Gary Neville says it would be the “shock of the century” if Tottenham were relegated from the Premier League, although he believes they have enough to avoid a drop.
Spurs suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in the North London derby on Sunday, with Igor Tudor making a losing start at the club.
Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres both scored twice for the Gunners, with Randal Kolo Muani scoring Spurs’ only goal, although he was also ruled out for a second for a foul on Gabriel Magalhaes.
Only Wolves (10) have lost more home games in Europe’s big five leagues this season than Tottenham (eight), with Spurs remaining the only winless team in the Premier League into 2026 (P9 D4 L5).
Their latest defeat leaves them 16th in the table, just four points above the relegation zone after 27 games played.
The Opta supercomputer gives Spurs just a 4.4% chance of finishing in the Championship next season, with their most likely finish currently 16th (25.2%).
And while Neville expects them to remain in the Premier League, he acknowledged they are very much in the relegation battle.
“Tottenham are in trouble,” he told Sky Sports. “Last season they played it down a bit, but they were always clear about it, and they controlled the Europa League games and picked up just enough points. You never really felt like they were going to go down.”
“They’ve got real work to do this season, and they better do it quickly. I look at West Ham, I look at Nottingham Forest, and they’ve got something where you think they’re going to get points.”
“Tottenham will not be able to just sit there and think this will just happen. They will have to work hard to get out of this mess.
“It’s unthinkable. But on the football side, they have underperformed for a number of years. They have never found the formula to do well, and this is the second season they have been in this kind of position.”
“It’s not a coincidence anymore. This is a pattern of what you are, and it would be the shock of the century. It would be absolutely mind-boggling to think they could disappear from this competition, but I don’t think they will.”
“They showed an attitude for 55, 60 minutes against Arsenal. They were just beaten by a better team in the end. They showed a bit of toughness that they will need.”
“But when the cameras are off and they’re playing the team in mid-table next week and the week after – and maybe it’s a little less motivation because of what the match is – will they be as robust, just as tenacious, just as hard-working as they press?
“That will be necessary. Because if you are only a few percent off in this competition, you are done.”
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