Tottenham told ‘minimum’ time frame for Champions League return as they teeter on the brink of Premier League relegation disaster

Spurs, on the back of savouring Europa League glory under Ange Postecoglou in 2025 - as the club’s 17-year wait for major silverware came to a close - reached the Champions League last-16 this season before coming unstuck against La Liga giants Atletico Madrid.

Exploits in continental action briefly offered a welcome distraction to domestic struggles, with a slippery slope proving difficult to clamber off. A tumble into 17th spot last term was considered to have seen Tottenham bottom out, but things could get even worse 12 months on.

Having moved through Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, managerial reins are now being held by former Brighton and Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi. He has little time, with just six games remaining, in which to get his message across and deliver a reversal in fortune.

Spurs have crashed into the Premier League drop zone and relegation would likely deliver a firesale of top talent. With that in mind, how long would it take a club that once boasted title-challenging ambition to force their way back into the top-four picture?

When that question was put to former USMNT goalkeeper Friedel, with Tottenham fans also keeping an eye on Arsenal title odds that have been lengthening of late, the ex-Spurs star told GOAL: “I'm not going to say the name, but I heard someone I respect probably the most in all of football made a comment: ‘It takes more than a decade to build something up at a football club and it takes only two years to break it down’.

“You never know with parachute payments, with a quick bounce back up, look what happened with Villa - Villa's fighting. But yeah, you're probably looking at a minimum three seasons because if you go down, first you have to promote, then you want to solidify and make sure you stay in the Premier League. So I would say a minimum three seasons. But doable, a club the size of Tottenham, that's doable.”

While the reawakening of a sleeping giant is “doable”, Spurs are in serious danger of losing their lofty standing in English and European football circles. Another ex-Tottenham star, former frontman Bobby Zamora, has told GOAL of ‘big six’ status being surrendered: “For a team like Spurs, I think you can probably only go under the radar for two years. That third year, you have to deliver some sort of performance. You have to be in that top six and consistently look like you are there.

“I’ve got a lot of friends who are Spurs fans and they are pulling their hair out, and have done for the last year. They cannot believe what is going on.”

Gus Poyet - another of those with professional ties to Tottenham from his playing days - has told GOAL of relegation for Spurs potentially trumping Leicester’s stunning title win as the biggest shock in Premier League history.

He said: “Good question. I would say yes, bigger, and I don't want to take nothing from Leicester. Leicester was, I think, about momentum. Leicester was the typical thing that we say among coaches, when you have the momentum, when the players are motivated, when the players believe, they get together and something happens and you're thinking ‘they're going to lose, they're going to lose’, and they never lose and then they're going to want to win it.

“And this is bad because I think Spurs want to be a good club with a certain level. I was in the old training ground and I was at the old stadium and in terms of infrastructure, they went to the top. It's absolutely amazing, the training ground and the stadium. And after doing that, the possibility to go down is tremendous. I mean, it's wow.”

Spurs only have a two-point gap to bridge in order to clamber out of the relegation zone, but they have gone 14 Premier League games without a win - with a top-flight triumph yet to be savoured in 2026.

They still have some huge games to come - including a trip to Wolves and home date with Leeds - but will be hoping to breathe new life into their survival bid on Saturday when playing host to a Brighton side that have taken maximum points from their last three fixtures.