Tottenham Hotspur are battling to avoid relegation from the Premier League and are now looking to hire a sports psychologist to help the squad out
Tottenham Hotspur are searching for a new club psychologist to help the players in their squad who are mentally drained.
Spurs find themselves in an unexpected relegation battle, with Roberto De Zerbi's side currently rooted to 18th place in the Premier League, following the new head coach's appointment in the aftermath of the departures of Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor.
Tottenham have lost to Sunderland draw with Brighton in the club's two Premier League fixtures since De Zerbi was appointed on a long-term deal.
The club are now taking extraordinary steps in their bid to avoid the drop to the Championship.
Xavi Simons appeared to have helped steer Tottenham away from the danger zone against Brighton with a long-range strike at the weekend, only for a stoppage-time leveller from Seagulls star Georginio Rutter to see them drop two precious points in the battle to avoid relegation to the Championship.
The club are now actively seeking a sports psychologist in a bid to address the mental fragility gripping their underperforming squad.
In a job listing, Spurs stated: "Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is committed to building a world-class performance environment for our Men’s First Team.
"As part of this ambition, we are seeking an outstanding Performance Psychologist to join our Performance Team. This is a high-impact role embedded within the Men’s First Team environment at Hotspur Way.
“Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team you will lead the delivery of evidence-based psychological support to elite professional players.
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"The role encompasses individual player support, systemic work across the coaching and performance staff, and the ongoing development of a psychologically informed performance culture throughout the team.
“This role demands a practitioner who is credible, discreet, and highly effective in a Premier League environment, capable of building trust with players and coaches while operating with the professional rigor expected at the highest level of the game.”
An identical position has also been advertised for their women's side.
The job post comes days after De Zerbi emphasised the importance of the "mentality" of the players in the battle to avoid relegation.
"My job is not now to change the style of play. I did two or three things with the ball, two or three things without the ball, but the crucial part is not with the ball or without the ball. It's in our mentality to be positive," De Zerbi said after the defeat to Sunderland earlier this month.
"We have to find the right energy, the right spirit. When they stay with me during the week, they will find a positive coach because I believe in them. They are human and maybe they are suffering too much.
"We have to stay all together and close and improve in the details of the football, but to be better as a mentality."
Tottenham return to action on Saturday against an already-relegated Wolves outfit. More dropped points in the trip to Molineux could see Spurs move even closer to being relegated to the Championship
De Zerbi's squad then travel to Aston Villa before welcoming Leeds United, followed by fixtures against Chelsea and Everton before the end of the season.