Tottenham’s non-executive chairman has spoken and given plenty of indications about what must come next at the north London club
There was plenty to take from Tottenham’s non-executive chairman Peter Charrington’s open letter to the fans on Monday the day after the club’s dreadful season came to a close.
Spurs at least saved their Premier League status on Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 victory against Everton in front of a packed and raucous Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that ensured West Ham went down to the Championship at their expense. The north London outfit were indebted to the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi as the Italian galvanised a club that was on its knees with 11 points from seven matches, a points-per-game average that would have put Tottenham in the top six across the season.
On Monday, the 17th-placed club released a detailed open letter from Charrington to a fanbase that has been put through the wringer this season.
Here are five things we took away from the non-executive chairman’s address to the supporters:
Better late than never
Daniel Levy was a chairman who barely spoke publicly over his 24 years at the helm but you could rely on two bits of communication from him like clockwork. One was his statement in the club’s annual financial results and the other was the ‘chairman’s message’ that would appear in the final home matchday programme of each season, and in later years online as well.
So it probably felt a little strange for supporters on Sunday to find a programme with nothing in it from the club hierarchy at all, with De Zerbi required as the voice of the club with his column in the opening pages.
It may well be that next season the tradition returns, but in this instance it appeared that the powers-that-be were waiting to see how this awful season culminated before acknowledging the mess that caused it.
Charrington’s letter was published at midday on Monday with Tottenham’s Premier League survival secured.
Daniel’s fault and two missing names
There’s no denying that Tottenham’s problems have been going on for longer than just this season – it’s the second consecutive campaign that they’ve finished 17th in the Premier League – but Charrington’s letter does have a ‘not our fault Guv’ feel about it.
“Last September, we recognised that something seismic had to change at Spurs. The Lewis family stepped in and authorised a full reset. That decision was not taken lightly, and it came later than it should have. But what has been put in motion is real, and it marks a genuine break from what had come before,” he said.
“As part of that process, we discovered some uncomfortable truths. The qualities that make Spurs distinct, our football, our ambition, the connection between the team and its supporters, had been allowed to fade. Football success had not been driving our decisions. We did not have the right expertise in key roles. We did not build squads good enough to compete in the most demanding league in the world. Two 17th place finishes in a row is not acceptable, and we will not dress it up as anything other than falling well short of what this club expects.”
Two names that were noticeable by their absence in the letter were Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor or even any acknowledgement of the blunders in the processes that led to those two head coach appointments that both heavily involved the current leadership team.
It was more about saying ‘we will make it better’ rather than holding up hands and admitted ‘we made a mess ourselves as well’.
Venkatesham future
football.london had reported early on Monday morning that despite a bruising first season at the helm for CEO Vinai Venkatesham, there was a feeling among the Lewis family that anybody would have found it difficult to pick up the pieces left scattered by so many changes, including the ousting of Levy after 24 years as chairman. The future of sporting director Johan Lange through was less clear as the football man advising Venkatesham.
Charrington gave confirmation that certainly Venkatesham appears to be secure in his position and potentially Lange as well if he is considered part of the leadership group, which he surely must be.
“Since September, we have restructured leadership across the club, with a refreshed executive and football structure,” he said. “Most of this team are already in post and others will arrive in the coming weeks. The board are committed to this leadership group and will give them the stability and support they need to run this club in the right way.”
Rafi Moersen will bolster that leadership team as Director of Football Operations, the latest person coming across from The City Football Group, while a new sporting director is expected to be appointed in the coming weeks, former Dortmund man Sebastian Kehl among those who have been considered.
This season has proved that Venkatesham, who appoints football minds around him, needs better advice because some of the decisions made until De Zerbi’s appointment have been bewildering at best.
Transfer investment and medical changes
De Zerbi made it very clear after keeping Tottenham in the Premier League that he needs “first level” players added to his squad in the summer transfer market and that he has a dream team in mind to start pre-season with.
Charrington responded by saying in his letter: “We will build a squad, led by Roberto as head coach, with the right blend of experience, youth and leadership to compete at the highest levels of Premier League and European football.
“We will invest across multiple transfer windows to rebuild, balance and strengthen, with this summer representing an important first step in that work.”
The key will be how much is invested in transfers this summer because Spurs are playing catch-up and their recruitment must be spot on. They must act like a big club, in terms of fees and wages, to ensure they dine at the top table rather than talk about the signings they tried and failed to get.
The club’s injury problems have again been disastrous this season, as they were in previous seasons, and the non-executive chairman made it clear that those constant issues are being rectified as well as investment being made into the women’s team and the club’s academy.
“We will continue to modernise our football operation, with a significant focus on raising standards across medical and performance,” he said. “We will increase investment in the academy to ensure that the pathway from youth football to the first team is one of the strongest in the country.
“We will build on a strong season for Spurs Women by continuing to invest in a world-class women’s team, led by Martin Ho.”
No sale
Those protesting fans on Sunday looking for Venkatesham and ENIC to leave their club will have to wait until another time for that as Charrington made it very clear that the north London club is not on the market for new owners.
“There has been speculation about ownership and the future direction of the club. Let us be direct. Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale,” he said.
“The Lewis family are wholly committed to this club and to this rebuild. They will provide the stability and investment needed at every level to move us forward, and they see that as a long-term responsibility, not a short-term fix.”
Venkatesham said in January amid his address to the fans that “words carry little weight without action”. Since that point, two head coaches have exited the club and Spurs only survived relegation to the Championship on the final day of a miserable campaign.
The hope is that some of the decisions made behind the scenes will deliver over time but time is a precious commodity and it almost ran out this season for Tottenham. They need to move faster and more decisively to ensure this year is never repeated and lessons are learned.
