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Tottenham could face major financial problems if relegated from the Premier League and it is Daniel Levy that still appears to be having a huge impact
"It’s one of those situations [where] when I’m not here I’m sure I’ll get the credit."
That was the bold response from Daniel Levy to Tottenham Hotspur supporters following major backlash for sacking Ange Postecoglou after delivering what the club had so badly craved for nearly two decades. While the anger was justified - especially given how bad Thomas Frank's spell went - Levy looks to have been proven right.
The latest indication of that being the case emerged on Monday morning with The Athletic reporting that most of Spurs' players have relegation clauses in their contracts, inserted by Levy, and dropping down to the Championship would result in a 50 per cent salary reduction.
Financially, relegation could cause serious problems for Tottenham with lower matchday revenue, TV money and several other factors impacting their income. Player wages also have to be considered with a major overhaul expected regardless of what division Spurs are in.
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Levy's decision to make this decision was a prime example of his foresight and business mind, with it clear that regardless of the fact Spurs were miles away from actually being relegated last season, despite finishing fourth bottom, there was concern they could be in that position again.
Though the club's former chairman, who departed soon after inserting the relegation clause, was regularly criticised for a lack of ambition in the transfer window, his sustainable approach put Tottenham in a position to not be overly concerned by breaking profit and sustainability rules.
Changes to the club's approach in a trading period were somewhat on display with big moves made for Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus last summer. Spurs also tried to sign Eberechi Eze but were beaten to his signature by bitter rivals Arsenal.
In January, Conor Gallagher signed from Atletico Madrid and Spurs him one of the club's highest-paid players. Obviously, his wage would go down significantly if Tottenham dropped down a division, that is if he even chose to stay.
Experienced players such as Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero would almost certainly depart while young talents like Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and even Luka Vuskovic, with the latter not even playing for the club yet, could be sold.
Perhaps one positive for the Lilywhites in the second-tier would be easy integration of prospects such as Mikey Moore, Kota Takai, Luca Williams-Barnett and Yang Min-hyeok.
Regardless of that, Tottenham will unsurprisingly not want to be relegated and the players have ten games to prove exactly that. They currently sit four points off the bottom three with West Ham United and Nottingham Forest in more precarious positions.
At least if the absolute worst-case scenario does play out, Levy will have helped the club avoid a financial nightmare and it is rather fitting that a man criticised for not spending big stops the club from falling to their knees even after he has left.
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