West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest are all battling for Premier League survival – and Spurs have been hit with an almighty blow.
Indeed, this season’s relegation battle is incredibly tight and while Spurs sit above West Ham United by just a point in the Premier League table, that could all change this weekend.
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Igor Tudor’s side actually host Forest on Sunday while West Ham play away at Aston Villa in a hugely dramatic day of Premier League action.
There is a very real chance that the Hammers could overtake at least one of them heading into the final international break of the season.
In the build-up to that Forest game, Spurs have confirmed that first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario will undergo surgery next week on a hernia.
Vicario set for surgery as Spurs must turn to Antonin Kinsky
An official statement on Tottenham’s official website read: “We can confirm that Guglielmo Vicario will undergo surgery next week on a hernia.
“The minor procedure for the Italy international goalkeeper has been timed to have as minimal an impact on our season as possible.
“Guglielmo will commence his rehabilitation with our medical staff immediately, and it is hoped that he could return to action within the next month.”
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That is a major blow for Spurs. Their back-up goalkeeper is Antonin Kinsky – who was linked with West Ham United during the January transfer window.
Though clearly a talented ‘keeper, Kinsky made two high-profile mistakes during Tottenham’s Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid earlier this month.
Tudor was criticised for his handling of the situation, having subbed Kinsky off 17 minutes into that game earlier this month and for subsequently supposedly ignoring the distraught goalkeeper on his way past.
The idea, then, that Tottenham have to turn to a goalkeeper who has been dealing with that of late is hardly ideal for them ahead of such a huge run of games, particularly considering the fact that the north London side are already missing so many other key players through injury.
West Ham currently have all the momentum in the relegation battle despite sitting a point behind Spurs and they could pass their bitter rivals in the table imminently.
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