The conversation of the day, indeed every day, until an announcement of some description is made, ‘Will Ange be allowed to remain at the helm?’
Now we all have very strong views on the matter, and mine is well documented, and it is one based upon the facts of the man’s reign at Spurs, which began to go off the boil rapidly after the Chelsea hammering, and then got worse last season. Not only did we lose 22 Premier League games, which was a club record, but we also broke a Premier League record. No club had previously lost so many games and still managed to avoid relegation.
Many fans, particularly in Australia, have been so giddy with the success in Europe that they are prepared to ‘block out’ the appalling domestic record. Either that, or they didn’t set their alarm clocks to watch the games in the middle of the night, over there.
The Aussies haven’t truly suffered first-hand the expense and the time-consuming indignity of getting beaten most of the time.
The BBC quoted Kevin Maguire as saying that Tottenham will have the capacity to strengthen but still owe more than £330m in unpaid transfer fees, a considerable proportion of which are due in summer 2025.
That said, a 2025 report in Team Talk indicates that Spurs still owed £441m in unpaid transfer fees, as revealed by their financial accounts at the time.
It’s common for football clubs to pay transfer fees in instalments, spreading costs over several years, which can result in substantial outstanding balances. The £441m figure, if accurate, indicates Spurs have significant commitments from past transfers, potentially necessitating player sales to balance their finances, as suggested by some sources.
The big problem facing Tottenham is that there is little in the way of family silver left to sell. There’s no Harry Kane, there’s just a rather beleaguered-looking Sonny, and far too many players such as Fraser Forster and Sergio Reguilon who don’t hold much, if any, value at all.
So the decision on Ange comes down to one simple question. Does one believe an alleged bond between him and the players exists so he can now magically do more than just beat second sides in Europe, or does one understand the more compelling reality that ENIC are running out of places to hide?
