Report: Tottenham Hotspur ready to change wage structure for new signings | OneFootball

Tottenham Wage Structure Set for Overhaul Amid Relegation Fight

Tottenham Hotspur are contemplating a fundamental shift in financial philosophy, with The Guardian reporting that the club’s owners are prepared to rip up their long standing wage structure if Premier League survival is secured.

For years, Spurs cultivated an identity rooted in prudence. Under Daniel Levy, parsimony was not merely policy, it was principle. That approach delivered a £1bn stadium and relative balance sheet stability. It also delivered, at times, a squad that looked one injury away from exposure.

Now, with Tottenham 16th in the table and four points above the bottom three, the arithmetic feels starker. Investment in infrastructure once felt visionary. Investment in salaries now feels urgent.

Wage Bill Reality Among Big Six

The numbers illuminate the scale of recalibration required. Tottenham’s wage bill for 2023-24 stood at £222m, the lowest among the so called “big six” clubs. By comparison, Manchester City spent £413m over the same period. Even allowing for recent arrivals such as Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus and Conor Gallagher, the gap is instructive.

Photo IMAGO

Wages accounted for 42 percent of revenue last season, a figure that would be admired in corporate boardrooms but looks anaemic in footballing terms. A source close to the owners told The Guardian that the Lewis family recognise finishing positions in the league correlate more closely to wages than to transfer spending.

This is not ideology, it is data.

Gallagher Deal Signals Change

The £35m signing of Gallagher from Atlético Madrid on around £200,000 per week has been described internally as a turning point. He is now the club’s highest paid player, a symbolic rupture with an era that often capped ambition at a financial ceiling.

Photo IMAGO

Tottenham’s chief executive, Vinai Venkatesham, hinted recently that purse strings could loosen. Context explains why. An injury crisis has stripped depth from the squad. Results have frayed confidence. A short term appointment of Igor Tudor until the end of the season suggests triage rather than transformation.

Beyond that, names circulate. Mauricio Pochettino, more than six years after his departure, is reportedly the favourite. Roberto De Zerbi is also under consideration. What matters is less the identity than the backing. Any incoming manager will demand alignment between rhetoric and resources.

Photo IMAGO

Should Spurs avoid relegation, this summer may represent more than a recruitment drive. It could be a philosophical correction, an admission that modern football punishes thrift when it shades into restraint.

The stadium is built. The balance sheet stabilised. The next step requires courage of a different kind.

Our View – EPL Index Analysis

For Spurs supporters, this report will land with equal parts relief and scepticism. Relief, because fans have long argued that the wage structure has held the team back. Competing with clubs spending nearly double on salaries was always going to narrow margins for error.

Scepticism, because promises of change have surfaced before. Supporters remember near misses in title races and Champions League runs that were not reinforced with decisive investment. If Gallagher truly marks a shift, then it must be followed by others of similar stature.

The link between wages and league position is hardly revolutionary. Fans have watched rivals flex financial muscle while Spurs sought efficiency. Efficiency is admirable, but it rarely lifts trophies on its own.

Avoiding relegation is the immediate priority. Beyond that, supporters will demand proof that this is not simply a reaction to crisis but a recalibrated vision. If the owners are serious about matching ambition with expenditure, the coming window will define whether Tottenham are resetting their trajectory or merely adjusting the narrative.