Tottenham Hotspur go into a decisive week of Premier League matches with their season on the line, and Tuesday’s trip to Stamford Bridge could determine whether their relegation worries deepen before Sunday’s finale. Tottenham must win away to Chelsea to avoid those concerns becoming more severe, although a point would be enough if West Ham United stay three points behind with a far worse goal difference heading into the final day.
The pressure sits on a squad still trying to steady itself after a draw at home to Leeds United last time out, when Randal Kolo Muani lost 11 duels and added to the sense that Tottenham are still searching for a reliable attacking edge. The club have only considered Kolo Muani on loan, despite Paris Saint-Germain paying £76m to Eintracht Frankfurt for him in 2023, and he has scored one goal in the English top flight for Tottenham.
Roberto De Zerbi may yet end up the man who saves Tottenham after replacing Igor Tudor during the March international break, but the immediate task is more basic than any long-term rescue plan. They need a result at Chelsea, and they need it now. The match on Tuesday is the one that can change the mood of the week before Sunday’s Premier League denouement, because anything less than a win leaves them relying on other results and arithmetic they would rather not need.
Tottenham’s collapse this season and last has been repeatedly tied to injury problems, and that shortage has helped explain why Kolo Muani has been given a starting role despite his uneven impact. There have been few alternatives. His loan spell has already become a wider talking point, including in the discussion around his future after a difficult run in north London, where links with a Juventus return have also surfaced. For now, though, the focus is not on where Kolo Muani goes next. It is on whether he can help Tottenham get through the week intact.
That burden is being shared by Archie Gray, the 20-year-old naturally a centre-midfielder but used across midfield and the back line because Tottenham have had to improvise. He has completed 33.3% of his crosses in the Premier League this term, a modest return that underlines how often he has been asked to play outside the area that best fits him. Even so, Harry Redknapp has said Gray has the ability to be a future Tottenham captain, a remark that lands differently now as the club leans on younger players to keep the season from slipping further out of control.
Tuesday will tell Tottenham whether they can carry that burden into Sunday with some control still left. If they cannot, the final day may be less about finishing a season than surviving one.
