Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood has pointed an accusing finger at the club’s recruitment and academy set-up, as he suggested those involved in those two key areas of the club should shoulder the blame for their persistent failures.
Tottenham’s calamitous season has been dominated by an injury crisis that ripped through manager Ange Postecoglou’s squad, with a host of star names missing large parts of a season that fell off the rails for the north London club.
Now Sherwood has told Football365 that Tottenham’s persistent mistakes in the transfer market have contributed to their downfall, as he insisted the success of Premier League clubs like Bournemouth and Brighton in player recruitment has put his old club’s failings into perspective.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is the focus of anger among Tottenham fans, with Sherwood accepting some of the decisions made during his reign as the club’s fans have contributed to their failings.
“Fans are angry at Levy because they have not won anything for a long time and he is the common denominator who has been there for 20 years, but I feel it’s a bit unfair to pin it all on him,” Sherwood told Football365 with Foot Italia.
“Daniel has done so much for that football club, but he doesn’t pick the players or the tactics, so it’s not all his fault. He does select the recruitment people and the managers and that’s where it hasn’t worked out.
“Levy has employed top managers like Nuno (Espirito Santo), Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte and no one would say they are bad managers. He is employing them in good faith and trusting them to do the job, but it hasn’t worked.
“When it goes wrong, everyone starts to blame everyone else and Levy has been there all of the time and gets some of the blame, but I would look at recruitment and their academy.
“They have not produced any top players through their academy since Harry Kane and that was a long time ago now.
“I look at the Man City and Arsenal academies and they are producing a lot of good players, which is what Tottenham were crying out for with all their injuries this season.
“They have also recruited badly and spent a lot of money on players that haven’t worked out, but it’s not all Daniel’s fault. There is a lot wrong at Tottenham, but one man cannot shoulder all the blame.”
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Sherwood, who was Tottenham manager in the 2013/14 season under Levy’s watch, believes two big-name signings could transform their fortunes and he suggests they may need to break the club’s tight wage structure to make that happen.
Tottenham’s wage bill is much lower than many of the clubs at the top of the Premier League, with Sherwood recalling a story from his days as Blackburn captain to highlight why elite players will always be paid the top wages.
“Tottenham need a couple of superstars to take them to the next level and they may have to give those players the wages they are worth to get them,” he added.
“I remember talking to Blackburn owner Jack Walker when the club signed Alan Shearer and telling him I wanted parity with his wages.
“Jack turned around to me and said: “The last time I looked, Alan Shearer scored 20 goals for the last three seasons. How many have you scored?”
“I argued that I do a different job, but he explained he was a superstar and by the end of the conversation, I shook his hand and accepted what he was saying.
“You can’t put every player on the same money and there will always be a hierarchy. The superstar player will always get the top money and Tottenham sold their superstar in Harry Kane. They haven’t really replaced him.”