Winless in nine and wobbling alarmingly, Tottenham Hotspur really could get relegated

Of all the indignities heaped on Tottenham Hotspur in recent times, relegation from the Premier League would be the most humiliating and certainly the most damaging.

They finished one place above the drop zone last term, saved only by the pitiful points tallies of Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton.

DAZN News reporter Ross Heppenstall analyses how the pressure is mounting on Igor Tudor’s side as they bid to avoid a catastrophic fall into the second tier.

Upheaval in the dug-out, boardroom and on the field

When Spurs finished fifth in the Premier League under Ange Postecoglou two seasons ago, they looked well placed to kick on.

Although Champions League football eluded them, Tottenham felt relevant again and went on to win the Europa League, the club’s first trophy for 17 years.

Yet they were decimated by injuries for much of last season and their squad was stretched to the limit.

Postecoglou began to prioritise Europe and was ultimately vindicated as his side beat Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao.

Not that it was enough to save the Australian’s job, of course.

‘Big Ange’ was thrown out after two seasons in charge, continuing a revolving door which has seen Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte all come and go since 2021.

Thomas Frank replaced Postecoglou last summer and executive chairman Daniel Levy’s near 25-year reign ended in September 2025 when he left suddenly.

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A distinct lack of ambition – “not a big club”

Postecoglou recently lamented Tottenham’s failure to strengthen their squad in the summer of 2024.

During an interview on the Stick to Football podcast, he listed Pedro Neto, Bryan Mbeumo, Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi as players he wanted to sign.

Instead, Spurs bought Dominic Solanke for a club-record £65million from Bournemouth and three highly-rated teenagers in Wilson Odobert, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.

Postecoglou told Stick to Football: “They have built an unbelievable stadium, unbelievable training facilities, but when you look at the expenditure particularly in their wage structure, they are not a big club.

“I saw that, because when we were trying to sign players, we weren’t in the market for those players.

“How do you go from fifth to really challenging? We had to sign Premier League-proven players.

“But finishing fifth that year didn’t get us Champions League, we didn’t have the money. We ended up signing Dominic Solanke, who, absolutely, I really like. And three teenagers.”

Frank’s eight-month reign

When Spurs poached Frank from Brentford last summer, it looked a sensible appointment.

Frank had spent seven years in charge of the Bees, taking them from the Championship to the Premier League in 2021, and establishing them as a respected top-flight force.

But despite some early signs of promise, particularly away from home where Spurs won at Manchester City, West Ham, Leeds United and Everton, things began to unravel.

Frank’s side were dumped out of the Carabao Cup at Newcastle in October and exited the FA Cup at the third-round stage after losing at home to Aston Villa.

Against all that and their general inconsistency in the Premier League, Spurs made solid progress in the Champions League, finishing fourth in the league phase to automatically reach the last 16.

But their league form – particularly on home soil – became a huge cause for concern and Frank was axed on February 11.

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No home comforts for Spurs

Spurs lost 10 Premier League games in front of their own supporters last season en-route to a dismal 17th placed finish.

It was their lowest-ever position in the Premier League and that inability to perform at home afflicted them under Frank this season.

Shockingly, they have won just twice in the league at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Sunday’s 4-1 stuffing at the hands of Arsenal marked their eighth home defeat of the campaign.

Injuries have again bit deep and deprived them of many key players such as Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Destiny Udogie and Rodrigo Bentancur.

Discipline has also been a problem for captain Cristian Romero in particular.

His straight red card during the 2-0 defeat Manchester United earned him a four-game ban, as he had already been sent off once this season.

He will remain suspended for the upcoming games against Fulham, and Crystal Palace with his future beyond this season uncertain.

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Tough baptism for Tudor

After Frank’s dismissal, Igor Tudor was appointed as interim boss until the end of the season and tasked with saving the club’s top-flight status.

But the north London derby mauling in his first game in charge illustrated the scale of the task facing the Croatian.

Tudor spoke afterwards about “bad habits” within the team as Spurs slipped to their third straight Premier League defeat.

They have not won in the league since the end of last year and their plight appears increasingly desperate.

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Can Spurs save themselves from disaster?

Winless in their last nine Premier League games, Tottenham lie just two places and four points above the dreaded drop zone.

They are wobbling alarmingly and struggling for confidence, with injuries again depriving them of several key players.

Crucially, Spurs still hold a precious four-point advantage over third-bottom West Ham.

Yet the Hammers are improving, having won three and drawn two of their last six games.

Nottingham Forest remain perilously placed in 17th, and were condemned to a cruel 1-0 home defeat against Liverpool on Sunday in Vitor Pereira's first game in charge.

The Portuguese is their fourth manager this season and the smart money remains on West Ham or Forest going down with Burnley and Wolves.

Tottenham have not played in English football’s second tier since 1977-78, yet fears are growing that they could be dragged through the trapdoor in the coming weeks.

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