Tottenham Hotspur have made the decision to close down the operation of their player recruitment department amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Daniel Levy revealed in a statement on the club’s official website on Monday that 550 non-playing staff will take a 20% pay cut for April and May and will also use the government’s furlough scheme.
The club’s recruitment department have also been shut down until further notice which includes chief scout Steve Hitchen, according to the Daily Mail.
Hitchen moved back to North London in 2017 and had built a reputation for unearthing shrewd signings having taken Luis Suarez from Ajax to Liverpool whilst working at Anfield in 2011 (Independent).
Despite Hitchen and his team reportedly still have plenty of unwatched footage to analyse potential transfer targets in further detail, but with no live football taking place as a result of COVID-19, they have been placed on temporary leave.
The news of the recruitment team being mothballed will come as a blow to Jose Mourinho who revealed earlier this month that he wanted to improve his squad without making wholesale changes (Standard).
Levy’s decision to furlough his staff has been met with widespread criticism including former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp (The Sun).
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