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Tottenham play Everton at home on Sunday needing a result to be guaranteed of their Premier League status in a battle with West Ham, but Cristian Romero won't be there

Cristian Romero has angered Tottenham fans after it emerged that he won't be at their relegation decider this weekend. The Spurs captain is out injured and has decided to travel back to Argentina to watch his former club this weekend, instead of cheer on his team-mates against Everton.

Romero suffered a knee injury in Tottenham's 1-0 loss at Sunderland last month which ruled him out of their remaining matches. His loss was a significant one for manager Roberto De Zerbi, but they have taken eight points from the following five games to give themselves a chance of avoiding the drop from the Premier League.

Spurs go into their final match against Everton at home with their fate in their own hands, knowing victory will secure 17th place and send West Ham down in 18th. The Hammers are two points worse off than their London rivals and host Leeds on Sunday.

It will be a tense and extremely important Sunday for Tottenham, but Romero will not be in the stands. The defender will instead be supporting his old club Belgrano as they play River Plate for the Argentine title this weekend. The Cordoba-based club posted a video on social media of Romero at their training ground on Friday.

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That decision has not gone down well on social media, with some fans describing his decision as "disgraceful". Many others have suggested this signals the end of his time at the club, regardless of whether they are relegated or not.

Romero has been strongly linked with a move to Atletico Madrid this summer, despite having three years left on a contract extension he signed last year. The 28-year-old joined Spurs in 2022 from Atalanta and has played 156 times for the club.

His importance to the squad was underlined by De Zerbi when confirming his season-ending injury last month. "Romero, I'm very sorry for him, for his injury," De Zerbi said. "First of all, Romero loves Tottenham, people have to know he's suffering for this injury, suffering because he can't play for us again this season. He's a great captain for us.

"We have to be positive. We have Radu Dragusin and Kevin Danso, they are able to play, to play well, to give us the quality with the ball and to be strong in the defensive space so we can win. We want to win."

In his absence, Danso has partnered Micky van de Ven in central defence, but the duo could not stop Chelsea from winning 2-1 on Tuesday to set up the final-day relegation decider.

Both Spurs and West Ham face sides with little to play for, with Everton sitting 12th in the Premier League, while Leeds are 14th.

Tottenham's Premier League status is still in danger after another loss, this time at Chelsea, with Jamie Redknapp admitting their lack of ambition and business interests have undermined the club

Jamie Redknapp has torn into Tottenham and claimed they would "deserve" relegation if it came their way - suggesting they have become a "brilliant entertainment business" ahead of being a football club.

The north Londoners were beaten at Chelsea on Tuesday night, meaning the battle for survival will go down to the final day. They are two points ahead of West Ham, who host Leeds, and a win for the Hammers could keep them up depending on how Tottenham do against Everton.

Tottenham have endured another dire season, which has put their status as Premier League ever presents at serious risk. The club's ambition and direction has long been criticised and Redknapp believes they have placed too much onus on how much revenue they can make away from football.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has become an annual home for the NFL, attracted major musicians to London and also been a regular host for some of boxing's biggest bouts.

Redknapp said on Sky Sports: "Everything is in place - incredible fanbase, amazing stadium, amazing training ground, but if you haven't got the players to fill that. I said it last year, Tottenham has become a brilliant entertainment business.

"They get the best American Football, they get Beyonce, but its the only club that does that. And everyone says 'oh that's great business', but its a football club. In England we do football, we don't do the American-style entertainment. I don't see Arsenal doing too many things like that.

"They're a business and a football club, I don't look at them and think you're a serious football club right now. I played there, I was in the dressing room, and I felt there was a lack of ambition at the club - and it hasn't changed."

Dropping into the Championship would be embarrassing for a team who, only seven years ago, were in a Champions League final. They finished second as recently as 2017 but are on their third manager of the season with Redknapp pointing the blame at the owners.

"If they do get relegated its nothing more than they deserve," he said. "They've been awful all season. It's not right to blame Thomas Frank, its not right to blame Igor Tudor, the people that employed them are those you should be looking it because they haven't worked out."

The Sky Sports pundit, who was a Tottenham player from 2002 to 2005, admits they may well survive "by the skin of their teeth" - but didn't give them much credit for that.

Since Roberto De Zerbi has come in the north Londoners have won twice, which has aided their survival hopes, but Redknapp put those wins into context and expressed concern with their horrendous home record as they look to see off Everton in the capital.

“The only thing that’s saved them is a couple of good results," he said. "When I say good, they beat Wolves, and they beat an Aston Villa side who had seven players out at the time. Now they’ve got to find a way to win a game at home. Their home form has been horrendous all season. They’ve had no quality and no character to win a football match."

Tottenham missed the chance to secure their Premier League status on Tuesday by suffering a 2-1 loss against Chelsea, a result which gives West Ham a glimmer of hope

James Maddison admits it's 'embarrassing' that Tottenham will go into the final day of the Premier League season with a chance of being relegated. Spurs could've ensured their survival away to London rivals Chelsea on Tuesday but suffered a 2-1 loss.

Tottenham will go into Sunday's home game against Everton two points above West Ham, who occupy the only remaining relegation spot. Their vastly superior goal difference means that a draw should be enough for Roberto De Zerbi's side, but there's sure to be nerves at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

West Ham, meanwhile, host a Leeds side with nothing to play for. That's in contrast to Everton, who are battling to finish in the European places.

Maddison made his only second appearance since returning from nine-month spell on the sidelines against Chelsea, and spoke to Sky Sports post-match. "We've got to give everything for this club, for the badge and for our fans.," the midfielder explained.

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"It is unacceptable and a little bit embarrassing that we're in this position as Tottenham Hotspur but it's the reality unfortunately and it's up to us to get out of it.

"Sunday is going to be a big day. We're going to need everyone, we're going to need our fans who were absolutely unbelievable today by the way.

"Even at 2-0 down you could just hear them and I genuinely think we've got the best away support in the league. We need to repay them with a good performance and some points on Sunday to secure Premier League survival."

Maddison was restricted to just half an hour of action as he continues to build up his fitness, having suffered a serious knee injury during pre-season. "Anyone who has worked in football or has been through this injury, it is not as easy just to drop back in," the 29-year-old explained.

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"It would be catastrophic for my career if something was to happen and we weren't safe or if we didn't follow the protocols from the specialist, but obviously I want to help the team as much as I can so let's see where we get to."

Maddison added: "Obviously I've been out for a long time so I'm not going to be at my fluid and fluent best, but I feel good and I've just got to try and help the team with whatever many minutes I can.

"I've obviously had a massive injury, so it's one of them you have to respect the injury a little bit and that's probably why I am not starting games, but I've been out for a little while and I am going to do what I can on Sunday.

"I did tonight, it wasn't enough but we've got to keep trying and keep battling for our fans."

Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United face a tense final day of the 2025/26 Premier League season with the final relegation battle set to be decided following the former's draw with Chelsea

It's set to be a final-day shootout between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United to avoid relegation from the Premier League. Both clubs remain in real danger of slipping into the Championship ahead of the final weekend of the 2025/26 campaign and it could go either way.

Roberto De Zerbi's Spurs had a real chance of confirming their spot in the Premier League on Tuesday evening against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. All they needed to do was avoid defeat at Stamford Bridge to rubber-stamp their place and relegate West Ham in the process.

But goals from Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos saw the North Londoners slip to another defeat despite Richarlison pulling a goal back. Fortunately for Spurs however, it's a simple equation heading into the final day of the campaign.

All they need to do is avoid defeat against Everton on the last day - and hope West Ham don't win and score 12 goals against Leeds in their own final game - to stay up. A win would guarantee themselves a Premier League place regardless of if the Hammers win.

If Spurs lose, they need to keep their fingers crossed that West Ham do not beat Leeds. If that happens, it will be West Ham instead of Spurs that stay up.

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Away from the relegation battle, the title race was ended on what was a dramatic Tuesday evening. Spurs' North London rivals Arsenal were officially crowned as Premier League champions.

The Gunners put themselves on the verge of the crown with Monday evening's 1-0 win against Burnley. They were able to celebrate just 24 hours later as Bournemouth held Pep Guardiola's Manchester City to a draw.

That result also saw Bournemouth seal a place in the top of eight of the Premier League which will likely be enough to see the Cherries qualify for Europe.

A win would have put them in a last-day battle for a Champions League spot but they now need a six-goal swing on the final day to swap places with Liverpool. The two are set to meet on Sunday at Anfield.

Sticking with Europe, there are a number of clubs still in the conversation for a continental competition. Brighton, Chelsea, Brentford and Sunderland could all sneak into the top eight on the final day.

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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.

With plenty at stake this could be seen as the Battle of the Bridge with Chelsea looking to make a last-ditch attempt of securing European football while Spurs could officially survive relegation with a win at Stamford Bridge

With Xabi Alonso watching from afar, Chelsea play their final Premier League home match of the season on Tuesday night as Tottenham Hotspur make the short trip across London to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are facing a growing threat of missing out on Europe altogether in 2026-27, while Spurs can all but secure survival with a derby win.

It could well be an entertaining game at Stamford Bridge - they always seem to be whenever Roberto De Zerbi faces Chelsea - with the bookies pricing the Blues as the favourites at 19/20 with BetGoodwin while Spurs are 12/5 with Sky Bet and Paddy Power is offering a draw at 5/2. You can also find more betting offers at the Mirror Betting Hubs Free Bets offers.

In the wake of a fourth straight FA Cup final defeat, Chelsea moved quickly to confirm Alonso’s arrival on a four-year deal, announced less than 24 hours after Saturday’s 1-0 Wembley loss to Manchester City. Calum McFarlane’s side competed well for long spells, but Antoine Semenyo’s moment of quality proved decisive, leaving the Blues empty-handed and closing off one route back into Europe.

Chelsea are now mathematically unable to finish in the top five, but their Champions League hopes are not completely extinguished. They sit six points behind sixth-placed Bournemouth, and that position could yet offer a Champions League place if Aston Villa end up fifth and win the Europa League.

A spirited 1-1 draw at Liverpool last weekend ended a six-game Premier League losing streak, but Chelsea are still flirting with unwanted history: another defeat would mean five straight home league losses for the first time. They have not lost their final home league game of a season since 2001-02.

Tottenham arrive in better form under Roberto De Zerbi, matching their longest unbeaten run of the campaign by taking eight points from the last four matches (two wins, two draws). Their 1-1 draw with Leeds felt like two points dropped, but Newcastle’s win over West Ham on Sunday means Spurs will guarantee safety if they win this week, sitting two points above the Irons with a game in hand.

Their away record suggests they are capable of doing it: only Arsenal and Manchester City have more away wins than Tottenham’s seven, including consecutive victories at Wolves and Aston Villa in their last two trips. History at Stamford Bridge, though, favours Chelsea. The Blues won this fixture 1-0 last season, and their 1-0 victory at Spurs in November made it five straight league wins over Tottenham, who have not won a top-flight match at Stamford Bridge since 2018.

Chelsea vs Spurs Prediction

Spurs to win and both teams to score - 17/4 ( BetGoodwin )

Joao Pedro to score anytime - 21/20 ( BetGoodwin )

Over 2.5 goals - 6/10 ( BetGoodwin )

Chelsea vs Spurs Team News

Chelsea’s FA Cup final defeat was compounded by an injury to Joao Pedro, who appeared to hurt his leg in the first half, battled on, then was forced off in the 86th minute. The Barcelona-linked forward is now a major doubt for Tuesday’s derby.

Chelsea will definitely be without Jesse Derry (head), Estevao Willian (hamstring), Jamie Gittens (thigh) and suspended Mykhaylo Mudryk. There was better news at Wembley, though, as Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho and Robert Sanchez all featured after returning from their own issues. Neto could also come in for Reece James if Calum McFarlane chooses not to risk his injury-hit captain.

Tottenham, meanwhile, welcomed James Maddison back against Leeds after a long ACL lay-off. He came on late and felt he should have won a penalty, later criticising what he called “petrified” referees, but a start may still come too soon.

Spurs will be without Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus and Cristian Romero, all due to knee or thigh problems. However, Dominic Solanke (hamstring), Ben Davies (ankle) and Guglielmo Vicario (hernia) have not been ruled out.

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A Chelsea fan-favourite was sold to Tottenham purely for financial reasons in a shocking club decision

Former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy was sold to bitter rivals Tottenham against his will. Cundy these days is almost entirely associated with the Blues, having come through the club’s academy to represent the first team between 1988 and 1992.

Given he is a boyhood Chelsea supporter, the talkSPORT pundit will undoubtedly be cheering on the west Londoners when they face Spurs at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. It marks a crucial game for Chelsea, whose season has unravelled, leading them to drop out of the European qualification spots.

Meanwhile, Spurs are fighting against relegation, though victory would ensure they finish above West Ham, relegating the Hammers, while a draw would all but guarantee it on goal difference. Despite the huge repercussions of the upcoming Premier League clash for both London clubs, Cundy’s clear favouritism towards Chelsea means one could be forgiven for not realising he was once a Spurs player.

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The centre-back joined Chelsea as a schoolboy and progressed through their academy setup in the mid-1980s, even being named their Young Player of the Year in 1987. He signed his first professional contract with the Blues in 1988 and made his full senior debut for the first team in 1990, before signing a four-and-a-half-year contract in November 1991.

Yet, despite being a fan-favourite, Chelsea went behind his back in March 1992 by agreeing a secret deal to sell him to Spurs for £850,000. Cundy joined the north Londoners on loan for a few weeks until the end of the 1991/92 season, after which a pre-agreed clause was triggered and the deal was made permanent.

It was a hugely unpopular transfer in the eyes of the Chelsea fanbase, with the club merely signing off the deal because they wanted the cash. Cundy, who had no desire to join Tottenham, was only told on the Monday, prior to the transfer deadline day deal on the last Thursday of March.

Speaking on Undr The Cosh, Cundy said: “The reason was financial. It wasn’t a loan. It was how you manipulate the fees because I joined in March and April was the start of the financial year so that transfer wasn’t really a ‘loan’. It helped one of the clubs financially. The deal had already been done.”

When asked how he took the news, Cundy recalled: “My dream was to play for Chelsea. I’d been there since I was 11 and I didn’t want to play for anyone else. I was playing well. But I did hear a rumour, maybe two weeks before, someone did mention something to me about Spurs and I was like, ‘What are you on about? That’s rubbish.’

“We were at a hotel near Heathrow where the training ground was on the Monday before the window closed. [Manager] Ian Porterfield phoned me and said, ‘We’ve had a phone call from Spurs, they made an offer, it’s been accepted. Terry Venables is going to phone you this afternoon.’ That was it.

“I did not expect anything like that. To have this news… I just couldn’t comprehend it. I asked the manager, ‘If I don’t go, will I be stuck in the reserves?’ And he said, ‘Not if I’ve got anything to do with it.’ It’s almost like I had no say. It was so confusing, going from blissfully happy to being thrown into chaos.”

Cundy felt hugely let down by his boyhood club for not considering him in their decision-making process, as well as the fact his call with Porterfield lasted merely minutes. In contrast, Venables showed great interest in the player and clearly wanted him at Spurs.

NEWCASTLE 3-1 WEST HAM: Two first half goals in four minutes from Nick Woltemade and William Osula, who went on to score a brace, leaves the Hammers on the brink of relegation

The game is almost up for West Ham.

Nuno Espirito Santo's side are now staring relegation square in the face after this meek surrender at Newcastle in a game they simply could not afford to lose. And that means Tottenham, their biggest rivals in the Premier League, could relegate the beleaguered Hammers before they are able to kick another ball.

To do so they will have to beat Chelsea in a London derby on Tuesday night, so there could yet be more twists and turns ahead. But it's a fixture Spurs will fancy their chances in given Chelsea's own struggles of late. And with just one game remaining, the reality is Tottenham can stay up without banking a point in either of their remaining games.

West Ham looked to be on course for a relegation reprieve following successive home wins against Wolves and Everton last month, the latter ensuring Spurs would remain in the dreaded dropzone despite recording a first league win since December on the same day.

Successive losses without scoring, to Brentford and Arsenal, has seen the tables turn on West Ham. Victory here was imperative to pile pressure on their less than convincing rivals in the limp two-team survival shootout that has materialised in recent weeks - and yet they went out with a whimper rather than swinging on Tyneside.

If this was a boxing match, the towel would have been in long before Jarred Gillett called time. It took 15 minutes for West Ham to be breached but they were on the ropes well before Newcastle's 15th minute opener as the hosts lobbed bombs in their direction.

The goal, when it eventually did come, was absolutely criminal. West Ham were far too lax playing out from the back enabling Harvey Barnes to intercept the ball. The winger was then allowed to travel unchallenged into the penalty area, with Newcastle's overly generous visitors then gifting him all the time in the world to deftly chip the ball into the path of the unmarked Woltemade, who swept home with aplomb from six yards.

Things went from bad to worse four minutes later. Newcastle cut through West Ham like a hot knife through butter to put William Osula through. He made no mistake, driving the ball through Mads Hermansen to hammer another nail into the West Ham coffin.

Nuno responded by sacrificing Jean-Clair Todibo for Taty Castellanos to play a front two in the 27th minute. But while that fuelled a brief West Ham flurry which carried over into the second half, where they finally showed some fight after a complete non-start, they were unable to plunder themselves any sort of lifeline.

The Hammers were their own worst enemy at St James' Park in terms of the goals they gave away and that was evident again when Osula gleefully killed the game off to punish more sloppiness from those in claret and blue, this time from an ill-judged throw-in.

There was still time for Castellanos to produce a moment of genius to get West Ham on the scoresheet, at least. But it counted for little in the end.

Defeat to the Toon Army means Tottenham will relegate West Ham on Tuesday night with three points. A point would also all but send the East Londoners down given the chasm in goal difference between the two sides.

West Ham will hope a Chelsea favour can keep them alive heading into next week's season finale. But this defeat felt terminal. Time will tell if it proves to be.

Tottenham Hotspur might assist Arsenal with one of their signings during this summer transfer window

Arsenal could benefit from Tottenham Hotspur remaining in the Premier League at West Ham United's expense should they pursue Mateus Fernandes this summer. The Gunners are understood to hold an interest in Fernandes, who has caught the eye of their recruitment department over recent years.

The Portugal international moved to Southampton from Sporting two years ago after limited opportunities in Lisbon but quickly established himself as a Premier League regular. An encouraging maiden season concluded in relegation with the Saints before West Ham secured his signature for approximately £40million last summer.

Despite being embroiled in another relegation scrap this term, Fernandes continues to shine. West Ham's potential drop to the second tier could see the midfielder make an even bigger step up this time, with Arsenal seeking midfield reinforcements.

The Times reports that West Ham would be compelled to offload Fernandes to adhere to the Championship's financial framework. The division's clubs have approved new Squad Cost Rules (SCR) and must limit their expenditure to 85% of their revenue.

Owners are permitted to inject only an additional £15million during any single season. West Ham's income would fall dramatically following any relegation, which could be confirmed before the final day of the campaign.

The Hammers sit two points from safety with the same number of fixtures remaining. They travel to Newcastle United today before welcoming Leeds United to London next Sunday.

West Ham would already be relegated when the Whites arrive at the London Stadium, however, if they fail to triumph this weekend. Dropping points against Leeds would hand Spurs an opportunity to guarantee survival by defeating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, if Roberto De Zerbi's team do not collect maximum points, it will come down to the final day, when they entertain Everton. West Ham can no longer overtake Nottingham Forest, meaning only Spurs can rescue them.

As for Arsenal, their attention is understandably fixed on the summit of the table. Yet what unfolds at the bottom could assume far greater significance this summer.

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Fernandes penned a five-year deal with West Ham last summer, leaving four seasons still to run on his contract. There reportedly is no standard release clause included in the agreement for a player whom the CIES Football Observatory values at up to £63million.

There are, however, contradictory reports about whether such a provision would be triggered should they become a Championship club next season. Avoiding protracted negotiations with West Ham would be preferable for the Gunners, particularly given that their earlier discussions over signing Declan Rice ultimately exceeded £100million.