“Disaster” has been averted.
“Uncomfortable truths” have come to the surface.
For Tottenham’s players and leadership, there was little to celebrate after the club — one of the richest in European soccer — narrowly escaped relegation from England’s top division for the first time in nearly 50 years.
“We will not dress it up,” chairman Peter Charrington said in a letter to fans published Monday, “as anything other than falling well short of what this club expects.”
While Tottenham’s 17th-place finish last season was viewed as an aberration amid the team’s ultimately successful bid to win the Europa League, there was little excuse — except, maybe, a long list of injuries — for a repeat 12 months later.
Yet there Spurs were, heading into the final round of this season on Sunday just two points outside the relegation zone and in danger of dropping into the second tier for the first time since 1977.
It would have been the most unlikely relegation since the Premier League was founded in 1992, with Tottenham a member of England’s so-called “Big Six,” at the forefront of plans to launch the quickly-aborted Super League just five years ago, and owner of one of the most stunning stadiums in Europe.
However, Tottenham beat Everton 1-0 — rendering third-to-last West Ham’s win over Leeds irrelevant — to complete a late-season revival that included three wins in its last five games under recently-hired coach Roberto De Zerbi, who was brought in late in March to lead the rescue act.
“Without that appointment,” Tottenham midfielder James Maddison said, “disaster could have maybe struck.
“But it didn’t.”
It was too close for comfort, though, for a club hierarchy that has undergone profound change over the last couple of years, including the departure of long-time chairman Daniel Levy in September — five months after the arrival of Vinai Venkatesham as chief executive, a role he previously performed at fierce-rival Arsenal.
Charrington said that during this “full reset” of the boardroom, the club had taken its eye off the ball.
“As part of that process, we discovered some uncomfortable truths. The qualities that make Spurs distinct, our football, our ambition, the connection between the team and its supporters, had been allowed to fade,” he wrote in his open letter.
“Football success had not been driving our decisions.”
Charrington gave a five-point list of commitments to fans, including that the club “will invest across multiple transfer windows to rebuild, balance and strengthen” the team for De Zerbi, who was given a five-year deal when he joined.
“There has been speculation about ownership and the future direction of the club,” Charrington added. “Let us be direct. Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale. The Lewis family are wholly committed to this club and to this rebuild.
“They will provide the stability and investment needed at every level to move us forward, and they see that as a long-term responsibility, not a short-term fix.”
Maddison is happy De Zerbi, the former Brighton and Marseille coach, will be leading Tottenham through tough times.
“I am really happy for the manager who came in and steered the ship clear,” Maddison said, “because I think without him, it could have been doom and gloom, if I am honest.”
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
