The Independent

Tottenham’s majority owner is “wholly committed” and ready to produce the investment required to “rebuild” the club.

Spurs narrowly avoided a first relegation since 1977 on Sunday after an emotionally-charged fanbase inspired Roberto De Zerbi’s team to a 1-0 home win over Everton.

Tottenham finished 17th, two points above West Ham, but it has been a disastrous Premier League campaign, with De Zerbi the third head coach of the season.

After Daniel Levy was invited to step down as chairman in September following a 24-year tenure, majority owner Enic – run by the Lewis family – has frequently faced criticism.

Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange have also felt the brunt of fan anger and on Monday the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust urged this season to be viewed as a “very serious warning” to the board.

In an open letter to fans, non-executive chairman Peter Charrington said: “Last September, we recognised that something seismic had to change at Spurs. The Lewis family stepped in and authorised a full reset.

“That decision was not taken lightly, and it came later than it should have. But what has been put in motion is real, and it marks a genuine break from what had come before.

“As part of that process, we discovered some uncomfortable truths… football success had not been driving our decisions.

“Two 17th place finishes in a row is not acceptable, and we will not dress it up as anything other than falling well short of what this club expects.

“Since September, we have restructured leadership across the club, with a refreshed executive and football structure. Most of this team are already in post and others will arrive in the coming weeks.

“The board are committed to this leadership group and will give them the stability and support they need to run this club in the right way.

“Roberto De Zerbi is signed as men’s head coach for five years, a reflection of our belief in his ability and our commitment to build back to where we need to be.

“He is passionate, committed and positive in everything he does, and represents the kind of football and ambition that Tottenham Hotspur should stand for.

“The Lewis family are wholly committed to this club and to this rebuild. They will provide the stability and investment needed at every level to move us forward, and they see that as a long-term responsibility, not a short-term fix.

“This season fell well short of what Tottenham Hotspur demands. We must be in the fight with the best teams in this league, every season, and we are rebuilding this Club with that standard in mind.

“We will get back to where we belong.”

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust called for “a moment of reckoning” after the ninth-richest club in world football almost dropped into the Championship.

“This season must be viewed as a very serious warning,” a statement read.

“Finishing where we have is not the outcome of one bad result or one difficult season alone. It is the consequence of repeated failures, poor decisions, and a lack of leadership over a sustained period.

“There must now be a moment of reckoning for the club. Honest reflection, accountability, and meaningful change are required if the club is to recover and rebuild.”

PA

Gary Neville has given Tottenham no respite from criticism despite their final day Premier League survival as he labelled their season as “pathetic”.

Spurs, the ninth richest club in world football, were embroiled in a relegation fight that went right to the wire, but victory over Everton on Sunday ensured they avoided such an almighty humiliation.

There were rare scenes of ecstasy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after full-time, with manager Roberto De Zerbi running onto the pitch as the full-time whistle went, Spurs players and fans alike celebrating the relief that came with their retained top-flight status.

Neville, however, refused to get carried away with the excitement and asserts that last year’s Europa League champions should not be patting themselves on the back.

"Is it too far to say that they've been pathetic? That they should be ashamed of themselves? Probably not," he said on Sky Sports.

"This is Tottenham Hotspur. I know sometimes I get mocked for saying this is Manchester United, but this is a football club steeped in incredible traditions.

"Now they've not won trophies for a long time regularly, even though they won the Europa League last year, which was fantastic. It was great for this fanbase to celebrate a trophy.

"But they've been underachievers and underperforming for a long time. This is another level of underachievement and hitting new lows. The last two years in the Premier League."

Their win over Everton, courtesy of a first-half Joao Palhinha goal, was their first at home since beating Brentford in early December, with their form in N17 only better than relegated Burnley and Wolves.

Spurs also experienced a dismal domestic season last term under Ange Postecoglou, again finishing 17th despite success in Europe.

Neville has insisted that De Zerbi will need to make sweeping changes if he hopes to change Tottenham’s fortunes next season and return them to the top-end of the table.

He added: “For the players, I'm sure for some of them it is real, but for some of them, it doesn't feel like they want to be on the bus and that's what Roberto De Zerbi is going to have to work out. He's probably worked it out already.

"Not winning a game here since Christmas is absolutely shocking for a group of players that have been expensively assembled and for a club of such stature, but they're flimsy, they're weak, they're vulnerable and the autopsy really has got to begin.

"Now they know for real, having escaped today, they can start to basically drive a bulldozer through that dressing room because that's what they need to do.”

When the full-time whistle blew, James Maddison bent over on his haunches gasping for breath. Kevin Danso collapsed in a heap. Roberto De Zerbi ran onto the pitch like he’d won a trophy before remembering himself and turning back to shake hands with David Moyes. All around them, Tottenham fans erupted with relief.

This could have been Spurs’ lowest ebb, on an afternoon when relegation loomed and smirking Arsenal fans passed them on the Victoria Line. Instead, this was a day of shared joy and collective catharsis. In those lost weeks under Igor Tudor, Spurs fans were resigned to their fate; just a few games later, the nightmare is over, for now at least.

Spurs supporters gave their team a deafening soundtrack, and the players responded with a performance full of commitment and energy in blistering north London sunshine. Danso was immense at the back and Joao Palhinha was everywhere, including Everton’s box where he pounced on a rebound to score the only goal. And Antonin Kinsky – embarrassed under Tudor – made a heroic, full-stretch save to deny the Everton substitute Tyrique George what would have been a nerve-jangling equaliser in added time.

It was far from a vintage footballing display. Spurs ended with Djed Spence and Pape Matar Sarr on the wings, square pegs in round holes trying to plug the drain. But Tottenham clung on to a 1-0 victory to record their third home win of the season, and the most important in these parts for many years, given West Ham did what they needed to in east London. The Hammers are down after a 14-year run in the Premier League.

So for Tottenham, there is no humiliating relegation. They will not become the first Championship team with a 62,000-seater stadium, the first with a 23,000 square-foot megastore, the first to fill their pints from the bottom up. They will not travel to Lincoln City, who won League One singing “Tottenham away, ole ole!”. A £250m black hole has been avoided.

There is a chance now to reset under De Zerbi, who reaffirmed his commitment to the job this week. Amid the battle, there were fleeting signs of his football here in the sharp one-touch passing that split open Everton like a tin can in the first half. De Zerbi’s overzealous antics on the touchline will annoy opposing managers and fans, and perhaps Spurs need a bit of that right now.

“We deserved this day, this win,” De Zerbi said. “We deserved to stay up because we made 11 points in seven games. My players played a fantastic game, especially in the first half they played very well, and I’m proud.”

He hailed the supporters, who greeted the team bus with gusto before kick-off. “They were fantastic, the fans. Before the game, they arrived with big emotion. Next season the target is to make them happier, to stop this suffering.”

But none of the optimism should dilute the harsh lessons relegation would have served. Spurs are a club that built a gleaming stadium and thriving commercial arm, which became London’s NFL home and staged sell-out concerts. But somewhere along the way they appeared to forget about the primary purpose of a football club, the reason this 143-year-old institution exists.

So when clubs like Brentford, Brighton and Bournemouth pour all their heart, soul and resources into running sophisticated football operations, while Tottenham run an events business with a football team, perhaps none of us should be surprised when Spurs finish 17th and far less wealthy clubs qualify for Europe.

Above all, there has been a lack of any coherent plan for what Tottenham should be and what a Spurs side should look like. To appoint managers as tactically and spiritually diverse as Nuno Espirito Santo, Antonio Conte, Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank in succession is proof of that, while Brentford followed seven years of Frank by appointing his set-piece coach. The Tottenham squad is now a mishmash of players who are either completely different or entirely the same, without blend or balance.

And if Daniel Levy can be blamed for some of those decisions, then the post-Levy regime has hardly covered itself in glory. The move by sporting director Johan Lange and CEO Vinai Venkatesham to appoint Tudor seemed fraught with risk from the start, and after only a few games of his disastrous reign, it seemed like an act of self-flagellation.

They did at least have the courage to U-turn with just enough time left for De Zerbi to recover the ship. Spurs will be a Premier League team again next year. This magnificent stadium will remain a top-flight venue. They will not become the first Championship side with a microbrewery.

Tottenham fans deserve to revel in the moment. But real progress will only be harnessed by the lessons Spurs learn from narrowly avoiding the greatest sporting debacle in Premier League history.

Roberto De Zerbi light-heartedly confronted a “negative” journalist after Tottenham secured Premier League survival on the season’s final day.

Spurs beat Everton 1-0 thanks to Joao Palhinha’s first-half goal, to stay up and condemn West Ham to the Championship with Burnley and Wolves.

Fans, players and staff celebrated passionately inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after the final whistle.

But before De Zerbi conducted his post-match media duties, he stopped the press conference to ask for a particular journalist.

“Where is he?” De Zerbi said. “The one who is always there at the Tottenham training ground. He was negative and I’m positive. But I want to hug him, not to fight. I have no energy to fight anymore.”

When the reporter arrived, the pair shook hands. De Zerbi smiled and said: “Are you happy?” The reporter offered his congratulations.

After the press conference, De Zerbi again spoke to the journalist and suggested they had been negative about Tottenham’s survival chances. The reporter responded: “It’s my job to ask questions, it’s not my job to be positive.”

After the survival mission was completed with a glass of red wine, ⁠the Italian spoke of his pride at how his injury-hit squad had responded to the crisis.

However, he stressed there was no time to waste to ensure that Spurs never find themselves in a position defender Micky van de Ven described as “embarrassing” again.

“I think we deserve to stay up, because we made 11 points in seven games and we deserved more,” said De Zerbi. “From tonight, we have to start to organise and to build the new team. I don't think we have to change too many players. We have 10, 11, 12 players good enough ‌to stay. But first we must complete the squad with first-level players.

“We suffered too much. I ​suffered a lot, the players suffered a lot and the fans. We can't suffer like this ‌until the last second of the last game to ⁠stay up. The target to stay up is finished. My target now is to start the pre-season ⁠with the team I have in my dream.”

De Zerbi praised the long-suffering Tottenham fans who stood in massed ranks to greet the team bus ‌on Sunday before a game ​that could have had calamitous consequences had it gone wrong.

“Next ‌season the target is to make them happier ​than this season for sure,” he said. “I would like to compete, I don’t know for what, but stop suffering like this.”

additional reporting by Reuters

When the full-time whistle blew, James Maddison bent over on his haunches gasping for breath. Kevin Danso collapsed in a heap. Roberto De Zerbi ran onto the pitch like he’d won a trophy before remembering himself and turning back to shake hands with David Moyes. All around them, Tottenham fans erupted with relief.

This could have been Spurs’s lowest ebb, on an afternoon when relegation loomed and smirking Arsenal fans passed them on the Victoria Line. Instead this was a day of shared joy and collective catharsis. In those lost weeks under Igor Tudor, Spurs fans were resigned to their fate; just a few games later, the nightmare is over, for now at least.

Spurs supporters provided their team a deafening soundtrack and the players responded with a performance full of commitment and energy in blistering north London sunshine. Danso was immense at the back and Joao Palhinha was everywhere, including Everton’s box where he pounced on a rebound to score the only goal. And Antonin Kinsky – embarrassed under Tudor – made a heroic, full-stretch save to deny Everton substitute Tyrique George what would have been a nerve-jangling equaliser in added time.

It was far from a vintage footballing display. Spurs ended with Djed Spence and Pape Matar Sarr on the wings, square pegs in round holes trying to plug the drain. But Tottenham clung on to a 1-0 victory to record their third home win of the season, and the most important in these parts for many years, given West Ham did what they needed to in east London. The Hammers are down after a 14-year run in the Premier League.

So for Tottenham, there is no humiliating relegation. They will not become the first Championship team with a 62,000-seater stadium, the first with a 23,000sqft megastore, the first who fill their pints from the bottom up. They will not travel to Lincoln City, who won League One singing “Tottenham away, ole ole!”. A £250m black hole has been avoided.

There is a chance now to reset under De Zerbi, who reaffirmed his commitment to the job this week. Amid the battle, there were fleeting signs of his football here in the sharp one-touch passing that split open Everton like a tin can in the first half. De Zerbi’s overzealous antics on the touchline will annoy opposing managers and fans, and perhaps Spurs need a bit of that right now.

“We deserved this day, this win,” De Zerbi said. “We deserved to stay up because we made 11 points in seven games. My players played a fantastic game, especially in the first half they played very well, and I’m proud.”

He hailed the supporters, who greeted the team bus with gusto before kick-off. “They were fantastic, the fans. Before the game, they arrived with big emotion. Next season the target is to make them happier, to stop this suffering.”

But none of the optimism should dilute the harsh lessons relegation would have served. Spurs are a club who built a gleaming stadium and thriving commercial arm, who became London’s NFL home and staged sell-out concerts. And somewhere along the way they appeared to forget about the primary purpose of a football club, the reason this 143-year-old institution exists.

So when clubs like Brentford, Brighton and Bournemouth pour all their heart, soul and resources into running sophisticated football operations, while Tottenham run an events business with a football team, perhaps none of us should be surprised when Spurs finish 17th and far less wealthy clubs qualify for Europe.

Above all, there has been a lack of any coherent plan for what Tottenham should be and what a Spurs side should look like. To appoint managers as tactically and spiritually diverse as Nuno Espirito Santo, Antonio Conte, Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank in succession is proof of that (meanwhile Brentford replaced seven years of Frank with his set-piece coach), and so the Tottenham squad is now a mesh of players who are either completely different or entirely the same, without blend or balance.

And if Daniel Levy can be blamed for some of those decisions, then the post-Levy regime has hardly covered itself in glory. The move by sporting director Johan Lange and CEO Vinai Venkatesham to appoint Tudor seemed fraught with risk from the start, and after only a few games of his disastrous reign, it seemed like an act of self-flagellation.

They did at least have the courage to U-turn with just enough time left for De Zerbi to recover the ship. Spurs will be a Premier League team again next year. This magnificent stadium will remain a top-flight venue. They will not become the first Championship side with a microbrewery.

Tottenham fans deserve to revel in the moment. But real progress will only be harnessed by the lessons Spurs learn from narrowly avoiding the greatest sporting debacle in Premier League history.

Gary Neville was left “furious” after the second half of Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton was delayed on the final day of the Premier League season.

In a vital match for the relegation battle, with Spurs battling to stay in the league in place of West Ham, who played Leeds United, the second half started more than five minutes later than the London Stadium.

Technical difficulties with the VAR equipment ensured both games could not synchronise the start times for the second halves, with Neville upset on co-commentary duty for Sky Sports.

An irritated Neville remarked: “Why have they kicked off there if they're synchronising it? I don't think a football match should be stopped for this.

“This is not good enough, I get you have technical problems. The fans are booing, and rightly so. I'm furious with this, not just because it's the last game of the season, sporting integrity.

“There's an element of always kicking off together when you're fighting for something. It's absolutely ridiculous, it's a warm day today, but it could be Winter and -2 with players walking around. It's not good enough.”

Spurs had taken the lead, thanks to João Palhinha, though Roberto De Zerbi’s side only required a point on the final day to stay up.

The Hammers were held by Leeds at the break in the other game tied to the relegation battle, with the action resuming at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium almost five minutes late.

Despite their relative degree of comfort, Spurs fans may hear the increasing number of anxious groans coming from their fans as they cede a little (but not too much) territory.

West Ham have been far better since the restart and now how something to show for it, notes Will Castle at the London Stadium.

They lead the game they have to win through Taty Castellanos. Now they require a miracle turnaround five miles away.

Everton must score twice and West Ham must find a way past Leeds for them to go down. The problem for the Hammers is they seem to be rarely threatening in their match with the Toffees have not brought a sweat out of Kinsky yet.

Everton must score twice and West Ham must find a way past Leeds for them to go down. The problem for the Hammers is they seem to be rarely threatening in their match with the Toffees have not brought a sweat out of Kinsky yet.

The Premier League relegation battle will be decided on the final day with Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United battling to avoid the drop.

Spurs had the chance to seal their safety with a game to spare, but were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

One point would, barring a mighty goal difference swing, be enough for Roberto De Zerbi’s side, with both they and their relegation rivals at home on the final day.

Tottenham host Everton while West Ham take on Leeds at the London Stadium with a thrilling battle set to go to the wire.

Tottenham v Everton LIVE: Premier League relegation updates including West Ham v Leeds latest

With Wolves and Burnley both relegated, here are the permutations.

Position: 17th | Played: 37 | Points: 38 | GD: -10

Remaining fixtures:

One point would surely do for Spurs now, their goal difference 12 better than that of West Ham with a game to go. Everton have little to play for – though David Moyes may wish to keep his former club up.

Position: 18th | Played: 37 | Points: 36 | GD: -22

Remaining fixtures:

There is just one game to come for West Ham, though they are, at least, not relegated before they play it. West Ham will have to win against Leeds to have any hope; if Spurs take a point, it will require a goal difference swing that is surely beyond Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

Tottenham vs Everton betting tips

Tottenham face Everton in the final game of the season, with the hosts needing a point to preserve their 49-year stay in the top-flight (4pm, Sky Sports Main Event).

A few weeks ago, when they were in the bottom three, Spurs would have been grateful to take the relegation fight to the final day, but after two wins and two draws, they would have been hoping to have secured their safety by now.

A 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on Tuesday ended Tottenham’s four-game unbeaten run, but they know just avoiding defeat will relegate West Ham, thanks to their superior goal difference.

If they lose and West Ham beat Leeds, then Spurs will fall out of the top division for the first time since 1977. Betting sites don’t view that as a likely outcome, however, with Roberto De Zerbi’s side 7/1-on to be in the Premier League next season.

Everton could still finish in the European places if they can win and other results go their way, but after enduring their worst run of the season, at the wrong time, that seems unlikely.

Since beating Chelsea 3-0 back in March, they have drawn three and lost three, slipping down to 12th in the league, level on points with Fulham and Newcastle.

Spurs have only won nine league games this season, but one of those did come at Everton back in October when two first-half goals from Micky van de Ven set them on their way to a 3-0 win.

That win was Thomas Frank’s fifth league win of the season, and left Spurs third in the league table, and no one could have foreseen what was to come.

They won just two of their next 24 games, losing 14, resulting in the sackings of Frank and Igor Tudor, but under De Zerbi they have won as many games, in just six attempts.

Tottenham vs Everton betting preview: Spurs to stay up

The fact that Everton have conceded two or more goals in each of their last six matches, since the 3-0 win over Chelsea, should give Spurs some confidence.

And add to that, Everton have won just one of their last 16 league games away at Spurs, drawing four and losing 11, including the last four by an aggregate of 14-1.

Surely Spurs are due a home win after failing to win any of their last 10 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?

They have drawn four and lost six and have only won twice at home all season - against Burnley and Bournemouth in their opening two home matches.

Spurs are odds-on with most football betting sites to get the win they need, while you can get 29/10 on Everton ending the season with three points.

Tottenham vs Everton prediction 1: BTTS and Spurs to win - 13/5 Unibet

Richarlison to haunt Everton again

Richarlison was once a favourite with Everton fans, and since leaving for Spurs in July 2022, he has returned to haunt them on several occasions.

The Brazilian has been involved in five goals in his last five league games against Everton, with four goals and one assist.

He has been involved in 15 league goals this season, scoring 11 and providing four assists, including two goals in his last three.

He’s 31/20 on some betting apps to score any time or 5/1 to score last, as he has done four times this season, including last time out against Chelsea

Tottenham vs Everton prediction 2: Richarlison to score - 31/20 BetMGM

Tottenham vs Everton team news

Tottenham vs Everton predicted lineups

Tottenham: Kinsky, Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Udogie, Palhinha, Maddison, Kolo Muani, Gallagher, Tel, Richarlison

Everton: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Iroegbunam, Garner, Rohl, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye, Beto

Free football bets for Tottenham vs Everton

It’s a massive game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday and to mark the occasion, Sky Bet have put together a special offer for the game, offering enhanced odds of 50/1 on a goal being scored in the game.

Sign up using the link above and make a first deposit of at least £5 before the game kicks-off at 4pm. Next, place a maximum £1 bet on over 0.5 goals in the Tottenham vs Everton match market at the standard odds.

Should a goal be scored in the game, Sky Bet will pay out in free bets to equal a pay out at 50/1. The free bets will be split into 5x £10 tokens and will be for BuildABet markets. If the match ends goalless, punters will receive 1x £10 free bet.

If you’re having a bet on this weekend’s football, it’s vital to practice responsible gambling.

Betting can be addictive, and it’s important to stay in control of your gambling, whether you’re using online bookmakers, casino sites, slot sites, bingo sites or any other gambling platform.

Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop.

Gambling sites offer punters tools, like deposit limits, profit and loss trackers and self-exclusion options, to help you stay in control.

But if you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don’t hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in