Gary Neville has delivered a blunt verdict on Tottenham Hotspur’s relegation battle, suggesting the club dropping out of the Premier League could have wider implications for the division.
Tottenham Hotspur have nine games left in the Premier League to secure their top-flight status after a poor run this season.
Whether temporary manager Igor Tudor will be the man to steady the helm remains to be seen, but with four defeats in his first four games in charge, it does seem rather unlikely.
However, with every new game comes a new opportunity and, for Spurs, a daunting trip to Anfield is up next in the Premier League.
This is a crucial game in the north Londoners’ fight to stay up, as defeat here and wins for both West Ham United and Nottingham Forest could see Spurs drop into the relegation zone.
Tottenham relegation talk: Gary Neville delivers blunt verdict
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has now shared his thoughts on Tottenham’s relegation fears, suggesting their potential drop could have an impact on the competitiveness of the Premier League.
Speaking about the situation on The Overlap podcast, Neville admitted that while he does not like predicting relegation, the prospect of Spurs going down could have wider consequences for the division.
He said: “I refuse to predict relegation. I hated it, the idea of seeing a club go down.
“But I must admit seeing Tottenham go down would not be great for Tottenham fans and I think Tottenham are an amazing club, but it would be very good for the Premier League from a competitive perspective and the idea of Leeds staying up, of Sunderland staying up.
“I will tell you what I was more worried about at the start of the season, that every club which came up was just going straight back down again.
“I think the Premier League does not necessarily need Tottenham to go down, but it needs clubs other than the ones that come up to go down.
“It would be sad to go down, but maybe they have had it coming.”
Spurs urged to act quickly amid relegation battle
Neville also went on to offer advice to the Tottenham hierarchy as the club continues its fight to remain in the top division.
Despite discussing the possibility of Spurs dropping into the Championship, the 51-year-old admitted he does not believe the north London side will actually suffer relegation.
Explaining his view, Neville said: “I do not think they will go down.
“If you are going to make another change, that for me will probably need to be today or tomorrow because you do not wait.”