Keane Sidesteps 'Too Good to Go Down' Narrative as Spurs Battle Relegation

Roy Keane isn't buying into the comfortable assumption that Tottenham are simply too established a club to tumble down the divisions, yet he remains convinced they'll find just enough to stay afloat.

Sitting four points clear of the drop zone, Spurs are locked in a genuine scrap with West Ham and Nottingham Forest as Igor Tudor's reign has failed to reverse their alarming trajectory. Sunday's 4-1 hammering at the hands of Arsenal—a side themselves clawing back from title-race doubts—extended their winless league run to nine matches, including five defeats on the bounce.

Speaking on The Overlap, Keane acknowledged the obvious: "I'm not falling for this 'they're too good to go down' but I do think they'll find a bit more than Nottingham Forest and West Ham. It's as simple as that."

He went on to explain his reasoning, pointing to the volatile nature of the run-in. "West Ham have got a little bit of momentum going and Forest were hit with a killer blow last minute against Liverpool. These are all little momentum turners – it can all change week to week. But I still think Tottenham will have enough to stay up."

The former Manchester United hardman reserved his harshest judgment for Forest, labelling them the "most doomed team" in the relegation battle. Their predicament is compounded by Europa League commitments, with Vitor Pereira's freshly-appointed side holding a 3-0 first-leg advantage over Fenerbahce ahead of Thursday's return fixture at the City Ground.

"The worst thing with Forest is they've got a distraction with Europe," Keane added. "They look the most doomed team right now. I know they have a new coach going in and you think he needs a good start with different ideas. Again, huge weekend coming up."

However, Ian Wright spotted something far more troubling in the Arsenal defeat: a squad that has mentally switched off entirely.

A video that circulated after the loss captured Tudor repeatedly gesturing at Micky van de Ven—deputising as captain in Cristian Romero's absence—demanding the backline push forward and apply pressure to Arsenal's ball carriers. Van de Ven glanced across at his new manager on several occasions but simply ignored the instruction, holding his deep position as the Gunners moved through the thirds unchallenged.

Wright saw damning implications in that moment of insubordination. "I saw Igor Tudor trying to speak to Van de Ven, trying to push him forward – he blanked him, totally blanked him. That says to me that they've checked out already. This guy's new, he wants him to come up and Van de Ven ignores him. That don't look good."