After parting ways with Igor Tudor just 44 days into his tenure, Tottenham Hotspur have appointed Roberto De Zerbi as their new manager. They have handed the former Brighton manager a long-term deal despite the imminent threat of relegation.
While dropping down to the second division will be a massive blow for the club, they are prepared to cope with the situation financially. According to Graeme Bailey via TEAMtalk, a number of players in the Tottenham squad have a relegation clause in their contract. As per the clause, the player’s salary will be reduced significantly if the club were to drop out of the Premier League.
Bailey said, “We understand that clauses are in place at Tottenham, but understandably the club don’t want to talk about such things.
“With De Zerbi now in place, their only thinking is about staying in the Premier League – they are really only concerned with staying in the top flight.
“But we are informed that reduction in salary clauses are in the contracts, and some of them are substantial.”
With things not working out under Thomas Frank, Spurs appointed Tudor in mid-February with the hope that he could help steady the ship. However, things went from bad to worse under his management as they could only secure one point in their five league outings under the Croatian manager.
Following that run, they are now 17th on the points table and are only a point clear of the drop zone. With just seven games to go, De Zerbi certainly has his task cut out. Spurs have handed him a long-term deal without any relegation clause, which suggests the Italian is here to build a long-term project.
For now, everyone is focused on ensuring they survive the drop. But if they fail, some of their biggest players will have to deal with massive financial blows. In the event of relegation, summer signings Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus will both have to deal with a pay cut.
The duo agreed to contracts with a clause that includes substantial wage drops in the event of relegation. Even winter signing Conor Gallagher, who is the highest-paid player at the club, agreed to such a clause.
Not just the new signings, defensive mainstay Cristian Romero also agreed to a similar clause when he penned a lucrative new deal last year. While Spurs seem to be well protected in case of relegation, their priority is to ensure they avoid the drop at all costs.
