Despite ending their 118-day wait for a Premier League victory when they edged past relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur’s woes continue to add up.
Joao Palhinha struck with eight minutes remaining at Molineux to hand Roberto De Zerbi his first win as Spurs boss and snap a winless run which had stretched back to December.
However, a late Callum Wilson winner for West Ham against Everton means that Spurs remain in the bottom three, two points off safety with just four games of the Premier League season remaining.
Spurs suffer major injury blow
Tottenham head to Aston Villa on Sunday, before matches against Leeds, Chelsea and Everton as they look to battle to retain their top-flight status, but suffered a double injury blow at Wolves - one of which could have a hugely damaging impact on the club next season.
Striker Dominic Solanke limped off with a hamstring injury before the break and is now a doubt to face Villa, but there was far worse news concerning summer signing Xavi Simons.
The Dutch winger - who is valued at €50 million by Transfermarkt - jarred his knee on the pitch and needed lengthy treatment before attempting and failing to walk and then being taken off on a stretcher.
It has now been confirmed that the £51 million signing has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and will miss the next eight months. Not only does that rule him out of Spurs’ run-in, plus this summer’s World Cup, but it will see him sidelined for the start of the 2026/27 season.
“They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way,” the 23-year-old posted on his Instagram. “My season has come to an abrupt end and I’m just trying to process it. Honestly, I’m heartbroken.
“None of it makes sense. All I’ve wanted to do is fight for my team and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me, along with the World Cup.”
Should Spurs come up short in their battle against the drop over the next four weeks, Simons’ injury will also hand the club a major headache in their attempts to stabilise.
As per Capology, Simons earns a weekly wage of around £195,000 on the five-year contract he signed in the summer, which made him one of the club’s highest-paid players.
Relegation and the subsequent drop in revenue would mean Spurs would have serious work to do in reducing their wage bill, even after taking into account any relegation wage reduction clauses that are built into their key players’ contracts.
With Simons set to be sidelined until the end of 2026, there would be little to no prospect of being able to either sell or loan him out during the summer transfer window. That would mean Spurs would have to carry one of the highest-paid players in Championship history for at least the first half of the season, putting them on the financial back foot before the summer window even opens.
