After their 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest last Sunday, Tottenham Hotspur fans are seriously worried about the threat of relegation from the Premier League this season, and while that threat has been there for honestly months now, it is starting to feel more real with Spurs unablet to even compete on the same pitch as a team that was just below them on the table not but a week ago.
If Spurs were to go down, which stars would remain loyal to the Lilywhites? Cynically, Spurs supporters suspect very few of them, given the lack of effort from the likes of even captain Cristian Romero, but here are three guys to keep in mind. (By the way, players staying on loan don't count for this list.)
RW Dejan Kulusevski
Dejan Kulusevski is such an obvious answer that it is almost a cop out. He is still out with a right knee injury that is so serious we don't even know the nature of it or his time table for a return, but we finally heard words straight from him that he has a return date in mind. Kulu will try to make it to the World Cup for Sweden, assuming they qualify.
The Juventus signing has been COYS through and through since joining the project, and since his transfer value is super low anyway, it would make far more sense for these two to remain loyal to each other and get back to the Premier League together if relegated.
AM James Maddison
James Maddison is 100 percent going to be the next captain if he stays and Cristian Romero goes, and, honestly, with the way the 2025/26 season has gone, Spurs supporters would probably take Madders over Romero as the captain in a heartbeat even if the World Cup winner stuck around.
Like Kulu, Maddison is a veteran presence and a big name who suffered a severe knee injury last season. His game is based less on dribbling and carrying and more on playmaking - the sort of creativity Spurs are still desperately missing - and his value is much higher staying on and becoming a Spurs icon, rather than bolting for almost nothing.
RW Wilson Odobert
Mathsy Tel is worth considering here, but he is a candidate to leave on loan to the Bundesliga so he can keep developing in a top division. Luka Vuskovic and Archie Gray may want the same, while there is always the risk that Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons see themselves as being too good for the Championship after joining Tottenham Hotspur just one year ago.
So the answer is Wilson Odobert, who was in the Championship himself just a couple of years ago. Before an ACL tear of his own, Odobert was finally clicking, shining more as a right winger than even a left winger after Kudus went down. He still has a bright future ahead of him despite a huge injury of his own (tearing his ACL, like Maddison did), and Tottenham fans should be excited to see him next season. Coming off an injury, he holds way more value to Spurs than anyone else, especially in the Championship.