Tottenham Championship XI under Robbie Keane: THREE big names remain amid complete defensive overhaul

Should the unthinkable happen and Tottenham Hotspur suffer relegation for the first time in the Premier League era, TEAMtalk has looked at how they could line up with club legend Robbie Keane at the helm, and there are a few surprises.

Spurs made a disastrous start to Igor Tudor’s tenure as interim boss, with the Croatian, who has a big reputation for his fire-fighting abilities, becoming the first Tottenham manager to lose his first game in charge since Andre Villas-Boas in 2012.

Still to win a Premier League game in 2026, Tottenham are currently in freefall and have just 11 games left to preserve their top-flight status. Add in the fact they will need a new permanent manager in the summer, assuming Tudor doesn’t turn into prime Mauricio Pochettino and bag the permanent job himself, and so much is at stake for the club.

That being said, should the worst happen, we think that a combination of a name like Keane’s, along with Tottenham still having some sort of allure within the game – even if it is trending massively in the wrong direction – could see some senior players remain.

Keane’s title-winning Ferencvaros team in Hungary played a 3-5-2, so we’ll have to assume he will favour that in the Championship, and that is how we’ve constructed this XI…

GK: James Trafford

Guglielmo Vicario will be back in his homeland come the summer, while other clubs, most notably West Ham have been enquiring over his backup Antonin Kinsky. In this scenario, we believe Spurs push to sign a keeper with Championship experience and Trafford fits the bill perfectly.

This one could be a loan from Man City, unless they decide to sell, which becomes a problem if the likes of Leeds, Aston Villa and Newcastle continue to show interest in the 23-year-old.

RCB: Kevin Danso

As explained above, we believe that Danso is one of the players who will not push to leave, knowing that he will be a guaranteed starter week in, week out.

The Austria international has never really let the team down when called upon and would relish the challenge that the Championship brings, along with spearheading an immediate return to the top flight.

CB: Luka Vuskovic

Yes, we realise keeping Vuskovic on board will be incredibly tough, given the level of interest in the hugely talented defender due to his sparkling form on loan at Hamburg this season. However, having sold Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven for big money and also offloaded Radu Dragusin, Keane convinces Vuskovic to stay and plugs him into the heart of his back three, where his ball-playing skills can be fully utilised.

LCB: Ashley Phillips

Speaking of Championship experience, Phillips has it in abundance, and there have been calls from many Tottenham fans in the past to give the forgotten signing a crack at first-team level.

He gets his chance here, having spent time on loan at Plymouth Argyle and Stoke City (twice) after joining initially from Blackburn. Indeed, Phillips has played more than 100 games in English football’s second tier.

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RWB: Jun’ai Byfield

With Pedro Porro gone and Djed Spence not wanting to stoop to Championship level again, Spurs could opt to sign a more experienced option for the right wing-back role (and they almost certainly will), but we think they trust their Academy here and opt for the highly-rated Byfield.

A centre-back by trade, having started his career as a striker, big things are expected of the 17-year-old talent and it’s a position he has played in the past. Despite his tender age, Byfield has already featured three times for the club’s senior team, including two times in the Champions League.

CM: Archie Gray

The England Under-21 gets to play regularly in his favoured position, and the one which encouraged Tottenham to sign him in the first place, when he was excelling in the Championship with Leeds.

Having seen his mate Lucas Bergvall almost certainly remain in the Premier League, given the interest in his services in the January window, Gray stays to be the defensive midfield pivot in a Spurs team that should see much more of the ball at Championship level and play to his strengths.

CM: Conor Gallagher (captain)

Probably the first of the shocks when it comes to Tottenham managing to keep some of their bigger names, but we feel Gallagher is the type of character that will want to play his part in bringing the club straight back to the Premier League.

Indeed, the 26-year-old is made captain of this team, and while it might affect his England chances, the fact there is no major tournament in 2027 works to Spurs’ advantage here.

LWB: Souza

The January signing from Brazil is the natural fit here, especially with Destiny Udogie more than likely heading back to Italy and Spence also gone.

It’s maybe a bit of a gamble in terms of Souza, 19, still being new to English football, and there’s every chance a more experienced option is signed, but we think the teenager’s pace and attacking capabilities get him the nod here in a more advanced full-back role.

AM: Mikey Moore

As our very own Fraser Fletcher has stated, Moore is keen on extending his stay at Rangers after loving his time on loan at Ibrox this season, but Tottenham still have plans for the exciting teenager. Indeed, Moore is used in a slightly different role under Keane, operating as one of two No.10s and having the option to play centrally or drift out wide.

Again, this is assuming Tottenham are in the Championship as, if they’re not, then there is a strong chance Moore heads back to Glasgow again.

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AM: James Maddison

This might come as a shock to some but Maddison’s stock is not what it once was, and he’s coming off the back of an ACL injury that has not seen him feature at all this season.

The 29-year-old remains under contract until 2028 and there is a strong chance Keane could convince him to stay in a comeback year, despite the fact he jumped ship with Leicester when they went down in 2023.

FW: Dominic Solanke

Another player we genuinely think could choose to stay and help the club return to the top flight at the first time of asking, with his injury issues this season once again playing a part in any potential sale.

The 28-year-old hardly featured at all in the first half of the campaign, having also had several niggling injuries last season. He has managed four goals in nine outings since his return to action and would be a 20-goal starter at Championship level, if he stayed fit.

Indeed, the last time Solanke played at that level, he scored 29 times for Bournemouth during the 2021/22 season.