Joe Cole says Tottenham are in a relegation battle (Photo: TNT Sports) Joe Cole says Tottenham are in a relegation battle following their 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa and singled out one summer signing who is ‘not good enough’. Spurs went into Saturday’s clash yet to win or score in the Premier League and actually started the game well, with Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki making several very good saves. But it soon fell apart as Johan Manzambi struck against the run of play on the stroke of half-time before Nicolas Jackson and Emiliano Buendia scored after the break. Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke did eventually find the back of the net but it was too little, too late for Roberto De Zerbi’s side, who will spend the international break in the relegation zone. Sign up for In The Mixer, Metro's football newsletter Get exclusive analysis and previews of the biggest games every Friday. Sign up now for free. Though they have finished 17th in the past two seasons, there was optimism for Spurs after they ended the last campaign well under De Zerbi and spent a whopping £314million over the summer. Instead, after five games, they are 18th with just two points and two goals, and have already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Liverpool. Speaking on TNT Sports, Chelsea icon Cole believes they have made a major mistake in the transfer window: ‘I feel like they’ve overpaid for every player this summer. Jan Paul van Hecke had a torrid game against Aston Villa despite scoring (Photo: Getty) ‘You can’t rule them out of being in or around the relegation battle because they’re not scoring goals and they look so weak at the back. ‘He [Van Hecke] scored the goal but he has to be disappointed with his performance. Knowing the way that they play, they leave the centre-halves a little bit vulnerable, that’s why you buy centre-halves who can deal with those one on one challenges. ‘I know he’s a handful Jackson, but for the goal he’s not good enough and I know he scored the goal but they’ve got a real problem. Spurs are stunned as Nicolas Jackson doubles Aston Villa's lead 😳📺 Stream now on TNT Sports & HBO Max pic.twitter.com/il7NKbgFCQ— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 19, 2026 ‘Forget scoring goals, they look fragile. Put the two together and it only comes up with one conclusion, that this is going to be a long season for Tottenham.’ Spurs signed Van Hecke for £52m following an impressive spell at Brighton but the Netherlands international is yet to show his worth. The decision to sign the centre-back was viewed as baffling by some, given that they then let Luka Vušković go to the Amex for almost the same fee, and the Croatian is arguably the much more promising defender. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source