Tottenham stars 'think they're too good to get relegated', claims ex-Arsenal striker as he insists Igor Tudor's squad aren't fit for survival scrap

Spurs slumped to 17th in the English top-flight last season, under Ange Postecoglou, with Europa League success - which brought a 17-year wait for major silverware to a close - helping to paper over some alarming cracks.

There has been little sign of progress this term, with another tumble into relegation danger being taken, and uncomfortable questions are being asked of whether the likes of Lincoln and Charlton could be visiting the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2026-27 - rather than Liverpool and Chelsea.

West Ham find themselves at the heart of a similar discussion, as they sit inside the drop zone with 10 games left to play, and a trapdoor that leads into the Championship may open up for one big-spending team from the capital. They would not be the first to suffer that fate, with the likes of Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Leeds proving in the past that no side is ever “too good to go down”.

Quizzed on whether that mentality seeps into squads, with players refusing to believe that the worst could happen, ex-Premier League star Aliadiere - speaking in association with Gambling.com, the experts in UK Online Casinos - told GOAL: “It is an issue and I've been in a relegation team with Middlesbrough when I got relegated and I thought that we're too good to go down. But when you are dragged down to that level, there's no more playing football, there's no more quality, there's no more talent. It's all about graft and believing and fighting. Fighting as a unit, as a group and that's the problem. 

“I look at Spurs as well and obviously, no disrespect to the other side of London and the other club, but that is the problem they've got. You've got players in there that think they're too good to get relegated but you're the players that got in this position in the first place so you've got to get out of it. 

“As a player, when you think ‘I'm too good for this club, I'm too good for this battle’, it's a problem because you're not thinking the right stuff. The right stuff is: ‘I've got my team there, I've got to get them out. Boys, we've got to stick together here and get ourselves out of this, get this club that gave us a lot. We can't take that club down’. 

“That's a massive individual mental strength to have as a player and as a club and sometimes managers are doing everything they can but they're not the ones playing every weekend. They obviously make the decision on the starting 11 but at the end of the day, it's the 11 men that are on that pitch that need to play for each other, help each other out and grind. When you're down there, every game, just battle - absolute fire.”

Former Spurs star Danny Murphy remains confident that relegation can be avoided in north London, but has told BBC Sport of a team that has suffered back-to-back defeats under interim head coach Igor Tudor: “If you keep losing games and confidence drops, it doesn't matter how many good players you have, it gets hard.

“The fact we are mentioning Spurs going down is unbelievable. It's absolutely ridiculous really. Whether you blame recruitment or the owners, it would be catastrophic for that club. I have heard some fans suggest going down could be the best thing. I just don't see that.”

Tottenham may be in need of a refresh, as they wait until the summer before appointing a permanent manager and addressing more squad deficiencies in the transfer market, but it remains to be seen which division they - and West Ham - will be competing in next season.