Hey! Remember how Tottenham Hotspur FC had lots of injuries, so decided to fire their medical team and hire some new folks?
And remember when they did the exact same thing a year later?
Well, it’s happening again! Kind of. Not really. It’s classified.
In reality, Spurs’ medical team is still taking shape following another review late last year and the significant changes to backroom staff in the aftermath of Ange Postecoglou’s firing and Thomas Frank’s hiring - and good thing too: given the fact that Spurs are once more in the midst of an injury crisis, you wouldn’t blame Spurs’ new ownership for kicking off a third review.
We now have some detail as to the shape of that team now as well, thanks to The Athletic’s Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Jack Pitt-Brooke. Jack took questions via a Reddit AMA (ask me anything for those still trapped in the 20th century) a couple of days ago, and he answered a question around the state of Spurs’ medical department in great detail, with some information we were not previously privy to.
He confirmed the revamp is still in progress following the departures of recent appointees Adam Brett and Nick Davies in the summer. Adam Brett (who is a dead ringer for Alan Tudyk) came to Spurs from Brighton, and took on the Director of Performance Services role: essentially, leading efforts in the realms of physical health, sports science, nutrition, psychology, and all those other medical measures that can give clubs an edge (you know, like horse placenta). Nick Davies, coming from West Ham, reported into Brett, and was Head of Sports Science.
JPB also mentioned that since their departures, Spurs have made a couple of new appointments. It turns out Brentford weren’t just plundered for their coaching staff: Chris Haslam, Tom Perryman, and Nick Stubbings made the trip across London as well. Stubbings took up the lead medical position, while Perryman was appointed as Head of Strength & Conditioning. A prior appointment, Michael Cooper, was internally promoted to the Head of Sports Science role to replace Nick Davies.
That brings us to Chris Haslam. He was named Head of Performance, which seems similar to the title previously held by Adam Brett, but is not the same role. The replacement for that vacancy was actually announced by the club back in October: Dan Lewindon. Lewindon comes from City Football Group, and his appointment is by all accounts a bit of a coup for Spurs. The announcement mentioned he’d be joining the club following his notice period, but JPB indicated in his Reddit post that wouldn’t be until 2026, meaning a long period without somebody herding the cats.
All this dysfunction and disruption will not have been helpful for Spurs’ walking wounded (and seemingly perpetually cursed squad). Turnover in these key roles could have played a part in certain players’ recoveries, propensity towards injury, or overall fitness; but maybe whatever happened was going to happen anyway. The intensity and volume of modern football continues to rise, and with it the number of serious injuries to players. That’s really the story here.
Which is why it is all the more important that Spurs get these hires right. Hopefully, this time they have.