Tottenham arrive at the last day of the 2025/26 Premier League season facing an uncommon threat: relegation is still a real possibility.

The task for De Zerbi’s side is clear. Avoid defeat to Everton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Tottenham will remain in the division for another season. That simple line, however, sits against a difficult backdrop.

Everton have been one of the stronger teams across the campaign and remain in contention for a top-half finish. David Moyes’s team have not won in the Premier League since their 3–0 victory over Chelsea on March 21, a statistic that offers Spurs some encouragement but does not alter Everton’s overall season form.

Tottenham’s selection problems are acute. Captain Cristian Romero is injured and will not even be in the stands, choosing instead to attend boyhood club Belgrano’s historic Argentine league championship final against River Plate on the same day. Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert, Mohamed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski are also unavailable through injury, leaving De Zerbi to rely on a depleted group and a patched-together lineup.

The table is unforgiving. Tottenham sit 17th on 38 points with a goal difference of -10. Directly beneath them, West Ham occupy 18th with 36 points and a -22 goal difference. If Spurs fail to beat Everton, their fate shifts to the London Stadium, where West Ham host Leeds United. West Ham would need a win to overtake Tottenham; if the Hammers secure all three points, Spurs would be relegated.

On paper, the formula is straightforward: avoid defeat. In practice, injuries, squad constraints and the outcome of West Ham’s match mean the final day promises to be tense. Tottenham’s immediate focus must be on managing availability and getting a result at home to ensure survival without relying on other outcomes.

Roberto De Zerbi accepted the VAR reversal that affected Tottenham a day earlier but warned refereeing in Monday’s match felt unsettled. Spurs were held 1–1 by Leeds United as De Zerbi’s side failed to capitalise on a critical opportunity in a game described as physical and frenetic.

De Zerbi said he had no issue with the overturn of Chris Kavanagh’s on-field call and suggested the events surrounding the previous day’s VAR drama may have affected officiating. He singled out the match referee Jarred Gillett, calling the game rushed and the officials lacking calm. “The first minute until the end of the game, the referee went to me, ‘if you go out, yellow card,’ and I think they were not calm today,” he said. The manager was booked late for entering the field after an earlier warning for leaving his technical area.

“Maybe they suffered the pressure of the West Ham-Arsenal game and VAR. For sure, we suffered the pressure for the speed of the ball, for the order on the pitch and we didn’t play with patience.

“Frenetic and we were rushed, but also the referee was not calm,” he added.

On the high-profile VAR incident itself De Zerbi was unequivocal. “I can’t understand the polemic because it was a foul, 200%, not 100%, if you want to talk about football.” He declined to enter wider debate over decisions that went against Spurs in the match, including Mathys Tel’s penalty concession and a penalty not given after Lukas Nmecha’s challenge on James Maddison. “No, I don’t want to come inside the polemic. I didn’t see. I didn’t watch again. I don’t know.”

The draw leaves Tottenham on 38 points with a goal difference of minus nine and two fixtures remaining: Chelsea (A) and Everton (H). West Ham sit on 36 points with a minus 20 goal difference; a win at Newcastle would temporarily move them out of the relegation zone. Opta’s relegation likelihood for Tottenham was noted at 19.54%.

Mauricio Pochettino has acknowledged a desire to return to the Premier League while stopping short of naming Tottenham Hotspur as his destination. The U.S. men’s national team manager, who has previously managed Chelsea, reignited speculation about a European return on the Stick to Football podcast, where he admitted he “really loves” Tottenham Hotspur and will “one day” return to the Premier League, but he did not specifically name north London as his end destination.

Asked if he wants to return to the Premier League, the 54-year-old said, “One day, yes because I really like England. I think my human profile and coach profile match very well with the Premier League and with the culture, the idea, the idiosyncrasy and the philosophy.” Reports linking him to Real Madrid and Tottenham have accompanied his public remarks.

Pochettino also reflected on Tottenham’s current crisis. “It is really sad,” he said. “I really love Tottenham; it’s one of the most important parts of my life as a coach and in my personal life too. I can talk from my experience in Tottenham and what I can tell you for me it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world.

“Tottenham is a massive club with a massive following.” He noted the club’s recent highs under his tenure and elsewhere, and admitted the team “challenged” for silverware but ultimately “missed this last step.”

This season Tottenham sit 18th with 34 points from 34 games and are two points behind 17th-place West Ham United. The club’s managerial sequence moved from Thomas Frank to Igor Tudor and now Roberto De Zerbi as they attempt to climb to safety. Spurs still face fixtures against Aston Villa, Leeds United, Chelsea and Everton as the campaign concludes.

The prospect of relegation to the second tier for the first time since 1977 contrasts sharply with Spurs’ recent achievements: a second-place finish in 2016–17, a Champions League final in 2019 and last season’s Europa League triumph. Pochettino’s comments leave open the possibility of a future return to England, but the club’s immediate plight is the clear caveat.