Tottenham have struck gold at their Rice

Tottenham Hotspur could move up north to Lincoln City's LNER Stadium for Championship action next season, or they could re-emerge under Roberto De Zerbi as Premier League rivals.

It has been a difficult year for the Lilywhites who escaped the relegation zone, but have only two points, with two games left to play.

West Ham United have hit the nail on the head in the long run, but one win could change everything in this tough and fierce battle, hanging on a knife's edge at the end.

Understandably, Spurs won't fancy a trip to Lincolnshire for a second-tier league game next season, but they will need to maintain their new form over the past few weeks, with the midfield recharged and key to driving Tottenham to safety.

Why Spurs' pitch is being recharged under De Zerbi

Tottenham still lack creativity and fluency in attack, but have regained their grit and cohesion in the middle of the park.

Much of this is due to the return of Rodrigo Bentancur, who was sidelined during the first months of Frank's reign, as it were, then largely forgotten after injuring himself in January. However, his return to fitness has opened up much-needed passing patterns in the middle of the park.

This, too, has allowed Conor Gallagher to open up and show everything, the physical quality that was expected in north London when he arrived from Atletico Madrid for £ 35m in January.

With the engine room activated, Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr's boys fell to the ground. The former will leave at the end of his contract this summer, while Sarr's future is uncertain.

The same cannot be said for Tottenham's Declan Rice, however; or struggling for minutes in De Zerbi's system.

De Zerbi has struck gold at Spurs' “Young Rice”.

Tottenham need to stay in the Premier League, otherwise they may lose stars like Archie Gray.

Gray, 20, has been thrown in at the deep end at Tottenham, featuring heavily – and in any number of positions – since joining Leeds United for around £30m as an 18-year-old.

Naturally, he's a center fielder, he's been a ride in the park for the past two years. This brings his strength and athleticism and a variety of technical qualities, however it also hampers his progress.

De Zerbi took this up, and decided that Gray needed to be nailed to a position he called his own. In that, he is similar to Arsenal's Rice, who was a full-back during his time at West Ham United and has since been molded into a world-class midfielder, playing a series of roles for Mikel Arteta's title contenders.

Gray isn't quite there yet, but he's still very young, and has already been described as a “Declan Rice” by The Athletic's Duncan Alexander, his versatility and natural resilience and ability setting him apart from many other up-and-comers in the Premier League.

Gray is naturally progressive and has a keen eye for passing. He has completed 33.3% of his crosses in the top flight this season, and has also been tackled and defended with determination. Playing regularly from midfield, his confidence and fit in De Zerbi's system will only grow.

That clubs like Liverpool have started sniffing this young talent underlines the point. In fact, Liverpool were quoted at £70m when they made an inquiry in March, marking Gray as a potential £40m increase, and that's despite Spurs' wider problems.

De Zerbi sees him as the future of Tottenham, and although he has not started every week to be a tactician in Italy, he could still develop into an international player for England, who have partnered with Rice in his country but challenged him for the top spot in the Premier League.