After narrowly escaping a catastrophic drop to the EFL Championship, Tottenham have officially secured their spot for the next Premier League season after beating Everton 1-0. By finishing 17th in the Premier League standings, Spurs avoided adding another chapter to the historic list of “Big Six” clubs relegated to the second division of English football.
Including the pre-Premier League era, “Big Six” clubs have been relegated a combined 29 times throughout their history. Out of that elite group, Manchester City hold the dubious honor of being relegated the most across both the modern and historic eras of English football.
Tottenham themselves have faced the drop on four separate occasions, narrowly avoiding a fifth by grinding out a much-needed victory over Everton on Matchday 38. The north London club hasn’t been relegated to the Championship since the 1976-77 campaign.
With their top-flight survival finally guaranteed, Spurs must immediately turn their attention to the systemic issues that plagued their disastrous 2025-26 Premier League campaign. The front office faces an offseason of massive adjustments, especially since the club will completely miss out on lucrative European tournaments next season.
Full list of relegations among the ‘Big Six’
While modern fans know them as giants, every single member of the “Big Six” has spent time in the second division at some point in their history. Here is the complete breakdown of historic relegations for English football’s elite:
- Manchester City: 10 times (Including two in the Premier League era: 1995-96 and 2000-01)
- Chelsea: 6 times (Last relegated during the 1987-88 season)
- Manchester United: 5 times (Last relegated during the 1973-74 season)
- Tottenham Hotspur: 4 times (Last relegated during the 1976-77 season)
- Liverpool: 3 times (Last relegated during the 1953-54 season)
- Arsenal: 1 time (Their lone relegation occurred over a century ago in the 1912-13 season, back when they were known as Woolwich Arsenal)
Now that the immediate threat of relegation is gone, Tottenham’s leadership must diagnose how a club that was recently a Champions League finalist fell so far. A barrage of season-ending injuries to vital players, the lack of a permanent, top-tier head coach, and a series of questionable front-office decisions are all critical issues Spurs must address to fix their trajectory.
