At the end of last season’s campaign, Premier League fans acknowledged Tottenham’s 17th-place finish in the Premier League table and thought, “It can’t get worse than that.” Well, in the legendary words of Mick McCarthy, “It can.”
Tottenham Relegation a Reality
The chances of a Tottenham relegation happening have struck a new level of reality after their 1-0 loss in the Sunderland vs Tottenham game on Sunday, April 12. The club now sit 18th in the Premier League table, two points away from safety. Toss in the harrowing injury news that has plagued Tottenham all season, and one can see why fans should be concerned about a drop into the Championship.
So, let’s assume the worst. Tottenham fail to turn their form around and finish in the bottom three of the Premier League table and face relegation. The largest concern will be the loss in revenue that comes with relegation from the Premier League to the Championship. The Premier League will offer a bit of help with its parachute payment, but it won’t be nearly enough to cover a £135.2m payroll.
Players will face up to a 50% reduction in their weekly salary, and there’s no denying that Tottenham’s squad is full of talent that expects top dollar for their services. So, in the event of Tottenham relegation happening, who’s in and who’s out?
Roberto De Zerbi’s appointment seems initially to be a permanent one, even with the Tottenham relegation chances high, mentioning in a recent press conference that he will be the Tottenham boss “no matter what” next season.
If he stays true to his word despite Tottenham actually getting relegated , fans can rest easy that they have a capable manager in place. The question becomes: which players will stick around for De Zerbi to build on?
Who’s Out?
Players with expiring contracts include Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Yves Bissouma. Of those three, Davies and Bissouma look set to move on regardless of relegation. Despite Bentancur’s long lineage with Tottenham, the Uruguayan knows that he can play at the top level, and would most likely want to do so.
João Palhinha and Randal Kolo-Muani, both on loan with Tottenham, are not expected to receive offers from the club in the summer. If relegation were to occur, this would essentially be a get-out-of-jail-free card. Neither has impressed this season, despite initial excitement from fans.
Besides the fact that they simply didn’t work out, the move would mean getting rid of the 5th and 8th-largest weekly salaries on the squad, something Tottenham would desperately need in dealing with their relegation budget.
Then comes the tough pill to swallow: there’s simply too much quality amongst the Spurs’ squad. Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus were two of the most sought-after players last summer. They came to Tottenham for Champions League football, and found themselves facing the exact opposite.
They’re not even guaranteed Premier League football now. They are both likely to go to the highest bidder this summer, as big clubs will be able to offer them more than their salary with a Championship-side club.
Athletes who have been with the squad longer, such as Cristian Romero, Dominic Solanke, and Micky van de Ven, have proven their fitness during their time in London. Each of them can easily fetch a high salary from any of the major leagues.
The general feeling applied to them, as well as all of the squad members listed so far, is that they are simply too good to play in the Championship. They know their worth, as well as their abilities, and spending time down in a lower league would be nothing short of an embarrassment to their professional career.
This raises a question of quality players like James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, who have missed the season due to injury. It would be a slap in the face to Tottenham supporters who have been eagerly awaiting their return, but you couldn’t blame them for wanting to move on to greener pastures.
Fans argue that they should respect the club for paying their wages while they’ve been injured, but it’s not as if the injuries were intentional. In reality, they don’t owe the club anything and are just as free as any other athlete on the Spurs’ squad to seek a new home in the case of Tottenham relegation.
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Who Could Stay?
As for who will stay (or who Spurs fans can HOPE will stay), two names are prevalent on the list. Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall are considered to be the cornerstones of Tottenham’s future, and a departure of either of them over the summer would be a massive blow to the heart as well as the squad.
They will no doubt be pursued by multiple clubs in and outside of the Premier League, but there is hope that they can be convinced of the long-term project, mostly because they have more careers ahead of them. In their case, Tottenham relegation may not be as damning a sentence.
The same goes for the multiple players currently out on loan from Tottenham. The return of Ashley Phillips, Alfie Devine, and Mikey Moore would be a major boost for a squad down on their luck.
Luka Vuskovic is another name on that loan list, but his situation is a bit different. He has been a standout player for Hamburg, and might be too big to come back to the Championship. If the price is right, Tottenham might look to sell him, which would be quite a shame, considering he looks to be a future star at center-back.
Inevitably, Tottenham will have to make a multitude of difficult decisions should they face relegation. For the moment, all of this can be hypothetical. But soon enough, Tottenham relegation could become a stark reality.
Who will stick around and stand by the badge? And who will look to move on from a Tottenham side that’s seeing the worst of its days? Only time and Tottenham’s run-in will tell.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Sportimage
Recording Date: 12.04.2026
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