Tottenham Hotspur are not used to being involved in a relegation battle.
Spurs haven't dropped into the second tier of English football since the late 1970s, while the last time relegation was a real possibility was back in 1993/94, when they finished 15th in the Premier League and only secured survival on the penultimate day of the season.
But Thomas Frank's men face being dragged into a relegation fight this term, with a seven-game winless run in the league leaving them 15th in the table, just six points above the bottom three.
Premier League relegation would cause major financial headache for Spurs
This was not the future envisaged by Spurs when they moved into the state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019.
They reached the Champions League final that same year, losing to Liverpool, while they were in the middle of a run of 16 successive top-eight finishes in the Premier League.
That explains why Tottenham players aren't thought to have salary-reduction clauses in their contracts in the event of relegation, according to The Telegraph.
Former staff members who worked at Spurs during Daniel Levy's tenure as chairman, which spanned from 2001 until last September, told the newspaper that such clauses weren't inserted into contracts when they were at the club.
The Telegraph adds that sources still connected to Tottenham believe this hasn't changed since Levy's departure five months ago.
It means that Spurs could be saddled with a squad full of players on huge salaries next season if they fail to arrest their slide down the table and drop into the Championship.
The club would make some savings to the wage bill, as bonuses would no longer be applicable if they miss out on European qualification, but the numbers would still be astronomical by the standards of English football's second tier, while their revenue would also fall dramatically.
It is one of many reasons why relegation is unthinkable for Spurs, who lifted the Europa League only last season after beating Manchester United in the final.
They finished 17th in the Premier League that same campaign, but ended with a 13-point gap to the drop zone.
Now, the threat of relegation looks much more real and Tottenham will be desperate to piece together a run of form as soon as possible - starting with the visit of Newcastle United tonight.
