Desperation is beginning to set in at Tottenham Hotspur, with even Roberto De Zerbi’s newly signed five-year contract unable to shake the fact that for all the talk of long-term plans, the Lilywhites are only seven games away from saving their season.
Sitting just a point above the relegation zone in the Premier League, there is something to do with the club’s poor 1997/98 campaign, which almost ended with relegation.
|
1997/98 – After 31 games |
|
|---|---|
|
Position |
Points |
|
13 – Wimbledon |
37 |
|
14 – Newcastle |
37 |
|
15 – Sheff Weds |
37 |
|
16 – Spurs |
34 |
|
17 – Everton |
33 |
|
18 – Barnsley |
31 |
|
19 – Bolton |
30 |
|
20 – Palace |
24 |
David Ginola was the marquee, Mohammed Kudus signing that summer. Darren Anderton and Les Ferdinand, notable injuries are absent for most of the campaign, especially in the formation of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.
A team of stars on paper ended up narrowly surviving that period, with a similarly expensive team and huddled in danger of what would be an unthinkable relegation to the second tier.
That 1997/98 season boasted a certain Jurgen Klinsmann to bail them out of trouble, but who will be De Zerbi’s savior today?
When Klinsmann saved Spurs from relegation
In an era when imports were few and far between, the man Klinsmann was one of the Premier League’s true foreign stars, scoring 29 goals in all competitions during the 1994/95 campaign, 20 of which came in the top flight.
The German’s talismanic quickly became a hero in north London, although following a dispute with then-owner Alan Sugar, his bags were packed that summer, he returned to his homeland to join Bayern Munich.
That seemed to be the end of his relationship with Spurs, although desperate times called for drastic measures just two years later, with Sugar putting past grievances behind him to bring Klinsmann back into the fold on a temporary deal in December 1997.
To understate the striker’s impact on his immediate return would be unfair, however, with the Sampdoria loanee scoring just three goals in the last three league games of the campaign.
By the end of May, he had struck out nine times, however, and seemed more important that Coming out of Wimbledon, he scored four as Spurs came from behind to win 6-2 in the penalty shootout of the season.
With relegation rivals Bolton Wanderers having won on the same day, the victory was crucial, as the Lilywhites ended up finishing in 14th place, four points from safety.
De Zerbi and his teammates face similar knife-edge situations in the weekend’s trip to Sunderland, with a new Klinsmann-esque figure needing to emerge.
Spurs’ new Klinsmann could be De Zerbi’s savior
Well, how do you get Harry Kane to go down well in N17, but alas, De Zerbi will have to look inwards for his goalscoring solution, as the season approaches its final stage.
De Zerbi could tackle Solanke by offloading Spurs youngster Kane
Roberto De Zerbi could invent his own version of Harry Kane by benching Dominic Solanke for the star.
With Randal Kolo Muani scoring just one league goal all season, and Richarlison scoring just 25 goals in his top-flight campaigns for Spurs, it may well fall to Dominic Solanke to be the savior of this team.
Now, the Englishman has been a real disappointment since his club-record move from Bournemouth in 2024, with injuries preventing him from making 62 appearances since then, only 17 of which have come this season.
That said, despite that limited involvement, the 28-year-old has scored six goals from just 939 minutes of action in 2025/26, scoring twice in his return to Manchester City under Thomas Frank.
His scorpion kick that day was an indication of the kind of quality Solanke can have when fit and firing, highlighting why Teddy Sheringham had previously likened his signing to Klinsmann’s previous additions.
“The signing of Solanke is like the club signing Jurgen Klinsmann to replace me. It was a big deal, and I hope it will give everyone a good chance at the football club.”
Successive managers haven’t seen that finishing the Championship consistently enough in the last two years or so, but with it all coming down to a run of just seven games, De Zerbi will no doubt be pinning his hopes on the former Cherries.
Indeed, this is a player who has at least proven himself at Premier League level after scoring 19 goals in his last campaign on the south coast.
He fits in very well with the Joao Pedro-style striker that De Zerbi has worked with in the past, acting as a real physical focal point, but also with the ability to drop deep and influence play.
Solanke may not be quite Kane, but with eight assists in a Spurs shirt so far, he could be the central link man, the attacking spearhead of the Italian side’s favored 4-2-3-1.
Of course, he hasn’t shown that he can be relied on all season, but in seven games, the former Chelsea and Liverpool man could be the difference.
Spurs need a hero, they need Klinsmann to hit the mark. Can Solanke be the man?
De Zerbi already hails Solanke’s £44m signing to boost Spurs
Roberto De Zerbi has already identified the striker he wants to sign for Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
