If Igor Tudor’s appointment as Tottenham Hotspur head coach tells us anything, it’s that the board are concerned about the prospect of relegation to the Championship.
The 47-year-old Croatian twice rescued Udinese from relegation in Serie A, before plugging holes at Marseille and Juventus — ensuring Champions League football on both occasions. Tudor is a premium alternative to the likes of Tony Pulis and Sam Allardyce, who built reputations domestically on reviving disastrous seasons.
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While Opta’s data model indicates Tottenham’s actual chances of relegation are remote, at 3.36 per cent, they are just five points ahead of a resurgent West Ham United in 18th, having failed to win in eight league matches.
With 12 top-flight games remaining, and 36 points available, The Athletic has assessed what going down for the first time since the 1970s would mean for Spurs.
Which players would be likely to depart?
The majority of Tottenham’s first-team squad should have no problem attracting interest from the Premier League and across Europe if the club were to be relegated.
The defence, probably the strongest area of the pitch in the first half of this season under the recently sacked Thomas Frank, would be pretty much picked clean, with a core of experienced internationals in their prime years unlikely to want to spend a season in the Championship. That would mean replacing Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Destiny Udogie, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. Kevin Danso and Djed Spence will also likely attract significant interest and could find new homes at top-tier clubs, either permanently or on loan.
Looking at midfield, January signing Conor Gallagher was courted by Aston Villa before deciding on a move to Tottenham, and will surely want to continue playing at the highest level. Rodrigo Bentancur committed his long-term future to the north London club last October and was pivotal under Frank before undergoing hamstring surgery in January, but may seek a move should Spurs go
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