Tottenham’s squad will reportedly face a huge wage decrease if they are relegated from the Premier League to the Championship.
Following Sunday’s (1 March) 2-1 defeat against Fulham at Craven Cottage, Igor Tudor’s Tottenham are just four points above West Ham United in 18th, while 17th-placed Nottingham Forest trail Spurs by two points, with 10 Premier League matches remaining.
According to reports, if Spurs were to be relegated to English football’s second tier, they would lose around £260 million in annual revenue.
But the players’ wages will also take a hit, with The Athletic reporting that the stars have clauses written into their contracts that could see them suffer a 50 per cent pay cut.
The agreement was reportedly included in players’ contracts before Daniel Levy departed from the club in September.
So who could be impacted most by a 50 per cent reduction in wages?
According to Capology, summer signing Xavi Simons is the club’s highest earner, reportedly pocketing a gross wage of £195,000 per week, which amounts to £10.15 million per year.
Based on The Athletic’s report and Capology’s wage estimations, the Dutchman may see his weekly wage halved to around £97,500 should Spurs be relegated. Of course, whether the former RB Leipzig man would stay at the club if they began next season in the Championship remains unclear.
Club captain Cristian Romero, who has recently voiced his concerns about the lack of squad depth to the board, reportedly earns the same wage, although he has been linked with transfers to Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
England international James Maddison and January recruit Conor Gallagher earn £170,000 and £160,000 per week respectively, while Randal Kolo Muani and Mohamed Kudus both earn £150,000 per week.
Estimations calculate Spurs’ total wage expenditure at £2.6 million per week, which totals £136.8 million per year, excluding potential performance bonuses.
According to Football 365, Spurs have the seventh-highest wage bill in the Premier League, with Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City the only clubs spending more on player salaries.
Spurs return to action at home against Crystal Palace on 5 March before they travel to Atletico Madrid for their UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg clash in the Spanish capital on 18 March.