Credit: Imago

Daniel Lewis

Tue 26 May 2026 10:44, UK

James Maddison has admitted there is a serious possibility Tottenham Hotspur would have been relegated had Roberto De Zerbi not been appointed.

Tottenham stayed up by the skin of their teeth as they picked up the win required over Everton on the final day of the season.

Things had looked seriously bleak for spurs just a few weeks ago when in the bottom three, but they took advantage of West Ham’s drop in form.

De Zerbi did what Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor could not in getting a song out of his players, with the Italian very much proving value for money.

And Maddison’s new comments on a dire campaign for Tottenham are easily backed up by the stats.

James Maddison is right – Tottenham were doomed without Roberto De Zerbi

De Zerbi was hired on 31 March after the failed experiment involving Tudor, but the former Marseille boss oversaw a 1-0 loss at Sunderland in his first game in charge.

Spurs were then held 2-2 at home by Brighton, before earning rare back-to-back wins over Wolves and an admittedly depleted Aston Villa side.

A draw with Leeds and win over Everton in Spurs’ final two home games, either side of losing away at Chelsea, ensured the Lilywhites stayed up.

That tally of 11 points from 21 under De Zerbi was rather impressive when you consider Tottenham had taken just 30 from the previous 93 on offer.

Indeed, had De Zerbi been in charge for an entire campaign, Spurs are projected to finish around fifth or sixth in the division.

Maddison did not shy away from the impact De Zerbi has had at Tottenham when speaking on Sky Sports News on Tuesday morning.

“Since he’s come in, he’s been brilliant. Without him coming in, there’s a serious possibility we’d go down,” Maddison admitted.

“He switched the mindset. The passion he showed every day rubbed off on the players. Yes, maybe we could still have been better in terms of quality, but the passion and mentality was there.”

What’s a realistic aim for Tottenham in 2026-27?

Tottenham have not finished as low at 17th in successive seasons in over a century, so it is hardly time to celebrate.

But with De Zerbi having a full summer at the helm, there is no reason why Spurs cannot now finish comfortably in the top half next season.

Supporters will not get carried away, somewhat scarred by the experiences of the past two Premier League seasons.

With a few new faces, De Zerbi’s methods and hopefully a refresh high up, Tottenham’s days of looking over their shoulder will be over for a while longer yet.