The Mirror

Tottenham are already looking ahead to the 2026/27 season after narrowly avoiding relegation on the final day of the campaign with a 1-0 win over Everton on Sunday

Roberto De Zerbi believes that Tottenham only have "10 to 12 players" who are good enough to play for the club next season. Spurs avoided relegation from the Premier League on the final day of the season with a 1-0 win over Everton and are planning how to avoid a third successive campaign down the bottom of the table.

Joao Palhinha's scrappy goal was enough for them to secure 17th place for the second straight season and condemn West Ham to the Championship. De Zerbi arrived with seven games left to try and keep Spurs up after the failed reigns of Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor and has been successful.

But after back-to-back dismal league campaigns, Tottenham are plotting a way up the table. And after taking 11 points under the Italian manager, De Zerbi is planning a major clear-out this summer.

"From tonight we have to start to organise and to build a new team," he said in his post-match press conference. "I don't think we have now to change too many players. We have 10, 11, 12 players good enough to stay. Good enough. Like players. Especially like people. And then we have to complete the squad with the first level of players.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page

"First level of players because we suffered too much. I suffered a lot but I think the fans, the club, the board, the players. They suffered too much. We are Tottenham and we can't suffer like this until the last second of the last game to stay up.

"And I will be stronger. I will be stronger. I don't want to decide alone because football is a group - sporting director, scouting, CEO - but my target now is finished to stay up. My target is to start the pre-season with the team I have in my dream."

Asked which players had been key to Spurs avoiding the drop, De Zerbi replied: "[Radu] Dragusin. Dragusin was top because he didn't play, but he was always positive inside the dressing room. Inside the pitch. [Rodrigo] Bentancur. Because Bentancur, when he came back from the injury, he wanted to play. He came to me to say, ‘hey, I want to play. I'm ready to play.’

"Joao Palhinha, because at the beginning of my time, he didn't play in Sunderland, here with Brighton and Wolverhampton. Ben Davies. Yesterday, he came to the Lodge with us.

"Djed Spence. Before the Chelsea game he came in my office. Another one to say ‘I want to play.’ He said, ‘You always speak about the personality, the courage. I'm here, if you want to play with one player,’ and he was fantastic, I love it.

"Micky van de Ven. Great guy, sensitive guy. I spent a lot of time with him, because I consider him the best centre-back, left-centre-back in the Premier League, with Levi Colwill, because he was my former player and I can't forget him. But a lot of other players. Richarlison, Archie Gray, I can't say one."

Tottenham Hotspur have finished 17th in the Premier League for the second successive season, staying up by the skin of their teeth

Micky van de Ven admitted Tottenham should be “embarrassed” they only saved themselves from relegation on the final day of the season.

Tottenham survived by the skin of their teeth after Joao Palhinha scored the winner in their first home win in the Premier League since December 6. It sparked wild celebrations at the final whistle as Spurs avoided one of the worst days in the history of the club as Tottenham went down at the expense of West Ham.

Tottenham defender van de Ven said: “It is unacceptable that the last game we played this season we play for relegation. This club has some unbelievable players.

“It was embarrassing to let it come to the final day but we did it and that is what is important. To be honest I was more emotional at the end of the final whistle, it has been a tough season for me personally as well.

“I played almost every game and I have suffered a lot, the emotions are really happy and we must not let it happen again."

OPINION

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi, who took over as the club’s third manager of the season just last month, described it as the biggest achievement of his career to keep the club up - but insisted it cannot happen again.

De Zerbi said: “We are Tottenham and we cannot suffer from the last second of the last match of the season. My target has been to stay up and now my next target is to build a team for the next season.

“Today was unbelievable. From where we were, it was the best day in my career along with taking Brighton into Europe. The fans were incredible. I suffered a lot through the game but my life is so nice because of the pressure in football. Without that pressure it would not be nice.

“Next season we have to build a top, top, top team. We don't have to change too many players in our squad but we have to bring in some first level players.”

Tottenham Hotspur secured their survival on the final day of the Premier League season with a 1-0 win over Everton as Joao Palhinha scored the only goal of the game

There should be no cause for celebration. You can understand the huge overwhelming sense of relief in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the final whistle.

The stadium began to chant “We are staying up” after Roberto De Zerbi did his best David Pleat impression as the Spurs boss ran onto the pitch with echoes of Luton’s great escape at Manchester City all those years ago. The players then went round the pitch to whip up the fans to celebrate with the long-suffering fans as if it was some sort of miraculous great escape from relegation.

And when they began to play “Glory, Glory Tottenham Hotspur” it showed that this great club has truly forgotten what it stands for. Maybe you can indulge the fans this time - but rival supporters will be looking on to see how far this great club has fallen.

No-one should remember this day as anything other than the lowest, most embarrassing point for Tottenham in the Premier League era.

It has been an utter shambles on the pitch, off the pitch and this must serve as a warning to the club’s hierarchy this can never be allowed to happen again.

You have to credit the Tottenham fans because they were so loud before kick-off and they created a remarkable atmosphere to lift and inspire the players.

Incredibly, this was Tottenham’s first home win in the Premier League in this calendar year, a run which stretches back 170 days to December 6 when they beat Brentford 2-0 under Thomas Frank’s reign.

They have had two managers since then and, after Igor Tudor’s disastrous caretaker spell, De Zerbi has finally managed to lift this group of underperforming players to safety.

Ultimately, Joao Palhinha scored the goal to secure the win, Spurs’ safety and yet really far too many of them should hang their heads in shame.

This is no one-off freak of a season. They finished fourth from bottom last season and have finished 17th again. This whole club needs a reset.

Six years ago, they had pretensions of being part of the European Super League and, from there, they have become perennial strugglers who have survived by their skin of their teeth. Again. They built their magnificent 60,000 stadium to become one of the biggest clubs in Europe and yet so nearly dropped into the Championship. They were lucky West Ham were even worse.

Frankly, they were also very lucky they faced an Everton side who looked like they were already on the beach and had two players - Jordan Pickford and James Garner - papped coming out of a strip club this week.

There was never really a sense of jeopardy in the stadium because it was always going to take Tottenham to lose, West Ham to win and Spurs never went behind. The news filtered into the stadium that West Ham were ahead and you could sense the nerves and tension. When the board went up to show nine minutes of added time, there were huge groans

However, Tottenham have been so bad this season they still thought one Everton goal might change all that. That is how bad Spurs have been. The fans feared they could still lose it.

Spurs keeper Antonin Kinsky made a sensational save from Everton substitute Tyrique George deep into injury time. Kinsky, the fall guy in the Champions League at Atletico Madrid, made another incredible stop to deny Leeds victory two weeks ago. He did similar at Wolves.

Those are the small margins which have Tottenham in the top flight. Last season, Tottenham at least won the Europa League. But they still did not learn their lesson.

If they do not improve this summer then they only have themselves to blame. De Zerbi looks to have the energy and hunger needed.

But when the TV cameras panned to the directors’ box during the game, you could see the nerves etched over the faces of the hierarchy. No wonder.

It would have been a disaster on every level and one of the biggest stories in the history of the Premier League if they had gone down. It cannot happen again.

Gary Neville laid into Tottenham within seconds of them securing Premier League safety following their 1-0 win over Everton

Gary Neville told Tottenham Hotspur’s players to apologise to the club’s supporters for the way they have performed this season, branding them 'disgraceful'. Defeat against Chelsea on Tuesday night meant Spurs required a draw or victory against Everton this afternoon to guarantee survival.

And even though West Ham United beat Leeds United 3-0 at the London Stadium, Joao Palhinha’s goal two minutes before the break was enough to ensure his side will be playing in the Premier League next season. But the campaign has been a disastrous one for Spurs.

They have had three head coaches, and multiple unwanted records have been set, including losing six games in a row for the first time in the club’s history and going on a 15-match winless run in the Premier League.

And speaking in the immediate aftermath of the full-time whistle going at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Neville said: "They made today as comfortable as they could possibly could do. Roberto De Zerbi has got them over the line.

“If I were those Tottenham players who have been an absolute disgrace this last three months, they should be heading around this stadium and apologising to the Tottenham fans en masse because they come here every single week, those fans, 60,000 every week, to this great ground and this great club and they've been underserved.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page

“But at least they have a time now, Tottenham can reset in the summer, decide who they want on the bus, who they want off the bus, knowing that they will at least have Premier League football and their fans can go home easy tonight."

Former Spurs star Jamie Redknapp was similarly damning in his assessment of his old club's season after they narrowly avoided relegation.

"There will be a mixture of total joy but embarrassment as well because you've found yourself in this position but today you have got to enjoy it, the fans have got to enjoy it, the players, the staff but tomorrow there has to be a major inquiry into how this club with this stature and this fan base has got themselves into this predicament," he said.

"The emotion today, that's all fine, but this can't happen again. Huge three points for them, De Zerbi has come in and made a bit of a difference but not good enough this season, not by any stretch of the imagination."

Speaking after the game, Palhinha said: "It's an amazing feeling after a really tough season. A lot of things happened this season but we showed today what we can do.

"After a bad season like this one we showed up as a collective and had amazing support from the fans. The club will grow up with this season and we know what we have to do in the future.

"It's a big pleasure to play here with a top coach and top team-mates. We have to celebrate even if we didn't finish the position we deserve as Tottenham."

On his goal, the midfielder said: "It was just a goal. I just tried to help the team. I had a lot of emotions and wanted to dedicate it to my two sons and my parents."

West Ham's 3-0 win against Leeds doesn't matter as Tottenham beat Everton 1-0 to send Nuno Espirito Santo's side down from the Premier League and into the Championship on the final day

West Ham have been relegated from the Premier League for the first time in 15 years after losing their battle with Tottenham on the final day of the season. The Hammers have been circling the drain for much of the campaign and their fate was sealed despite a 3-0 win over Leeds.

Trailing by two points, Nuno Espirito Santo's side needed to beat Leeds and for Spurs to lose against Everton, but that never looked like happening. Joao Palhinha's scrappy rebound from a corner sent Spurs in at the break 1-0 up, while West Ham were booed off by their own fans at the London Stadium with the score at 0-0 at half-time.

Taty Castellanos headed in Jarrod Bowen's corner to give them the lead midway through the second half. But Everton were not doing their bit, having failed to have a shot on target after 65 minutes, meaning that Bowen's low finish to make it 2-0 and Callum Wilson's drive in the 94th minute counted for little.

The Hammers came into the final day in poor form, having lost three straight games against Brentford, Arsenal and Newcastle, and with their supporters downbeat and statisticians Opta giving them just a 15 per cent chance of escaping. Other than a diving save from Antonin Kinsky to deny Everton winger Tyrique George in injury time, there was no magic in the air in London on a sweltering summers' day as logic kept the drama at bay.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page

Castellanos failed to get a shot away when clean through on goal early in the second half and blasted another opening high and wide minutes later. But the £26million summer signing came good when he nodded in a corner and star player Bowen showed his quality once more with a high-quality solo goal before Wilson pinged a shot into the bottom corner in injury-time but barely celebrated.

Yet the atmosphere inside the London Stadium told the real story, with no news of an Everton revival coming through. West Ham's third relegation from the Premier League, after 2002-03 and 2010-11, was confirmed when the final whistle blew a few miles to the north west, with the Tottenham game lagging behind after a farcical delay due to the referee's communication equipment.

The Hammers posted a £104.2m loss for the last financial year and their relegation will inevitably mean player sales, with captain Bowen - their top scorer for a fifth consecutive season - and midfielder Mateus Fernandes, who only joined for £42m from Southampton last summer, the most valuable assets who are set to move on.

It also has implications for London taxpayers, who will see an extra £2.5m diverted from public services to cover increased operating costs at the London Stadium, where the Hammers have the most favourable of rent deals.

Spurs had taken eight points six games under De Zerbi before the final day yet had to overcome a miserable home record. But Everton arrived in north London winless in six games and never really looked like helping David Moyes keep his former club up in a flat performance which screamed last day of the season.

Ultimately, the decision to make De Zerbi the third manager of the season, after Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, has been vindicated, giving a sweet end to an otherwise miserable campaign. Spurs have now secured back-to-back 17th-place finishes and will need a major rebuild over the summer to avoid a repeat.

For West Ham, their change from Graham Potter to Nuno in September has not paid off. Now they are braced for a revolution before starting life in the Championship next season.

Tottenham have taken a huge stride to securing Premier League survival as they lead Everton 1-0 at half-time. Joao Palhinha's goal just before the interval is the difference at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

As it stands, Spurs are 17th on 41 points, four more than 18th-place West Ham, who are drawing 0-0 against Leeds United but are poised to be relegated to the Championship if results stay as they are.

Elsewhere, Liverpool are heading for the Champions League with Bournemouth losing at Nottingham Forest and the Reds drawing 0-0 at home to Brentford. Brighton are trailing 2-0 against Manchester United in their fight for Europe, while Sunderland are beating Chelsea in a crucial game in that race.

Manchester City are winning 1-0 against Aston Villa in Pep Guardiola's final game at the helm, while champions Arsenal lead Crystal Palace, Wolves are 1-0 up at Burnley and Fulham are ahead against Newcastle United.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.

Tottenham need a point to avoid relegation and send West Ham down to the Championship as they welcome Everton to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the last game of the Premier League season

One of two major final-day Premier League fixtures in the capital sees Tottenham Hotspur bring their survival battle to a close at home to Everton on Sunday afternoon. Spurs missed the chance to secure safety in midweek, but their two-point cushion and healthier goal difference over West Ham United means a draw should be enough to preserve their ever-present Premier League status.

The match is set to be an enticing one with Spurs the odds-on favourite at 17/20 with BetGoodwin to get all three points while Sky Bet have Everton at 14/5 and a draw is 13/5 with Paddy Power. You can also find more betting offers at the Mirror Betting Hubs Free Bets offers.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side came up short against a fatigued Chelsea team still recovering from an FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City. Goals from Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos put Spurs behind before Richarlison pulled one back, but controversy followed again when Marc Cucurella was booked for a foul on Micky van de Ven in the box — only for no penalty to be awarded because the ball was deemed not in play.

Tottenham’s fate is still in their own hands. Relegation would only become reality if Spurs lose and West Ham beat Leeds United, unless an improbable scenario unfolds where Spurs draw and West Ham win by 12 or more.

Home form has been a glaring issue, though, with Spurs taking just 12 points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season — the joint-worst total in the division alongside Burnley.

Everton, by contrast, have often done their best work away from home, collecting 26 of their 49 points on the road — a tally matched by Spurs and bettered only by Arsenal and Manchester City.

However, the Toffees come into the finale on a poor run. David Moyes’s side surrendered a 1-0 lead in last weekend’s 3-1 home defeat to Sunderland, a result that ended any lingering hopes of a late push for Europe and marked their sixth straight league game without a win, conceding at least twice in each — even if they have also scored in all six.

Everton were beaten 3-0 by Spurs earlier this season, and they have lost their last four away league games against Tottenham by an aggregate score of 13-1, including a 4-0 defeat in August 2024.

Tottenham vs Everton Prediction

Both teams to score - 7/10 ( BetGoodwin )

Richarlison to score anytime - 11/10 ( BetGoodwin )

Tottenham vs Everton Team News

Tottenham’s survival hopes could be lifted by Dominic Solanke, who has recovered fully from a hamstring injury, although a decision is still to be made on whether he features.

Richarlison may retain his place after scoring his 11th Premier League goal last time out, and he needs one more goal contribution to match his best-ever top-flight return of 16.

Spurs remain without Ben Davies (ankle) and Mohammed Kudus (thigh), as well as knee-injured Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero, who has angered supporters by returning to Argentina instead of attending Sunday’s decisive game.

For Everton, Idrissa Gueye is still a doubt. What was initially described as a minor issue has kept the 36-year-old out for almost a month and he has yet to return to full training. Jarrad Branthwaite (hamstring) and Jack Grealish (foot) are done for the season, and Everton’s hopes of signing Grealish permanently from Manchester City remain unresolved.

David Moyes insists he will not send out a weakened side, so Everton are expected to name a team similar to the one that lost to Sunderland, a game they only let slip in the final 10 minutes.

Gamble responsibly

Reach plc is committed to promoting safer gambling. All of our content and recommended bets are advised to those aged 18 or over. Odds are subject to change too.

'I played 236 games for Tottenham and Arsenal were never really our rivals - another club were'

A Tottenham hero admitted it wasn't Arsenal who he saw as the club's main rivals

Chelsea dealt a damaging blow to Tottenham's survival hopes this week, over a decade since their famous 'Battle of the Bridge' clash. The Blues defeated Spurs 2-1 on Wednesday to ensure the north London side will fight to keep their Premier League status on the final day of the season.

The two sides have been engaged in many compelling battles over the years with their heated 2016 fixture at Stamford Bridge ranking above all. It was a period of time where Spurs were definitively better than Arsenal which led Tottenham hero Toby Alderweireld to claim it was Chelsea who were their main rivals instead of the Gunners.

Spurs were aiming to keep their title hopes alive when they travelled to west London and what occurred was one of the dirtiest games in Premier League history. There were 12 yellow cards brandished with nine of them shown to Spurs' outfield players in the 2-2 draw which saw Leicester City be crowned champions.

The retired Belgian star played 236 games in six years for the club and he opened up about the fateful night at the Bridge. Speaking to The Times, he said: "The pressure had been building for a couple of weeks and all the attention meant everyone was so fired up.

"At that time we were always above Arsenal so for me that was not really the rivalry, it was much more Chelsea. With VAR you wouldn’t get a game like that now.

FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news and more on our dedicated Facebook page

"Maybe I’m a nostalgic guy, but that was the beauty of no VAR." The 37-year-old said it was the "craziest" match of football he's ever played. He added: "I was the only one who didn’t get a yellow!"

"I think it was the craziest game I ever played. Foul, foul, the game always standing still and the yellow cards. You could feel the game from the first duel, the first foul, it’s like ‘Oh that was a nasty one’. Straight away."

Over a decade since then, the tables have drastically turned in north London as Arsenal were officially named Premier League champions following Manchester City's draw at Bournemouth on Tuesday night.

It'll be a party atmosphere at the Gunners' last match of the season against Crystal Palace whereas Spurs will need to earn at least a point against Everton to ensure survival and relegate West Ham.

There's been contrasting fortunes across the London-based top-flight teams with Arsenal possessing the opportunity to earn further success through their Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.

A victory at the Puskas Arena in Budapest would mark Arsenal's first Champions League title and see them become the seventh English team to win the competition.