Tottenham players to have salaries cut in HALF if relegated - David Ornstein

Tom Weber

• Updated: 2 Mar 2026 14:48 GMT
• 4 min read

News

Tottenham's players face wage cuts of up to 50% if relegated from the Premier League, according to David Ornstein.

The North London giants are languishing just four points above the relegation zone with 10 games to play in the Premier League season. A new-manager bounce following the appointment of Igor Tudor has not materialised.

Although West Ham, the team currently in 18th, are winless in three league games, they have shown much more fight and determination than Tottenham in recent weeks.

If Spurs do not get their act together, they will be in for a very nervy run-in. They have yet to win a domestic game of football in 2026, illustrating just how dire the situation truly is at the club.

Relegation would, of course, entail enormous financial ramifications for the club. Although Spurs could still rely on the massive income from their state-of-the-art stadium as well as parachute payments, they would likely be faced with a collapse of other commercial and TV revenues.

Tottenham players should have incentive to stay up

However, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic, there is one major provision in place to somewhat protect the club's finances in case of relegation - and it is thanks to former chairman Daniel Levy.

Ornstein reports that Levy made sure to always include relegation clauses in the contracts of the players, meaning that players will suffer significant salary reductions if they drop down to the Championship.

The transfer insider states that for the "vast majority" of Spurs' squad, relegation would result in wage cuts of approximately 50%. In theory, this gives the players a clear incentive to fight for survival.

However, whether it actually has the desired effect is doubtful. Most of Spurs' stars surely back themselves to secure a lucrative transfer away if relegated - or at least they have been playing like it.

While such relegation clauses are nothing out of the ordinary for most clubs, it is quite remarkable that even Premier League giants like Tottenham have them. It perhaps also speaks to the shrewdness of Levy that, for all his well-documented flaws, he made sure to cover all bases.

It is not clear from Ornstein's reporting whether post-Levy signings Conor Gallagher and Souza also have relegation clauses. Given Spurs' position in the table at the time of these transfers, one would certainly hope so for the sake of director Johan Lange, who has come in for harsh criticism in recent weeks.

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