Paul Churchill

Managers come and go at Tottenham Hotspur like buses on the High Road outside. Some stop there slightly longer than others, some stall, some over-rev their engines, but all move on, some in a cloud of smoke. Assuming he doesn't take a look and accelerate past, the latest arrival, Roberto di Zerbi, is a good head coach, not A-list but potentially up there, depending on his temperament. He’s committed to attacking football which Spurs fans want. He’s very demanding of players and, occasionally, of the board, so sparks will fly eventually. He also has to address his comments about Mason Greenwood. But RDZ would undoubtedly be a coup for Spurs, a statement of intent that they can get out of this relegation mess and build for the future. His arrival will also put pressure on the players to show some fight. They can’t hide behind a manager’s flaws now. But RDZ should be only one part of the Tottenham rescue plan/rebuild. Much is right about Spurs: magnificent stadium and training ground and a fanbase that is large, passionate and rightly concerned about the leadership of their club, especially in the board-room. If RDZ is to succeed, Spurs have to improve player recruitment and the board has to underwrite that. Since failing to invest in elite talent after the 2019 Champions League final, Spurs have wasted an eye-wateringly obscene amount of money on poor recruitment. It’s not that they haven’t spent. They have. It’s just that they haven’t spent it well. (Spurs certainly aren’t alone in this failing, of course). According to Transfermarkt, Spurs have spent £979m on loans and transfers since Pochettino was dismissed in November 2019. The popular Argentine left the club bemoaning failure to invest properly in the squad after that UCL final defeat in Madrid. How much real talent did they acquire in that time? Definitely some. Kulusevski cost £8.66m loan fee and then £26m permanent; he’s a talent, unfortunately sidelined through injury. Van de Ven is worth more than the £34.65m he cost. Same with the excellent Gray (£35.75m), Bergvall (£17.32m) and Sarr (£14.5m). Spence may be a strange character but he’s worth more than the £12m paid, especially with England caps. Porro cost £4.3m loan and then £34.65m. If Spurs went down, there will be players like Porro in demand (which is part of the problem as they know there’s a safety net for them). Kudus is unfortunately injured. Simons may train on under the right coach. Otherwise, in five of those seven seasons since Madrid, Spurs Player of the Year has been the home-grown Kane or the 2015 £22m value-for-money Son. Van de Ven and Bergvall have been the most recent recipients of the honour. Gray, a beacon of hope in a dark season, will probably win this season. Spurs have also spent heavily on managers. The cost of recruiting and paying off six head coaches (and their staff) since Madrid is just shy of £60m. Compensation to their clubs (such as £6.7m to Brentford for Frank) and their pay-offs (such as the reported £8m to Frank) does not include wages, probably doubling the outlay to around £120m spent on managers in seven years. Churn is expensive. Three of the head coaches, Pochettino, Mourinho and Conte, are heavyweights. Nuno was too cautious, Postecoglou won the Europa League but neglected the Premier League, Frank was admired but failed to understand expectations while Tudor was out of his depth. All would have achieved more with a stronger group of players (and less of an injury list). These coaches deserve some culpability for Tottenham’s travails but the real indictment is the players not fighting hard enough for the cause – and the recruitment department for not bringing in the right characters. RDZ, if he stops at Spurs, has work to do on that squad, getting them to take more responsibility in these seven games and then strengthening it. Recruitment has to be better. #THFC