Tottenham stars ‘think they’re too good to get relegated’, says Jeremie Aliadiere.
Tottenham Hotspur’s slide into a genuine relegation scrap has shocked plenty of people outside the club, but the numbers do not lie. Two wins in 19 league matches, a prolonged winless run stretching across 2026, and a squad ravaged by injuries have left Spurs hovering just a few points above the drop zone.
A managerial change has not produced an instant bounce, confidence looks fragile, and performances have lacked consistency in both boxes. For a club that started the season with European ambitions, simply staying in the Premier League has become the overriding objective, and that should tell you the drop in standard over the last few months.
It is in that context that former Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere delivered a pointed warning about mentality. Drawing on his own experience of relegation with Middlesbrough, here is what he said via GOAL.
“It is an issue and I’ve been in a relegation team with Middlesbrough when I got relegated and I thought that we’re too good to go down. But when you are dragged down to that level, there’s no more playing football, there’s no more quality, there’s no more talent. It’s all about graft and believing and fighting. Fighting as a unit, as a group and that’s the problem.”
“I look at Spurs as well and obviously, no disrespect to the other side of London and the other club, but that is the problem they’ve got. You’ve got players in there that think they’re too good to get relegated but you’re the players that got in this position in the first place so you’ve got to get out of it.”
Dissecting Jeremie Aliadiere’s take on Tottenham
There is uncomfortable truth in that assessment. A squad packed with international players and significant transfer fees, yet their performances do not match their reputations. Defensive lapses, poor game management and a blunt attack have combined to drag them down the table.
Injuries have certainly hurt them, but many of the issues predate the current crisis. Too often Spurs have looked like a team expecting results to arrive on talent alone rather than through relentless application.
Tottenham are in this position because performances have fallen short across the board. The attack has misfired, the defence has been vulnerable and the mentality has looked brittle when games turn against them. Changing that requires collective responsibility. It is not about one star dragging the team out but about everyone accepting the scrap for what it is.
The conclusion is simple. Spurs still have time to pull clear, but only if they embrace the fight fully. Reputation will not save them. Hard work, unity and humility might. Aliadiere’s warning should serve as a wake-up call. If Tottenham truly believe they are better than their current position, they now have to prove it the hard way.