Tottenham CEO Vinai Venkatesham has sent a clear message to Spurs fans as one of the club’s busiest and most ambitious transfer windows comes to its close.
The Spurs hierarchy have put their money where their mouth is, backing Roberto De Zerbi with big signings after the Italian kept the club in the Premier League by the skin of their teeth.
Tottenham have completed eight new signings so far, while pushing through double-digit exits, essentially managing to complete a full squad rebuild in a single transfer window.
Spurs could shatter the Premier League record for the most money spent in a single window before tomorrow’s transfer deadline, with more signings potentially on their way.
Vinai Venkatesham says Tottenham hierarchy are committed to action rather than words
Ahead of Tottenham’s 2-0 loss to Newcastle United on Sunday, Vinai Venkatesham directly addressed their fans, making it clear the club are aware of the supporters’ complaints that their words have not been backed up with action in the past.
The Spurs CEO revealed that the club were keen to change that and reiterated the commitment of the ownership to get the Lilywhites competing at the highest level.
Venkatesham said on the club’s matchday programme (via Football.London): “Dear Supporters, As we begin a new Premier League season, I wanted to welcome you back to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on behalf of everyone at the Club. The start of any campaign brings anticipation, but this season feels especially important. Last season was one of the most challenging this Club has ever experienced and we all know that can never be repeated. There have been significant changes made to put us on the right path for the future and there is a real sense of energy and optimism for the season ahead.
“The focus of our Ownership and Board is clear. We want to build teams capable of competing at the highest level. This applies across both our Men’s and Women’s teams. Tottenham is ‘one club, two teams’ and both will be given the support, resources and environment they need to fulfil our ambitions. I know that many supporters feel they have too often just heard words and not seen actions. This summer has been focussed on action and I wanted to summarise some of the most significant work undertaken around our Men’s team.
“We have strengthened our men’s squad with a clear focus on the quality, character and physical robustness needed to achieve our aims. We have attracted the names we wanted to attract, adding players with proven Premier League experience alongside talent we believe can continue to develop and improve with us. We have suffered too many injuries in recent years. Sweeping changes have been made to our Performance team, bringing in top experts with new skills and expertise to transform the way we work across performance, medical and physical preparation. We have made significant changes to our first team gym to provide the right environment to improve the resilience of our squad. Things cannot be expected to change overnight, but we have the right building blocks in place to improve player availability.”
Venkatesham explains Spurs’ new transfer strategy
The Lilywhites have been one of the most active clubs in Europe this summer, not only in terms of signing players, but also being proactive in selling them.
Venketesham explained that Tottenham need to be decisive in sales if they want to be successful, and also touched on the other changes that have been made at the club to ensure the club’s present and future is secured.
He added: “Successful clubs have to be decisive about both recruitment and sales, and selling well is critical in modern football. We have too often held onto players for too long. This summer, we have been more aggressive in selling players at what we believe is the right point, structuring deals to ensure we enjoy future upside as players achieve future milestones in their careers.
“We want to develop players through our Academy that can play for our first team. our Academy must remain fundamental to the future of Tottenham Hotspur. We have been very active in signing a number of players this summer aged 16 and below, to ensure we have the best possible pipeline of players for the future.
“A number of changes have been made at our Training Centre, focused on ensuring the environment is optimised to drive results. Whether that be a new tactical briefing room, changes to the player restaurant or simply changing imagery and branding so the building looks and feels like a home for high performance.”