Venkatesham opens up on Spurs' relegation planning
Tottenham chief executive Vinai Venkatesham has been speaking publicly about just how close the club came to relegation trouble in recent seasons, and the contingency planning that went on behind the scenes.
The Evening Standard reports that Venkatesham revealed a bold target for where Spurs want to be, while confirming the club had a concrete 'plan' in place in case the worst had happened (Evening Standard). The Standard notes Spurs have finished 17th in the Premier League in each of the last two seasons, only avoiding the drop on the final day last term, with De Zerbi's arrival in March credited with helping steady the ship (Evening Standard).
Football.London focuses on what frustrated Venkatesham during that period, highlighting his description of something the club managed to avoid doing that he branded 'irresponsible' (Football.London). The outlet frames this as the Tottenham chief opening up on the club's internal planning for relegation last season (Football.London).
Spurs Web goes further with direct quotes, reporting Venkatesham as saying "we were planning for relegation" (Spurs Web). According to Spurs Web, the CEO discussed the 2025/26 campaign as something of a "nightmare" for the club, touching on how Tottenham's early-season struggles fed into that bleak planning process (Spurs Web).
All three outlets agree on the broad picture: this was a genuinely difficult period for Spurs, serious enough that the club's hierarchy felt compelled to prepare for relegation as a real possibility rather than just a distant worry. Where they differ is in emphasis - the Standard leans into Venkatesham's ambitions for the club going forward alongside the relegation admission (Evening Standard), Football.London zeroes in on the frustration and the 'irresponsible' line (Football.London), while Spurs Web gives the most direct quotation on the planning itself and ties it explicitly to last season's nightmare start (Spurs Web).
For supporters, it's a stark reminder of how precarious things became, even if those dark days now feel a little further behind with De Zerbi at the helm. It also offers some insight into the thinking at boardroom level as Tottenham look to put that anxious spell firmly in the past and build towards sturdier mid-table safety, if not something more ambitious.
Written with the help of AI, using the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
