The five most important people in the relegation battle as the Premier League returns | OneFootball

Premier League football is back and the relegation scrap is looking as competitive as it has been for a number of years but who could play a crucial role?

Five teams are battling to avoid the three relegation spots and while Wolves and Burnley look to already be down, predicting who will join them is a tough ask at this stage.

Here are five people who have a big role in the run-in.

Chris Wood

While a lot of Nottingham Forest’s problems this year have been of their own making, the injury of Wood in October has been a crucial part of their downfall.

The striker, who hit 20 Premier League goals last year, had knee surgery in December and has been sorely missed by the goal-shy Forest but he is back now with his club needing him now more than ever.

Only Wolves have scored fewer goals than Forest this year and Wood’s replacement Igor Jesus has so far been much better in Europe than domestically.

No-one is expecting Wood to return with the goalscoring form of last year but even as many as five goals at this stage could be crucial to Forest’s survival chances.

Mateus Fernandes

When it comes to West Ham, it would be easy to point to Jarrod Bowen as their main hope of survival but while the Hammers will need his goals, West Ham’s player of the season so far has come in the midfield.

Fernandes has become a standout performer under Nuno Espirito Santo and has an ability to not only win the ball but progress it up the field.

He is in the top 15% for tackles this season, the top 20% for successful dribbles and the top 30% for pass success rate.

So if Bowen is the one scoring the goals, Fernandes is the one making the team tick behind him. Stopping him is key to preventing West Ham from adding to their points tally.

Roberto De Zerbi

By the time De Zerbi takes charge of Tottenham, he may well do so from inside the relegation zone.

It is hard to overestimate the size of the task for the former Brighton boss, not necessarily in terms of his players’ abilities but the catastrophic mentality that engulfs the entirety of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium currently.

Removing that would be a challenge for any manager but the backlash to De Zerbi’s appointment given his defence of Mason Greenwood makes the situation all the more complex.

Key to success will be De Zerbi’s ability to adapt to his squad in a short time, something he is not exactly known for, and Sunderland away would not be top of the wishlist for a debut.

Ao Tanaka

While Leeds celebrated booking their place in the FA Cup semi-final, in the back of Daniel Farke’s mind would have been how he will replace standout midfielder Anton Stach.

Leeds’ best player this year was crunched by Max Kilman in the first half and was seen leaving the stadium on crutches, giving anyone of a Whites persuasion a knot in their stomach.

Farke suggested he had suffered ligament damage in his ankle and while Leeds fans wait for news on his recovery, it gives the chance for Tanaka to step up.

The Japan international has been a fringe player at Elland Road this year but impressed during their victory over West Ham in the cup and an extended run in the team could bring back his best form.

From a selfish point of view, Tanaka has been linked with a move away and there could be no better time to put yourself in the shop window.

Richarlison

Looking through the Spurs squad, there is not exactly an abundance of leaders but one player who seems more resistant to the crisis than most has been Richarlison.

Since March, the Brazilian looks to have rediscovered how to score, netting against both Fulham and Liverpool while also providing an assist in the Champions League against Atletico.

As we all know, none of Richarlison’s, or any Spurs players’, contributions have led to a win in 2026 but Tottenham desperately need someone, anyone, to score.

Their best hope in that department looks to be Richarlison.