Dejan Kulusevski: 5 reasons Tottenham’s relegation battle may not trigger an exit
Dejan Kulusevski has emerged as one of the clearest signals that Tottenham Hotspur’s future may not be as bleak as the table suggests. While the club is fighting to avoid the drop, the latest reading on dejan kulusevski points in the opposite direction from the panic around him: he is being viewed as a player who could stay even if Tottenham fall into the Championship. That view matters because the Sweden international has not played a single minute this season, yet his name is already shaping the club’s next transfer decisions.
Why Kulusevski’s status matters now
Tottenham are two points from safety with six games left, and the pressure around the club has intensified after the defeat at Sunderland. In that context, any judgement about squad retention carries extra weight. Kulusevski’s situation is unusual: he has missed the entire campaign because of a complicated patella injury suffered in May last year, and his return has been delayed after discomfort kept appearing when he got back onto the grass. Even so, the latest claim is that he will remain at Tottenham next season regardless of division. For a squad facing possible upheaval, that makes dejan kulusevski a central piece of the conversation rather than a marginal one.
Injury, value and the logic behind staying
The strongest practical argument is simple: Kulusevski has not played competitive football for Tottenham this season, which makes any summer move more complicated than a normal transfer. He has also recently undergone a minor procedure to clean out his knee, though he has said that is part of the process. That matters because clubs weighing a significant bid would have to judge not just his talent but his recovery timeline. Football analysis aside, the available facts point to caution. Tottenham may therefore see more value in keeping a player who has previously been a major performer than trying to cash in under uncertain conditions. The same logic also explains why the club’s supporters may see his return as a boost in either division.
What the latest claim says about Tottenham’s project
Italian transfer journalist Gianluca Di Marzio has said Kulusevski “will definitely” stay, even if Tottenham are relegated, and believes he could become one of the most important players in the project because of his mentality and personality. That is a striking statement in a season defined by instability. It suggests that some players may be judged less on the club’s immediate division and more on whether they fit a long-term rebuild. Kulusevski’s age, 25, and his stated hope of returning in time for the World Cup this summer also make him part of a wider planning picture. For Tottenham, retaining a player with his profile would signal an attempt to preserve core quality amid uncertainty around other exits.
Expert perspective on Kulusevski’s role
Di Marzio’s view is the clearest external assessment in the current picture. He said: “I definitely think Kulusevski will stay at Tottenham, even if they get relegated. He is a good example for other players and Roberto De Zerbi likes him. He has the right mentality, so I think Kulusevski can be one of the most important players for their project, regardless if they are in the Premier League or the Championship. ” He added that De Zerbi “will really try to keep him” because he values players with “a strong identity and personality. ”
That framing is important because it shifts the discussion away from emergency selling and toward selective retention. In the same reporting, Di Marzio also indicated that Tottenham’s focus remains on staying in the Premier League and that decisions on keep or sell have not been finalized. In other words, the current picture is still fluid, but dejan kulusevski is already being treated as a player around whom a rebuild could be built.
Broader impact if Tottenham stay or fall
If Tottenham survive, Kulusevski’s return would ease some of the creative strain that has been visible in his absence. If they do not, keeping him would carry symbolic value as much as sporting value. It would suggest that relegation does not automatically mean stripping the squad down to the studs. It would also sharpen the contrast with other potential departures, including the separate uncertainty around Cristian Romero’s future. Either way, Tottenham’s coming weeks will not only decide league status; they may also reveal which players are considered essential to the club’s identity. And if dejan kulusevski is indeed part of that core, what does that say about the kind of rebuild Tottenham believe is possible?
