After being defeated by Arsenal<\/a> in the Premier League<\/a>, Tottenham Hotspur<\/a>‘s interim manager, Igor Tudor, spoke of bad habits that have taken hold of many of the players in this struggling squad.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Old habits die hard, but Spurs have got to kill them quickly, with the 4-1 thrashing by the Gunners only deepening a crisis that has raised genuine concerns over relegation.<\/p>\n It is not so much the lowly league position – as concerning as it is – that is the problem here, but the manner of the side’s limp attempts at putting their issues to rights.<\/p>\n Against Arsenal, they were outworked and outclassed, and years of poor recruitment has led to this critical turning point in Tottenham’s trajectory.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Arsenal are probably the best team in Europe right now, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that Tottenham have become their own worst enemy, capable of inflicting more damage upon themselves than their arch-rivals ever could.<\/p>\n Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold has bemoaned how “unrecognisable they have become<\/a>“, showing against the Gunners that even a rekindled home support, in full, vociferous voice, could not stop the rot.<\/p>\n It’s rot of the outfit’s own making. Mishandled transfer recruitment in recent years has led to this, with the likes of Radu Dragusin and Xavi Simons among the bright signings of the past few years to have been reduced to mincemeat in the north London derby.<\/p>\n In truth, though, the entirety of Tottenham’s first team have fallen below the standard, and while struggling loanee Randal Kolo Muani scored his first Premier League goal of the season, the frontline continues to flatter to deceive.<\/p>\n You have to question the sales of Heung-min Son and Harry Kane in recent years, neither of whom have been effectively replaced as free-scoring focal points.<\/p>\n Whereas before, big-money flops like Tanguy Ndombele<\/a> would be criticised as abject outliers, now the sub-par superstars are spread all across the Spurs system.<\/p>\n And while the players on the pitch take the brunt of the criticism, sporting director Johan Lange has to be pulled up for his efforts at improving the squad, with one recent piece of business proving to be a real blunder.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ndombele was signed after Tottenham’s agonising miss in the 2019 Champions League final, identified as a player who could propel Mauricio Pochettino’s project forward.<\/p>\n However, he did anything but that, and Conor Gallagher is in danger of becoming another midfield flop, having only joined the London side from Atletico Madrid in a \u00a335m deal last month.<\/p>\n During his Chelsea days, Gallagher was routinely praised for his energy at the heart of the pitch. Ex-teammate Moises Caicedo even said he was “like a machine<\/a>“, outworking everyone else.<\/p>\n But he’s been ineffective in the Spurs midfield, unable to provide any creative support for a team currently in a tailspin.<\/p>\n\n Why Spurs lost to Arsenal<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n\n Spurs have found their new Ndombele<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n![\"Gallagher-Spurs\"](\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/gallagher-spurs-2.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\"\/)
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![\"Conor](\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/conor-gallagher-recent-form-for-spurs.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\"\/)
\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Tanguy](\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/tanguy-ndombele-for-tottenham.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=825&dpr=2\"\/)
\n <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Tottenham-3\"](\"https:\/\/static0.footballfancastimages.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/tottenham-3.jpg?q=49&fit=crop&w=140&h=98&dpr=2\"\/)
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