Tottenham Hotspur's 2025-26 Premier League season has been one of the most dramatic, painful, and ultimately gripping stories in recent English football. A club that began the campaign with ambitions of a top-six finish now enters the final three games in a direct battle with West Ham United to avoid the final relegation place — and, remarkably, they go into those games with the momentum on their side. Back-to-back wins against Wolves and Aston Villa, the first victories under Roberto De Zerbi since his appointment as head coach, have pulled Spurs out of the bottom three and shifted the pressure firmly towards West Ham.
How It Went So Wrong
The scale of Tottenham's collapse has been staggering. After a respectable start to the season, results deteriorated sharply through the winter months, and Spurs went the entirety of 2026 without a league win until their recent turnaround. The north London derby saw Arsenal dish out a humiliating thrashing that left the football world asking serious questions about the club's direction. De Zerbi was brought in to arrest the slide, but early results were unconvincing. The statistics told a brutal story — one of the worst defensive records in the division, an alarming inability to close out matches, and a squad that, in the words of former midfielder Jamie O'Hara, appeared not to have the stomach for a fight.
The Turnaround
Something shifted in the last two weeks. De Zerbi made adjustments, the squad responded, and Spurs produced performances that suggested they had finally found a way to compete. The 2-1 win at Aston Villa was particularly impressive — away from home, against a side with European ambitions, earning three points through character and organisation. That result effectively swapped Spurs and West Ham's positions in the table. According to Opta's supercomputer, West Ham now have more than an 80 per cent chance of going down, with Tottenham's probability sitting at just under 20 per cent. Today, Spurs host Leeds United — a must-win fixture. West Ham face Arsenal in a game where their opponents are fighting for the title. The stars appear to be aligning for a Tottenham survival.
What's at Stake
The financial and sporting consequences of relegation for a club of Tottenham's size would be severe. Their new stadium, built at enormous cost, generates revenue streams that depend entirely on Premier League football. Key players including Xavi Simons — who arrived for £51 million last summer — would almost certainly trigger exit clauses or force the club's hand in a summer fire sale. Barcelona are already reported to be monitoring five Tottenham players ahead of a potential raid. Survival is not simply a sporting matter. It is existential. And right now, for the first time in a very difficult season, the people at Tottenham dare to believe they can manage it.
Relegation context: Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United — two-way battle for the final Premier League relegation place, 2025-26 season. Three games remaining. Roberto De Zerbi appointed Tottenham head coach during the season. Opta survival probability: Spurs 80.7%, West Ham 19.3%. Today's fixture: Tottenham vs Leeds United.
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