Tottenham players reluctant to take pay cuts for good reason

Tottenham players, who believe they have for some time been undervalued and underpaid, are reluctant to agree to pay cuts.

The embedded frugal wage structure has allowed Daniel Levy to squeeze the most out of his assets, facilitating higher year-on-year profits. For years Spurs’ players have voiced their concerns about being, in comparison to other top teams, heavily underpaid.

Those comments have been basically ignored by the chairman. Some players received raises in recent years, most of which were nominal in comparison to their colleagues around the league. According to Sportrac, Son Heung-Min, Tottenham’s third highest paid player, takes in about £140,000, while Dele Alli, who is fourth on the payroll hierarchy, earns £100,000 a week.

Compare that to Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, the third and fourth highest earners at Manchester United, who take in £250,000 and £200,000 respectively.

It’s a common theme with the perceived juggernaut clubs of the Premier League. Tottenham provide their players the lowest salaries, on average, of all the top six teams. And the pay disparity is significant.

So it’s hard to blame them for refusing to acquiesce on Levy’s pay-cut request. While they are still earning handsomely in terms of greater society, undercutting their value has left a sour taste. It has made the request all the more difficult to accommodate.

At some point Tottenham players might capitulate and take pay cuts for the greater good. But it will be a massive sacrifice that could tarnish even further their relationship with Levy, which is already bending toward a potential breaking point.