Wayne Rooney has warned Tottenham Hotspur that they have landed themselves in a relegation battle after their defeat to his former employers Manchester United on Saturday.
United’s 2–0 win over a 10-man Spurs outfit left Thomas Frank’s side 15th in the Premier League standings, just six points above the relegation zone after 18th-placed West Ham United boosted their own survival hopes with victory over Burnley.
“You’d have to say they are [in a relegation battle] with their current form,” the legendary former striker told The Wayne Rooney Show.
“West Ham have been in form, Nottingham Forest pick up results here and there. You can’t think that they’re not in a relegation battle where they are. I think they’ll definitely be looking over their shoulders.”
Is Relegation a Genuine Concern for Tottenham?
There has long been a suggestion that some clubs are simply “too big” to be relegated. We’ve seen Chelsea flirt with the drop zone in 2015–16, while Manchester United were down there last season, and fellow ‘Big Six’ members Spurs are one of those who sit in that bracket—surely these teams can’t go down?
The very-real concern for Spurs, however, is that, unlike their rivals, this season has not been a one-off. They finished 17th last year under Ange Postecoglou, and while it’s fair to say they tanked the end of the campaign to prioritise winning the Europa League, they were still a bottom-half side at this point of the previous campaign.
Indeed, after 25 games last season under Postecoglou, Spurs had 30 points to their name, one more than they currently boast under Frank. Crucially, there was a 13-point gap to the relegation zone at this point last year, more than twice the cushion currently afforded to them.
On paper, Spurs should have the quality to breeze away from this point, but winning games has proven a real challenge. 2025 brought just 11 victories in the Premier League—of all the teams to spend the entire calendar year in the top flight, only bottom-side Wolverhampton Wanderers and relegation-threatened West Ham managed fewer (eight).
Still waiting for their first win of 2026, the clock is ticking for Spurs to figure things out before the teams below them find a solution to their own domestic woes.
Given Spurs’ recent form, things could be about to get worse before they get better.
Tottenham’s Next Five Premier League Matches
| Fixture | Date |
|---|---|
| Newcastle (H) | Feb. 10 |
| Arsenal (H) | Feb. 22 |
| Fulham (A) | March 1 |
| Crystal Palace (H) | March 5 |
| Liverpool (A) | March 15 |
An unforgiving run of five tough fixtures is followed by a home meeting with Nottingham Forest, currently 17th and three points behind. The importance of that fixture on March 22, before the international break, now cannot be overstated.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Wayne Rooney Barb Sums Up Tottenham’s Struggles Under Thomas Frank.
