Tottenham Hotspur’s status as one of the biggest clubs in English football may be under threat unless newly appointed manager Roberto De Zerbi can improve their abysmal form. The floundering club, increasingly a laughing stock, appointed the Italian as their new head coach on the 31st of March.
The former Brighton and Marseille manager has been given a five-year contract, but even before his appointment was confirmed, there was controversy. We will come to that in due course, but does the Italian stand any real chance of saving Spurs? On the plus side, they are not currently in the bottom three. But that’s about all they have in their favour right now.
First words from our new Head Coach 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/3PXHOiDxRS
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 1, 2026
Amazingly, for a side that has been ever-present in the Premier League, has won the Europa League last term, has finished fourth in the league phase of this season’s Champions League, and were involved in that tournament until very recently, Tottenham are without a league win in 2026. To use a modern turn of phrase, let that sink in. It’s April, and Spurs haven’t won a single Premier League clash.
They have taken just five points from the last 39 available, and that is clearly relegation form. Additionally, they still have several key players missing through injury. As if that wasn’t enough, they also have a very tricky set of fixtures to close out the season. And now, having parted ways by “mutual consent” with a manager that no Spurs fan wanted, they have given a five-year deal to a man who is even more unpopular with many at the Lane.
Seven Games to Save Spurs
If that sounds overwhelmingly negative and, as a Spurs fan, you feel your club is as good as relegated already – as many do – the reality is perhaps a little rosier. Perhaps. A little. The north London club have seven games remaining and 21 points to play for. And let us reiterate the most important stat right now: they are not in the bottom three.
They are one point above West Ham, with the Hammers currently in 18th place, and have a much better goal difference than the three sides beneath them. They have a marginally superior goal difference to the two clubs above them, too. Those teams are very much in the relegation mix too now, with the battle now looking to be a case of one team from four, as per the table below.
| Place | Team | Points | Goal Diff. | Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 39 | -2 | 30 |
| 15 | Leeds | 33 | -11 | 31 |
| 16 | Nottingham Forest | 32 | -12 | 31 |
| 17 | Spurs | 30 | -10 | 31 |
| 18 | West Ham | 29 | -21 | 31 |
| 19 | Burnley | 20 | -28 | 31 |
| 20 | Wolves | 17 | -30 | 31 |
It is possible that Palace could get dragged into the battle, nor is it impossible that Burnley or even, at a push, Wolves, could escape. But the most probable scenario sees one of Leeds, Forest, Spurs or West Ham joining the current bottom two in the Championship next term.
Put another way, De Zerbi’s Tottenham only need one of three clubs to perform very badly over the next few weeks, and they would only need the bare minimum of points to be safe. Given that all of those clubs are, by definition, struggling, it is certainly not unreasonable to think that at least one will lose almost all of their matches between now and the end of the campaign.
Moreover, Spurs fans of an optimistic bent might just think that they have had their bad spell, whereas the others down there are due a few slip-ups. There are some logical issues with that, but clearly if De Zerbi can deliver a win, the tide could turn quickly. Leeds boss Daniel Farke has set his side a target of 38 points for safety. Whether it turns out to be enough remains to be seen but Spurs would only need two wins and two draws from their final seven games, or three wins, to get there.
But Where are the Points Coming From?
A total of three wins doesn’t sound like much, but Tottenham have not won since the 28th of December in the Premier League. Their fixtures are far from easy too, starting with Sunderland away (after the international break and the FA Cup games):
- Sunderland away
- Brighton at home
- Wolves away
- Aston Villa away
- Leeds at home
- Chelsea away
- Everton at home
It probably looks like the fixtures against Wolves and Leeds are must-win. Spurs’ other five games all come against clubs in the top 11, and their dreadful home form means that they cannot hope for too much even in front of their own fans.
De Zerbi Controversy
Leaving aside all the football issues on the pitch, De Zerbi’s appointment has proved controversial with many fans. Disregarding the doubts many supporters have about his ability as a manager, particularly during a relegation battle, a significant number of Spurs fans feel De Zerbi is tainted due to the support he showed for Mason Greenwood at Marseille.
Trust statement on the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi: https://t.co/G7TvYJJxw3
— THST (@THSTOfficial) March 31, 2026
Greenwood was released from Manchester United due to charges against him of attempted rape and assault. An audio recording of one incident was also made public. De Zerbi supported and even praised the player at Marseille, where he managed the striker, and some Tottenham fans feel this means he should not have been considered for the job. Some have even said they will not attend with him in charge.
Regardless of the rights or wrongs of that, it is clearly not conducive to creating the ideal atmosphere at Spurs. With so many cards stacked against them, they will have to hope De Zerbi’s management skills can turn the tide, on and off the pitch.
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