Vinai Venkatesham has reflected on Tottenham’s ill-fated gamble to appoint Igor Tudor and addressed the frustrations of the Tottenham supporters.
Now that the season is finally over and Spurs have managed to secure survival by the skin of their teeth, fans are understandably reflecting on how the club came this close to disaster.
Several big calls made by the club’s hierarchy over the last few months have backfired spectacularly.
The decision not to reinforce the squad significantly during the January window and the appointment of Tudor, in particular, are under the scanner, and the club’s CEO has now addressed those decisions.
Vinai Venkatesham explains why Tottenham replaced Thomas Frank with Igor Tudor
In the end, Tudor lasted just 43 days in the Spurs job, which is the fifth-shortest reign of any Premier League manager in history.
Venkatesham has now admitted that Tottenham wanted Roberto De Zerbi to come through the door in February and explained why the club turned to Tudor as a temporary stopgap when the Italian was not keen to come.
The Spurs CEO told BBC Sport: “Obviously, we were very disappointed when it became clear that we wouldn’t be appointing Roberto on a permanent basis [in February]. We were then, in the interim market, which is generally not the broadest.
“There were a number of reasons why Igor was selected: he had managed in very high-profile and high-pressure environments – we didn’t want somebody that was going to wilt under that pressure.
“He has a history of making an immediate impact. He has managed in big clubs. He has quite a different personality to Thomas and we felt like something different was needed.
“But of course, we were really aware he had no Premier League experience. Was it a risk in appointing him? Absolutely. It didn’t work out. I think it’s very clear it didn’t work out. And I don’t think that is in question. I don’t think anybody would argue anything else.”
Venkatesham understands the frustration of Spurs fans
The Tottenham hierarchy and the owners are as unpopular with the fan base as they have ever been, and Venkatesham insists he understands the supporters’ frustration, conceding that 17th place is not good enough for a club of this stature.
However, the Spurs chief insisted that changes are underway to put things right behind the scenes, adding that he has full confidence the Lilywhites will turn things around.
Vinai Venkatesham added: “I understand the frustration around supporters. I think Tottenham supporters have been frustrated for some time. This is two 17th-place finishes in a row. It’s clearly not good enough. I think that is rational, normal, sensible, and, is what we would expect from supporters.
“The club had some serious challenges that it needs to address on the football side. We know what those are. We are addressing them. We are fixing them. Those challenges have not disappeared overnight.
“They built up over many years. I wish I could wave my magic wand and fix them overnight, but that is not possible. It takes some time to fix those issues. So I have complete confidence in what we’re doing, how we’re doing it. But supporters are rightly impatient. So I have to weather that storm.”