Gareth Barry has now opened up on whether Tottenham players could jump ship if the club are relegated, while also outlining the lessons they must learn from the latest crisis.
Tottenham Hotspur endured a disappointing Premier League campaign last season as they finished in 17th place, though they managed to avoid being directly involved in a relegation scrap.
Their Europa League triumph in Bilbao certainly papered over some of the cracks from what was an abysmal domestic season.
While the silverware provided a rare moment of celebration for the Lilywhites, it did little to address the underlying issues that have continued to plague the squad into the current season.
Spurs had their eyes set on a much better domestic campaign after spending close to £200 million on new additions.
However, their expenditure has done little to protect them from yet another dismal league showing, with Tottenham now sitting in the bottom three on the brink of relegation with four games to spare.
Tottenham face Gareth Barry warning over Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven futures
Relegation will certainly bring about some dire consequences for Spurs, who will not only lose money but could also see several key players depart.
Spurs Web has already reported a host of interest from sides across Europe who are looking to poach various Tottenham stars during the summer transfer window.
Cristian Romero is attracting interest from Atletico Madrid, and Micky van de Ven is of interest to Liverpool, while summer signing Xavi Simons was on the radar of Bayern Munich until his recent ACL injury.
Former Premier League midfielder Gareth Barry has now opened up on whether the stars within the squad could abandon ship if the club fails to maintain its top-flight status.
Speaking to Tribal Football, Barry suggested that contract clauses and individual ambitions will play a significant role in determining who stays and who goes.
He explained: “I think different players at different points of their career will have different ambitions. There will be so many players with stuff in their contracts that allow them to leave.
“And, you know, there is so much to talk about, wage deductions, things like that. But, yeah, I think the fans will always be looking at the players hungry that want to play for their football club.
“So it will be interesting, the players that want to go and want to help them get back to the Premier League. As a fan, you will be casting a close eye, really, on the players that really do want to play for Tottenham Hotspur, if they go down.”
Tottenham backed to learn from crisis under Roberto De Zerbi
While several Tottenham stars could be headed out in the summer, new managerial appointment Roberto De Zerbi has promised to stay, even if Spurs were to drop into the Championship.
Gareth Barry also believes the situation could serve as a wake-up call for the club, pointing towards lessons that must be learned from this difficult period. Speaking again to Tribal Football, he said:
“Yeah, I think there will be huge lessons for Tottenham this year, the whole change of managers, certain periods of the season – have they made mistakes? Probably, and until the last game, we are not going to know if De Zerbi was the right call.
“So yeah, there will definitely be huge lessons for the Tottenham hierarchy, really, of the recruitment and, you know, the managers, and the timing of bringing the managers in and out of the decisions they have made. So, yeah, there will be lessons there to be learned.”
Barry also spoke about De Zerbi’s credentials and the challenge ahead, stressing the difficulty of the current situation while backing the Italian’s long-term suitability.
He added: “Yeah, his (De Zerbi) reputation, you know, it speaks for itself. Really, he has gone into Brighton and done well, gone abroad and done well.
“So I think his style of football is what Tottenham need and their fans like. Unfortunately, this situation is probably not what he is used to. Getting a team to gel for seven or eight games is difficult at any period, especially when you are fighting for relegation.
“So I think if he has said that, I am sure it is in his contract, he is going to stick to his words. So yeah, he will be thinking, if they do go down, I am here, I am going to get them straight back up.
“But yeah, he will certainly be hoping that they get enough points to stay up. And I am sure he will be backing himself to do that as well. The players are definitely capable of doing it, if he gets things right.”
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