Tottenham Hotspur have had a difficult period, which has manifested as extraordinary fan dissatisfaction, the majority of which is directed squarely at the club's ownership.
In an open letter to the supporter’s trust, Tottenham Hotspur board strongly condemned claims that it failed to invest significantly in its football team in the recent transfer windows.
The London club made this known as it tackled through a list of questions posed by the Club’s supporters’ trust in January geared towards strategy and direction to the on-pitch success, which has become more of a concern to the fans and supporters of the club.
The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) wrote to the board last month, expressing four major concerns about the club’s direction.
These included the medium to long-term strategy of owners ENIC and plans for the January transfer window.
A response was provided by Tottenham’s board after the conclusion of a winter transfer window where Arnaut Danjuma and Pedro Porro were signed for Antonio Conte’s side, while Bryan Gil, Djed Spence and Matt Doherty departed on either temporary or permanent deals.
“Like everyone at the club, our head coach wants the team to compete for top honours,” a letter from Tottenham’s board to its supporters’ trust read in response to concerns over the length of Conte’s contract, which will expire on June 30 although Spurs hold the option to extend it by a further 12 months.
“The club has invested heavily in the squad. This is a continual process with the aim of standing the club in good stead on the pitch for years to come.”
“Since opening the stadium in April 2019 we have spent more than £500m putting us in the top quartile of spending in the Premier League – and we have made significant investments in the Women’s team too.”
“In addition to the summer investment of over £200m we have committed to a further £47m spend this January.”
“Despite this we consistently see references to our perceived lack of backing for head coaches and lack of spending. It’s important that we deal with facts – our spend levels quite clearly show that we have backed our football side.”
“There is always a fine line between long-term investment and short-termism – which is why our recruitment has to be first class. Mistakes at this level leave a financial and sporting impact for future seasons.
“We have felt the financial impact of supporting player purchases which have not worked out as hoped. We have taken steps to improve this area of operations and the recent windows reflect this.”
Spurs are set to release their financial results this month and the supporters’ trust are hopeful of arranging a meeting with the board to coincide with the announcement of the end-of-year report.
“We welcome the club’s direct engagement with the questions asked and we welcome the information provided,” a response from the supporters’ trust read, who sent a follow-up letter in January following news of managing director Fabio Paratici being hit with a 30-month ban by an Italian court.
“However, we would have wanted to see a greater acknowledgement from the club of the legitimate concerns shared by many fans and a fuller explanation in a number of key areas
“The club’s Financial Results are due to be issued soon and we are discussing arranging a meeting with the club for when those results are published. We shall continue to press for further clarity and reassurance in the meantime.”
