Spurs are really doing this, aren't they?

If you wanted to script the most chaotic end to a Premier League season imaginable, you couldn't improve on the mess currently unfolding at Tottenham Hotspur. We are staring down the barrel of their biggest game in half a century with a relegation scrap on the line against Everton. What does their captain, Cristian Romero, decide to do? He is packing his bags for Argentina. He will be thousands of miles away watching Belgrano fight for a championship instead of helping his teammates avoid the drop.

It is genuinely hard to fathom how a professional club reaches this level of dysfunction. As The Daily Mail originally reported, the skipper has zero interest in being present for the most defining moment of Spurs’ modern history. If I am an Everton fan, I am betting my mortgage on a win right now. How do you look your players in the eye when the man wearing the armband clearly has zero stake in the outcome?

The vultures are already circling the London Stadium

While Tottenham is busy lighting themselves on fire, West Ham is quietly preparing to dismantle their entire tactical setup. According to Sky Sports, Manchester United is sniffing around Mateus Fernandes and Jarrod Bowen. Imagine losing your best creative outlets just as David Moyes finally seems to have found a rhythm to keep the club afloat.

Moyes is clearly playing 4D chess, or maybe he is just pure chaos energy incarnate. Analysts are suggesting that Moyes is primed to effectively relegate Spurs this weekend. It is the kind of dark comedy that makes the Prem the most watchable soap opera on the planet.

The end of an era for the Hammers

Speaking of West Ham, we have to talk about Michail Antonio. The guy is a walking, breathing, highlight reel of sheer willpower. Having survived a horrific car accident to make a comeback, the man is now at the crossroads. He has told FourFourTwo that he is weighing up retirement at 36 years old.

It is sobering stuff. We get so caught up in the stats and the transfer rumors that we forget these guys are human. Whether he finds one last paycheck or hangs the boots up by the end of June, he has had a career most players would kill for. It’s a stark contrast to the modern mercenary culture where loyalty is just a word agents throw around during contract negotiations.

The final verdict

Spurs are in freefall and their leadership vacuum is exactly why they are in this hole to begin with. You cannot skip a relegation decider to support your boyhood team, no matter how much you love the badge, not unless you have completely checked out mentally.

Meanwhile, West Ham is preparing to sell the jewels for £0 in long-term stability but a massive influx of cash. It is the classic cycle of the league. One team is dying with a whimper, and the other is betting on the future. I know which one I’d rather be backing.