Tottenham Hotspur find themselves in an absolute free-fall with the unthinkable threat of relegation looming. The Lilywhites are just one point above the relegation zone, and if recent league form is anything to go by, the championship nightmare may become a reality by the end of the season. The club is winless in the league in 2026 and has taken just five points from 13 games since the start of the year, the lowest in the entire division.
Despite no shortage of fan support throughout the season, the Lilywhites have repaid the fanbase with just two league wins at home, also ranking last in the Premier League in this regard.Â
With relegation a real possibility, here’s a look at how Spurs compare to their rivals near the relegation zone, including the upcoming run-in that may have unprecedented consequences.
West Ham United
The Hammers find themselves in a relegation zone, which they’ve been in for most of the season, including the entirety of the last four months. However, they haven’t been closer to being out of the drop zone in that stretch than they are right now. Just one point separates 18th-placed West Ham and 17th-placed Tottenham Hotspur. In 2026, West Ham have accumulated 10 more points than their London rivals in the Premier League, taking 15 points from 12 games. These points include a recent win against Fulham as well as impressive draws against Manchester City and Manchester United.
While relegation candidates like Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur have had recent managerial upheavals, Nuno Espirito Santo is the standout manager in the relegation battle with his ability and experience to get the most out of limited squads. However, the manager will be challenged by the potential injury concerns of Crysencio Summerville. The impact of the Dutch winger’s injury during West Ham’s FA Cup win against Bournemouth was felt in the following match against Aston Villa, where the visiting Hammers were defeated 2-0. On one of the lowest possession teams in the league (second-lowest with 42.1% according to Fotmob), Summerville provides a valuable attacking outlet that goes beyond his important goals and assists. The winger has scored five league goals since the turn of the year, with four of these goals opening the scoring in eventual wins. With their recent defeat to Villa, West Ham’s record fell to zero wins, three draws, and five losses in the 25/26 season without the winger. While survival is the priority, West Ham is also focused on a cup run in the FA Cup. While it can certainly be a morale booster (and is understandable), it could also hinder the fitness of some of their core players, which was evident recently with Summerville.
West Ham’s run-in begins with a home game against the last-placed Wolves. While this may seem like an easy three points on the surface, similar to the Hammers, Wolves have enjoyed a resurgence since the turn of the year after making a disastrous start to the season. After starting winless for their first 18 league games, Wolves finally broke their win drought with a 3-0 win against West Ham at the start of January. Recent results have included impressive wins against Liverpool and Aston Villa, along with come-from-behind draws against Arsenal and Brentford. Despite an impressive away point from 2-0 down in their last game at Brentford, Wolves remain the worst team away from home this season, being winless away from the Molineux stadium with just five points in 15 games.
West Ham, who have taken 16 points of their 29 points away from home, then travel to Selhurst Park, where Crystal Palace have ranked 16th at home this season. Palace, who find themselves adrift from both the relegation battle and contention for Europe, have especially struggled since the turn of the year, with the Hammers taking two more points than last year’s FA Cup winners in 2026.
The following game is against a resurgent Everton, who are nearing European spots for next season. West Ham host the Toffees, who rank fourth in the away league table this season with an impressive haul of 24 points from 15 games. A trip to another European challenger follows the following week, when West Ham go to Brentford, who are currently placed in seventh place and have ranked fourth since the turn of the year.
The toughest game in the run-in and arguably the toughest matchup possible follows in the week after, as West Ham is scheduled to host Arsenal the following week. The Gunners, who currently top the table by nine points, have been ruthless all season long and will be significantly favored in the matchup. A possibility that could slightly aid West Ham is the Gunners’ potentially sealing their title prior to this game, while remaining in the FA Cup and Champions League, meaning a potentially experimental and rotational side.
West Ham then have a challenging trip to St James’ Park for the penultimate game of the season before facing a potential relegation shootout on the final day of the season when they host Leeds United. If West Ham are in a position to overtake Leeds by this point, they’d feel confident in getting it done with Leeds’ inferior away form and a worse record since the start of the calendar year.Â
Nottingham Forest
2025/26 has been a season of chaos for Nottingham Forest. Forest, who are on their fourth full-time manager of the season after sacking Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, and Sean Dyche, sit in 16th place, three points above the drop zone after a clinical win against Spurs in their last game. Vitor Perera’s men have been moving in the right direction with their last five games in all competitions, including a draw against Manchester City, a convincing win against Tottenham, and progress to the quarter-final of the Europa League.Â
Progress in the Europa League could become a hindrance in the relegation fight, but Forest have largely used a second XI in the competition. It remains to be seen if the team puts more resources into a potential European title with more challenging games on the horizon. The ability to have a second XI that can progress through the knockouts of the Europa League does speak highly of the depth Forest possesses, a factor that can be especially crucial in the relegation battle if injuries arise.Â
While most of the core from Forest’s successful last season have played significant minutes this season, the club will be further boosted by the imminent return of Chris Wood from a knee injury. The Striker scored 20 league goals last season, but an injury had left him on the sidelines since October.Â
Nottingham Forest start their run-in with a home game against fourth-placed Aston Villa. While Villa are undoubtedly a quality side that is primed for Champions League football, they have seen a notable drop-off in the second half of the season, picking up just 15 points since the turn of the year. What follows in the next game is arguably the easiest possible fixture as Forest host Burnley, who rank 19th in the overall league table as well as the league table for 2026 and for away performances.
Things become significantly harder after that. Forest travel to the Stadium of Light to face a Sunderland that has taken 26 points from 15 games at home and has conceded the third fewest goals (14) at their home ground this season. Two of the next three games are away at Champions League place contenders Chelsea and Manchester United. The difficulty of the United fixture has especially gone up in recent times, with no team taking more points than the Red Devils (25) in 2026. The two games are flanked by a home game against Newcastle, who have been inconsistent all season long, but now have the boost of only playing in one competition with the core of a team that made the Champions League last season.
The season ends with a home game against Bournemouth, who have been one of the surprising form sides of 2026, racking up 19 points in 12 games, with their points per game only bettered by Arsenal, Manchester United, and Manchester City.
Leeds United
Since Early December, Leeds United have found themselves near the Relegation Zone without being inside it. In this span, the club has occupied a place between 15th and 17th, and they currently sit in 15th, four points above the drop zone. Four consecutive goalless league games with two draws and two losses have helped the likes of West Ham and Nottingham Forest to close down their gap to last year’s Championship winners in recent weeks. Leeds rank 18th in the Premier League table since the turn of the year, accumulating 13 points in 13 games, including the lowest tally of goals scored with 12.
However, Leeds boast a superior home record to their relegation rivals, picking up 23 points in 16 games at Elland Road, including a win against Forest in February. This bodes especially well as Leeds host the two bottom-placed clubs, Burnley and Wolves, in their run-in. Leeds start their run-in away at one of the form sides of the league in Manchester United. On either side of home games against Wolves and Burnley, a tricky challenge at Bournemouth awaits, while a home game against Brighton can be similarly unpredictable.Â
If they drop points earlier in their run-in, Leeds’ Status as a Premier League club could come down to two massive six-pointers against relegation rivals. Leeds is scheduled to travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for Gameweek 36 before travelling to the London Stadium two weeks later for their final game of the season against West Ham.
Tottenham Hotspur
There’s not much to separate the strength of schedule between the Spurs and the rest of the teams. A few games against European position contenders (Chelsea, Aston Villa, Everton), potentially tricky games against mid-table sides like Sunderland and Brighton, and a few games against relegation rivals and contenders (Wolves, Leeds).
However, the biggest issue for Spurs is the lack of confidence regarding any game in the run-in due to their abysmal form. While the likes of West Ham (13th) and Forest (15th) can look at their improved performances since the turn of the year, Spurs rank dead last in the same metric. Similarly, while Leeds can take confidence from accumulating 1.44 points per home game this season (13th), Spurs rank dead-last in this metric as well.
While the Spurs’ performance this season cannot be justified in any way, the injury bug has certainly played a role in hindering the Lilywhites’ season. Spurs’ winless league run in 2026 has largely coincided with the absence of their first-choice right winger Mohmmad Kudus. Kudus was one of the major driving forces of the Spurs’ early success this season, not only contributing with goals and assists but also becoming a high-action creator for an attack that could often be stagnant. With injuries to their star as well as other wingers (combined with the sale of Brennan Johnson in January), Spurs have had to experiment with the right wing position, and it hasn’t been too effective. Most recently, Pedro Porro was tried in a similar role, and it didn't go too well. The good news for Spurs is that Kudus is expected to be back after the international break.Â
A silver lining for Spurs’ shambolic season is that, unlike its relegation rivals, the team only has to focus on the Premier League for the rest of the season, with the team knocked out of the FA Cup and European Compeitions.
It was hardly conceivable just a few months back, but Tottenham Hotspur will need to show some serious grit, resilience, and character to get themselves out of a relegation nightmare.Â