Tottenham Hotspur’s owners are planning to rip up the club’s rigid wage structure and invest heavily in the squad this summer, provided the team avoid relegation from the Premier League. The club currently sit 16th, just four points above the bottom three, in what has been a season of underperformance and injury crises.
There is an acknowledgment at Spurs that the club have underinvested in player salaries for years, with the wage bill the lowest among the so-called “big six”. The most recent accounts for 2023-24 show a wage bill of £222m, little more than half of Manchester City’s £413m. The £35m signing of Conor Gallagher from Atlético Madrid on wages of roughly £200,000 a week is seen as a turning point, making him the club’s highest-paid player.
Under former executive chair Daniel Levy, who was forced out last September by the club’s owners, the Lewis Family Trust, Tottenham made a virtue of parsimony. However, a source close to the owners said the family recognises that greater investment in wages is needed, as league finishes correlate more closely with wage spend than transfer fees. The club’s wage-to-revenue ratio of 42% is very low by Premier League standards.
Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham hinted last month that the club was ready to loosen the purse strings, a stance reinforced by the team’s struggles. Igor Tudor has been appointed head coach until the end of the season, with Mauricio Pochettino the favourite to take over permanently in the summer, more than six years after his sacking by Levy. Roberto De Zerbi is also a contender.
