit are in a desperate situation in the Premier League, sitting only four points clear of the relegation zone in 16th.

Tottenham’s relegation fears have increased during a shambolic nine-game winless run in the Premier League, with the appointment of new boss Tudor not having the desired effect against Arsenal in Sunday’s north London derby.

Tudor‘s side struggled to lay a glove on Arsenal as they slumped to a 4-1 home defeat, so they desperately need to bounce back when they visit Fulham at the weekend.

Responding to the loss against Arsenal, former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara explained why the performance against the Gunners was the “complete opposite” of what he was “expecting”.

“I was expecting a bit of a manager bounce. Arsenal had a couple of sticky performances against Wolves and Brentford, so I was expecting the team to go into this game with a high attitude, a bit of passion, fight, relentless pressing, and not letting easy crosses in the box,” O’Hara said on Sky Sports.

READ: Liverpool and Man Utd boosted as Tottenham players reassigned after relegation

“[It was the] complete opposite. It was miles away from where I thought it was. I know there’s injuries, but the attitude of the players is my biggest concern.

“The attitude to defend, to run, to compete, to not concede goals. That for me is basic 101, and then you can talk about creativity, whether we’re good enough, whether we’ve got the players, the formation, but the basic defending, basic mentality of a football club.

“When you’re down at the bottom, when you’re fighting for results, Spurs haven’t got it. They have not got the stomach for a fight, and it was evident in that Arsenal game, and it was actually embarrassing.”

O’Hara has also explained why he thinks Spurs “will go down” unless they start to show that they have “got the stomach” for the relegation fight.

“When it matters in the Premier League, when you’re fighting for points, they haven’t got the stomach for it. That’s what I’ve noticed, and that’s what needs to be addressed, and it needs to be addressed quickly, because Spurs will go down.

“The teams down the bottom, West Ham, Nottingham Forest, they’ll run. They’ll fight. They’ll scrap, because they know they’re in it. They’ve been in it before. Spurs don’t want to be in it. Players don’t want to be in it. They want to be in the Champions League, playing nice football.

“They’re in a relegation fight, and that for me was the biggest thing that I’ve noticed, especially in the Arsenal game, how embarrassing it was to see. Forget the creativity. Forget the chances that you can create because you’ve got some decent players, that right there [points at running stats], is why Spurs are in big trouble.”

Tottenham are eyeing up a summer move for Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson to replace Guglielmo Vicario, according to reports.

Spurs are having a nightmare season with new interim boss Igor Tudor failing to get a tune out of his side on Sunday as they lost 4-1 to Arsenal in the North London Derby.

Tottenham sacked Thomas Frank earlier this month as their efforts to go in a new direction, following the departure of Ange Postecoglou in the summer, did not work out.

After their loss to the Gunners, Tottenham have now won just two of their last 18 Premier League matches, giving supporters concern that they could slip towards relegation.

Spurs are now only four points above 18th-placed West Ham, who occupy the nearest relegation spot, and Tottenham are in real danger of being a Championship club next season unless they turn their form around.

One player who is unlikely to be at Spurs next season, whatever league they are in, is Vicario with rumours he could be tempted to move back to Italy in the summer transfer window.

READ: Arsenal win Premier League but remain bottlers, Spurs relegated, Pereira sack – 10 predictions for the run-in

And Football Insider claims that Tottenham ‘have set their sights on a move to sign’ Crystal Palace goalkeeper Henderson with Vicario expected to leave.

Former Tottenham chief scout Mick Brown insists that the England international is someone that Spurs are “impressed by” and could bring him to north London in the summer.

Brown told Football Insider: “Tottenham are looking at a few new goalkeepers.

“If they can come to an agreement to sell Vicario in the summer, they’re going to need to bring in a replacement for him and somebody who will improve their side.

“The Crystal Palace goalkeeper, Dean Henderson, is somebody I hear Tottenham have been impressed by.

“Since the start of last season, he’s really upped his game for Palace and has become a crucial part of the success he’s had, he’s become a really top-class goalkeeper.

“He’s an England international as well which will always appeal to a side like Tottenham.

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“From a Palace point of view, they’re not going to let him go easily because they’ve got other issues they have to deal with without having to replace their goalkeeper.

“He’s a crucial player for them, he’s the captain now after Guehi has left, so it won’t be easy for Tottenham if they want to make a move for him.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy claims it’s “absolutely ridiculous” that Tottenham are even in the conversation to get relegated this season.

Murphy told BBC Sport: “I would be really surprised if they weren’t able to fight their way out of it.

“The games coming up are all huge. I think they will have just enough.

“The fact we are mentioning Spurs going down is unbelievable. It’s absolutely ridiculous really.

“Whether you blame recruitment or the owners, it would be catastrophic for that club. I have heard some fans suggest going down could be the best thing. I just don’t see that.”

Tottenham Hotspur would reportedly be ‘willing to terminate’ Igor Tudor’s contract before the end of this season if their relegation fears increase.

Spurs have tasked Tudor with guiding them to Premier League safety as their risk of relegation has increased in recent weeks.

The north London club sanctioned the overdue sacking of former boss Thomas Frank following an eight-game winless run in the Premier League, which stretched to nine matches at the weekend as they were beaten 4-1 by Arsenal.

The derby against Arsenal was Tudor‘s first game in charge and there was little sign of improvement from Spurs, who are now only four points clear of the relegation zone.

West Ham United and Nottingham Forest have also been showing more signs of life than Spurs, with Tudor urgently needing to spark a response from his squad if they are to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

READ: Arsenal win Premier League but remain bottlers, Spurs relegated, Pereira sack – 10 predictions for the run-in

Tudor tends to have short reigns at clubs and this is likely to be the case at Tottenham, who have only given him a contract until the end of this season.

And Tudor may not even see out the remainder of this campaign, with a report from an insider on X with a ‘team of five elite reporters’ and over 700k followers claiming he faces being sacked if Spurs do not improve in the coming weeks.

They said on X: ‘Exclusive: The Spurs board are willing to terminate Igor Tudor’s contract if results continue on a downward spiral.

‘The club have backup plans in place. The club cannot afford to get relegated!’

Spurs have been hit by injuries more than other Premier League clubs this season, while they have also been punished for a lack of ambition in the transfer market.

Former boss Ange Postecoglou recently named several exciting transfer targets who joined other teams, though a new report from The Guardian claims club chiefs ‘plan to rip up their wage structure and invest in the squad’ if they stay up this season.

The report explains:

‘Under the leadership of the former executive chair Daniel Levy, who was forced out last September by the Lewis Family Trust that owns the club, Tottenham made a virtue of parsimony regarding player wages and transfer fees, but there is a growing feeling that a correction is overdue.

‘Economies had to be made to pay back loans taken out to build the club’s £1bn stadium but the 2023-24 wage spend was 42% of revenue, very low by Premier League standards. A source close to the owners said the Lewis family recognised greater investment in salaries was needed because finishing positions in the league correlate more closely to wages than to transfer spending.’

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has revealed that Tottenham face a £250m black hole if they are relegated to the Championship this season.

Spurs are having an awful season with new interim boss Igor Tudor failing to get a new manager bounce as Tottenham were beaten 4-1 by arch-rivals Arsenal in the North London Derby on Sunday.

Thomas Frank was sacked earlier this month after a run of terrible form in the Premier League and their defeat to the Gunners over the weekend means that Tottenham have won just twice in their last 18 league matches.

Despite not looking in danger for most of the season. Tottenham are now facing a relegation battle with West Ham – who occupy the final relegation spot – just four points behind them and in better form than Spurs.

And Maguire has outlined the financial cost to Tottenham of losing their Premier League status and being relegated to the Championship, including failure to qualify for the Champions League.

Maguire told talkSPORT: “That’s right [relegation would be a financial disaster for Tottenham].

READ: Liverpool and Man Utd boosted as Tottenham players reassigned after relegation

“I think if you go from Champions League, where they are at present, to the Championship, we’re probably looking at a potential reduction in revenue of around about £250million.

“They will be in receipt of parachute payments, instead of the money they get from the Premier League.

“Last year they got £127million from the Premier League – it would be £45million in terms of parachute payments.

“They won’t get any of the money from the Champions League… they’ve earned £70million to date, plus they’ve got gate receipts from those matches.

“If you look at the gate receipts, they’re going to struggle to get 62,000 if it’s Lincoln City at home on a Tuesday night.

“Spurs fans support their team, but being able to extract for that value will be really difficult.”

Maguire added: “And then you’ve got to look at their sponsors.

“They’ve got a £40m deal with AI, they’ve got the big deal with Nike… there’s likely to be relegation clauses in those as well.”

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When asked if Tottenham players will have relegation clauses in their contracts, which would reduce Spurs’ wage bill in the Championship, Maguire replied: “Certainly at the elite end of the Premier League, clauses are all focused on bonuses for qualifying for the Champions League and how they are organised.

“Clubs such as Spurs wouldn’t have ever countenanced the prospect of relegation, so it’s unlikely to have such clauses.

“But I would expect an exodus at the end of the season… the club will look to cash in and players will want to play at the elite end of football…there will be players wanting to leave and players that the club will want to leave.

“That will help to reduce the wage bill, and what Spurs have in their favour is that they already substantially have the lowest wage bill of the so-called ‘Big Six’.

“Even so, it will be a challenge – and they also owe £300m in unpaid transfer fees to players that they’ve already signed because they bought them on instalments.”