Premier League relegation state of play as Tottenham, West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and Leeds battle to stay up

London – While the title race between Arsenal and Manchester City commands the back-page headlines, the bottom third of the Premier League is bracing for an even more volatile shoot-out, with Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Nottingham Forest, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers separated by wafer-thin margins and a ticking clock of 12 remaining fixtures.

Leeds, widely tipped for an immediate return to the Championship after promotion, have given themselves breathing space under Daniel Farke. A switch to a 3-5-2 shape has yielded enough cohesion to lift the Yorkshire club six points above the drop zone, yet the mathematics remain stark: another ten points from meetings with fellow strugglers Tottenham, Burnley and West Ham, as well as daunting appointments with Manchester United and Manchester City, may be required to secure survival.

Tottenham find themselves in far grimmer territory. The north Londoners dismissed Thomas Frank earlier in the campaign and have since turned to Croatian fire-fighter Igor Tudor, whose reputation for late-season rescues is now being stress-tested. Spurs remain without a victory in 2026 and face a sequence that includes the derby against an Arsenal side wounded by European disappointment, further London derbies versus Fulham and Crystal Palace, and a trip to Liverpool. Off the pitch, the club’s hierarchy are bracing for a financial hit should relegation materialise, with long-term commercial partners already reviewing their agreements.

Nottingham Forest, playing under a fourth manager of the season in Vitor Pereira, at least have momentum in the cup after a statement European win. Pereira’s brief is to translate that belief onto the domestic front, where Morgan Gibbs-White’s goal and assist in continental competition hint at attacking solutions. Fixture Difficulty Ratings suggest Forest have one of the kinder run-ins: Liverpool and Manchester City must be negotiated within the next three match-weeks, but subsequent encounters with Fulham, Bournemouth and Burnley offer a realistic pathway to safety.

West Ham, just three points adrift of security, have discovered a pulse under Nuno Espirito Santo. Key victories over Tottenham, Burnley and Manchester United have dragged the Hammers back into contention, though their fixture list is the division’s most forbidding. Home dates against Manchester City and Arsenal are followed by visits to Liverpool, Aston Villa, Brentford and Newcastle. Much will rest on the continued form of Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville, as well as a defence that has begun to stiffen at critical moments.

Burnley’s story feels wearily familiar: a Championship steamroller promoted without the requisite top-flight reinforcements. The Clarets have conceded more goals than any other side and face a closing schedule that includes Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Manchester City. Manager Scott Parker, preparing for an immediate Championship assault next term, must also oversee a root-and-branch review of a recruitment policy headlined by the puzzling acquisition of Armando Broja.

Finally, Wolves, once flirting with Derby’s infamous 11-point season, have crawled to 10 points under Rob Edwards but still need a scarcely believable 20 from their final 12 matches. Encounters with fellow strugglers Leeds, Burnley and West Ham give theoretical hope, yet chronic defensive errors and a blunt attack have undermined any sense of upward trajectory. Anything short of a miraculous surge will consign the Black Country outfit to the Championship and a summer of reckoning.

With survival potentially settled on goal difference, the coming weeks promise nerve-shredding finales, last-ditch tactical gambles and the raw emotion that defines relegation dogfights. For six clubs, and the thousands of supporters who follow them, every pass, tackle and VAR intervention carries the weight of a £100 million future.