‘Obliterate wage structure’ - Tottenham transfer problem explained in Premier League relegation battle blame game

Ange Postecoglou did bring a 17-year wait for major silverware to a close in 2025 when delivering Europa League glory, but was relieved of his managerial duties a matter of weeks later. Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor have both passed through the Spurs dugout since then, with the latter lasting just 44 days and seven games at the helm.

Reins have now been passed to Roberto De Zerbi, with the Italian tactician being charged with the task of overseeing a rescue mission. He has plenty of talent at his disposal, but is having to contend with unfortunate injury issues. Is the squad that he has inherited deep enough to deal with those?

Obvious questions have been asked of movement in and out of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium across recent windows, with the likes of Harry Kane, Hugo Lloris and Heung-min Son departing. Value for money has proved hard to come by when drafting in replacements for seasoned international superstars.

Pressed on whether transfer business is to blame for the mess at Spurs, Friedel - speaking exclusively in association with Gambling.com, the experts in UK Online Casinos - told GOAL: “This is a really tough one. I've been in many debates with people on it. So one of the issues that Tottenham has, they're one foot in the door of being a massive club. They're a big club. It's a great club, by the way. It is a magnificent club. But when you're talking about signing foreign players and you're competing with Man City and you're competing with Liverpool, you're competing with Arsenal and Man United and Chelsea. All those other clubs are seen as Premier League winners and Champions League winners. That's how the foreign agents deal with it. And that's how the foreign players deal with it. And they're right, if you look in the history of who's won the Premier League and who's won the Champions League. 

“So to come to Tottenham, you usually get quoted more money: ‘Well, I've come to Tottenham, it's more money’. Tottenham has a lot of money, but they have a little bit less money as well. They're servicing a debt on a stadium. They just built a training ground, and the Lewis family hasn't notably just given 100 million of their own money to go and buy players. So Daniel Levy had to create revenue streams, which he did brilliantly for the club.

“But then you get into this conundrum of, we could sign that player and his value is a hundred grand a week, but he says he'll come to Tottenham on 150 a week. He's not worth 150 a week. Plus, do we want a player that is only coming here for the money? So I think they miss out on a lot of players for sensible reasons. 

“So it's not as simple as just going and splashing the cash. Because if you have, let's say the Premier League now this season and Tottenham stay up and Tottenham are going for the same players as Arsenal, which happens often, that these Premier League clubs are going after the similar players. That player will accept a certain amount of money to play for Arsenal and play in the Champions League and with the Premier League winners. It's not going to be the same amount for Tottenham. You go to Tottenham, but only if it's more money because he wouldn't see that winning all the trophies in Tottenham is the thing to do.”

Friedel, who spent four years with Spurs between 2011 and 2015, went on to say: “So the real risk that you have for Tottenham is do we completely obliterate our wage structure and go for it or not? And if you do break your wage structure and go for it, there's no guarantee you're winning the Premier League because Liverpool are going to build again, Man City is going to build again, Man United is getting better and they're going to build again. 

“So I commend Daniel Levy for the job that he did with the funds that he was given and the revenue streams that he created. Taking the next step is tough. It's really hard once you've gotten that. And I think Aston Villa are in that very similar situation now. You know, they do another year in the Champions League and they get the money again, their revenue goes up again. They're just about in that same situation.”

While Villa - another of Friedel’s former clubs - remain in contention for Champions League qualification this season, Spurs are looking anxiously over their shoulder with seven games left on their schedule.

The first of those, as De Zerbi opens his tenure, will see a trip to Sunderland taken in on Sunday. Tottenham enter that contest sat one place and a solitary point above the drop zone, with a trapdoor that leads into the Championship slowly opening up beneath them.