Things are looking a bit hopeless at Tottenham Hotspur and even Roberto de Zerbi’s new five-year deal can’t shake the fact that, despite talk of long-term plans, the Lilywhites have just seven games left to salvage their season.
The club sit just one point above the Premier League’s drop zone, and there are certainly traces of the disastrous 1997/98 season that saw them almost relegated.
1997/98 – After 31 games | |
|---|---|
position | point |
13 – Wimbledon | 37 |
14 – Newcastle | 37 |
15 – Chef Wezz | 37 |
16 – Spurs | 34 |
17 – Everton | 33 |
18 – Barnsley | 31 |
19 – Bolton | 30 |
20 – Palace | twenty four |
David Ginola was the signature signing of that summer’s rising star, Mohammed Kudus Styles. Darren Anderton and Les Ferdinand are very much in the mold of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, although they were both sidelined with injuries for large parts of the season.
That time a team that was good on paper ultimately survived by a narrow margin, but a similarly expensively assembled team was once again at risk of an unthinkable slide into the second tier.
Jurgen Klinsmann certainly saved the day in the 1997/98 season, but who will be De Zerbi’s savior in the modern era?
When Klinsmann saved Spurs from relegation
At a time when there were few foreign imports, Klinsmann was one of the Premier League’s first true foreign superstars, scoring 29 goals in all competitions in the 1994-95 season, 20 of which came in the top flight.
The talismanic German quickly achieved hero status in north London, but after a spat with then owner Alan Sugar, he packed up and returned to his home country to join Bayern Munich that summer.
This seemed to be the end of the story as far as his relationship with Spurs was concerned, but just two years later, Sugar put aside his past grievances and brought Klinsmann back into the team on a short-term deal in December 1997, leaving him in a desperate situation.
However, it is not entirely accurate to say that the striker’s impact upon his return has been immediate, given that the striker, currently on loan at Sampdoria, has scored just three goals in his last three league games.
However, by the end of May he scored 9 goals, but played a particularly important role. that He had four hits away at Wimbledon, leading Spurs to a 6-2 come-from-behind victory in the penultimate game of the season.
Victory was essential as relegation rivals Bolton Wanderers had won on the same day, with the Lilywhites ultimately finishing 14th with four points.
De Zerbi and co face a similarly tough situation ahead of this weekend’s trip to Sunderland, and a new figure like Klinsmann is needed to emerge.
Spurs’ new Klinsmann could be De Zerbi’s savior
Yeah, the return of Harry Kane, for example, would work well in N17, but sadly De Zerbi will have to look within himself for a goal-scoring solution as the season draws to a close.
De Zerbi could bin Solanke by unleashing new Spurs teenager Kane
Roberto de Zerbi could unearth his own version of Harry Kane by benching the starlet with Dominic Solanke.
With Randall Kolo Muani scoring just one league goal all season and Richarlison scoring just 25 goals in four seasons in the top flight with Spurs, Dominic Solanke could be the team’s savior.
Well, the Englishman himself has been a real disappointment since his club-record move from Bournemouth in 2024, and has since been restricted to 62 appearances due to injury, with only 17 of those appearing this season.
That said, even in his limited appearances, the 28-year-old scored six goals in just 939 minutes in 2025/26, and will be remembered for scoring twice in the come-from-behind draw with Thomas Frank’s Manchester City.
His scorpion kick on the day was indicative of the type of quality Solanke can have when he’s set and firing, and highlighted why Teddy Sheringham had previously likened Solanke’s contract to Klinsmann’s add-ons in the past.
“Signing Solanke is similar to when the club signed Jurgen Klinsmann instead of me. This was a big deal and I hope it will bring big improvements to everyone at the football club.”
Previous managers have not been able to demonstrate their decisiveness consistently over the past two years, but given that they have conceded just seven goals, there is no doubt that De Zerbi has high hopes for the former Cherries man.
Indeed, he is a player who has proven himself, at least at Premier League level, scoring 19 goals in his last campaign on the south coast.
He fits very well into the mold of the Joao Pedro-style strikers that De Zerbi has worked with in the past, acting as a true physical center but also possessing mobility and the ability to drop deep and influence the play.
Solanke may not be quite Kane, but with eight assists so far in a Spurs shirt, he could be the attacking spearhead and central linkman in the Italian’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation.
Of course, he has yet to show that he can be trusted over a full season, but over seven games the former Chelsea and Liverpool man could be the difference maker.
Spurs need a hero and they need Klinsmann to beat the drop. Could Solanke be that man?
De Zerbi is already linked with a £44m upgrade deal for Solanke with Spurs
Roberto De Zerbi has already identified the striker he wants to sign for Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
