The fear of relegation at Tottenham Hotspur is growing by the week. After losing the North London Derby against Arsenal, the side in 16th place in the Premier League have now gone nine league matches without a win. The gap to the relegation zone has shrunk to four points.
Jamie Redknapp did not try to sugar-coat what he had just seen. Speaking on Sky Sports after Tottenham were swept aside 4-1 by Arsenal in the North London Derby, the former Spurs midfielder said the club is in genuine danger and is sliding deeper into a crisis that now looks structural rather than temporary.
In his view, it is not just a bad run, it is a team that has lost its identity and the basic edge you expect from a side fighting to avoid being dragged into the relegation battle.
Redknapp’s biggest concern was how quickly the fear around the club is growing and how little evidence there is, week after week, that the slide is about to stop. Tottenham’s position near the bottom half of the table is not a freak snapshot caused by one poor afternoon, it is the product of a long sequence of games without a win. He pointed to the stark stat that Spurs have not won a single match in 2026, a line that sounds dramatic but becomes even more alarming when you watch how the team plays. For Redknapp, the football is not simply below expectations, it is disconnected. He described Spurs as “terrible” and, more damagingly, as a side with no personality, making the brutal joke that they have undergone a “personality bypass”.
That remark captured what many Tottenham supporters have been feeling. Even in bad periods, clubs often have something to cling to: intensity, unity, a recognisable plan, a sense of fight. Redknapp argued Spurs currently show none of those traits consistently. When results go against them, they do not look like a group that can change momentum through sheer will, tactical clarity, or leadership on the pitch. Instead, the game drifts away from them, and the confidence looks fragile enough that one setback becomes two, then three.
The derby itself was used as Exhibit A. Redknapp said it felt like a totally one-sided contest and that the two teams appeared to be living in two different worlds. Arsenal’s superiority was not just reflected in the 4-1 scoreline, it was visible in the rhythm of their passing, their control of space, and the calm way they punished Tottenham’s disorganisation. From Redknapp’s perspective, it looked like Arsenal were operating at a different level of cohesion, as if the teams belonged in different divisions. He even warned that if Tottenham do not drastically improve, that dark joke could become a literal reality.
Much of the conversation inevitably turned to the coaching change from Thomas Frank to Igor Tudor, which, at least so far, has not delivered the immediate bounce some expected. Redknapp acknowledged the injury problems Tottenham are dealing with, but he was not convinced that injuries alone explain the scale of the issues. Against Arsenal, Tudor opted for an aggressive man-to-man approach across the pitch, essentially asking his team to match Arsenal player for player all over the field. Redknapp said it simply did not work. When man-to-man pressing functions, it can disrupt build-up play and force mistakes. When it fails, it can open huge spaces, pull a defensive structure apart, and create exactly the kind of chaos a confident opponent loves. Arsenal exploited that, stretching Tottenham, dragging players out of position, and repeatedly finding gaps to attack.
The worrying part for Tottenham is that a tactical gamble like that often suggests a team is searching for answers rather than applying a stable system it trusts. Redknapp’s comments implied that Spurs look like they are in a phase of experimentation, but at the wrong time of the season, and with a squad that does not currently look ready to execute such high-risk ideas. That makes every match feel like a test rather than a platform to rebuild momentum.
When asked whether he still thinks Spurs will stay up, Redknapp said yes, but his reasoning was brutally honest. He could not back it up with facts, form, or performance indicators. He was essentially leaning on the idea that Tottenham, as a club with resources and quality in the squad, should be able to pull away. And yet even he sounded unconvinced by his own logic, admitting he was basing it on absolutely nothing tangible. That sums up the mood: survival may still be the most likely outcome, but Tottenham are no longer giving people reasons to say it with confidence.
The bigger fear is the psychological spiral that comes with a relegation scrap. Once a team starts looking over its shoulder, every game becomes heavier, every mistake becomes louder, and the atmosphere around the club tightens. Redknapp’s analysis suggests Tottenham are approaching that tipping point, where poor performances are no longer just a technical issue, but a mental one. If the players sense anxiety in the crowd, if they feel pressure in every pass, then even the simplest patterns of play break down.
For Tottenham, the challenge now is not just to stop losing, but to restore a clear identity fast. They need signs of leadership on the pitch, a tactical structure the players believe in, and a sense that they are building towards something rather than drifting through matches waiting for the next blow. The 4-1 defeat to Arsenal was a humiliation in sporting terms, but its real danger is what it could become psychologically: proof, for players and supporters alike, that Tottenham are far from the level they want to be and, more urgently, closer to the wrong end of the table than anyone at the club can be comfortable with.
Updated: 12:22, 23 Feb 2026
