The picture of which teams will make up the Premier League’s bottom three and drop into the Championship is beginning to take shape after Wolves’ relegation was confirmed on Monday night.
Burnley could follow as early as Wednesday. Scott Parker’s side sit 13 points adrift of West Ham with five games remaining, meaning their fate will be sealed if they lose to title-chasing Manchester City this week.
That leaves the battle for the final relegation spot.
Could it really be Tottenham, with a squad valued at £747.8million – the sixth most expensive in the Premier League – and a £1billion stadium? That prospect is becoming more and more likely given they have spent the last week and a half in the drop zone.
Just two points above them are West Ham, who still have Everton, Arsenal and fellow relegation-battlers Leeds to come. Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, moved five points clear of danger with their weekend win over Burnley, while Daniel Farke’s side are now eight points clear.
Daily Mail Sport’s reporters give their verdict…
Mike Keegan (chief sports reporter): Tottenham Hotspur
It pains me to say it – and I hope I am wrong – but the unthinkable now appears the most likely.
While there were signs of life in Saturday’s draw with Brighton, it’s beginning to feel like Tottenham’s season is beyond the point of repair.
The prospect of a seismic relegation for Tottenham is becoming more and more likely given they have spent the last week-and-a-half in the drop zone
Ian Herbert (deputy chief sports writer): West Ham
Tottenham looked transformed against Brighton and Xavi Simons’ agony, taken with Spurs’ pressing in that game, suggests De Zerbi has injected some spirit.
Possessed with that, their run-in looks generous to me, while West Ham’s certainly doesn’t.
With their three-point cushion and a squad which has always had quality, I don’t see Forest in the mix. For me, West Ham to drop.
Tom Collomosse (Midlands football reporter): West Ham
Since losing to Nottingham Forest on January 7, the Hammers have won five and drawn four, leaving them sixth in the Premier League form table for that period.
That improvement was still not enough to lift Nuno Espirito Santo’s men out of the bottom three, though, and this is no time to run out of steam.
The next three matches, against Everton, Brentford and Arsenal, may decide their fate – and all three of those clubs have targets of their own.
Chris Wheeler (Northern sports writer): West Ham
Tottenham are in deep trouble, but I suspect they will somehow find their way out of it under Roberto De Zerbi over the last five games of the season.
Realistically, that leaves two other candidates, and despite Nottingham Forest’s European distractions, I think West Ham might be the ones to go.
West Ham’s next three matches, against Everton, Brentford and Arsenal, may decide their fate – and all three of those clubs have targets of their own
Lewis Steele (Merseyside reporter): Tottenham
My original thought – and one I have had for weeks – is that Spurs will just about stay up. I like Roberto De Zerbi a lot and can see them picking up around nine points in the final five.
The problem, though, is that I fancy West Ham to do the same with three home games and an away trip to a beleaguered Newcastle team. I am not wholly sold that Nottingham Forest are fully safe yet but I think I’m just leaning towards Spurs going down.
Ten years on from Leicester winning the league, that would be the biggest shock in England since then.
Isaan Khan (Football reporter): Tottenham
They are not chasing Nottingham Forest down, who are five points clear. That leaves the equation between Tottenham and West Ham – and the Hammers have momentum on their side after earning four points in their last two matches. The unthinkable is on.
