Simon Jordan rants about Tottenham’s £237m spending spree but Roberto De Zerbi not done yet

Simon Jordan has claimed Tottenham’s owners ‘don’t know what they’re doing’, as he questioned their huge summer spending.

After narrowly avoiding relegation last term, Spurs have splashed the cash of late, breaking their club-record transfer fee twice in a matter of days to take their spree to £237million.

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The north Londoners first made a statement of intent by snapping up defender Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton for a fee of £52m.

Things have gone up a notch since then, with Mateus Fernandes then joining for a club-record £85m from relegation West Ham on Thursday.

But the huge sum didn’t stay long at the top of Tottenham’s all-time transfer list, after a £100m deal for Sandro Tonali was agreed.

Spurs will fork over an initial £92.5m for the Newcastle midfielder, with an additional £7.5m in proposed add-ons for the 26-year-old.

It marks a huge shift in transfer strategy at Tottenham, who were previously known to operate frugally under former chairman Daniel Levy.

Following Levy’s departure in September, Investment group Enic, which is run by the Lewis Family Trust and is the club’s majority shareholder with a 86.58 per cent stake, now plays a more active role in overseeing proceedings.

Tonali move questioned

While many view Tottenham’s huge summer spending – which also includes the arrivals of free agents Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka – as a statement of intent, talkSPORT’s Jordan is less convinced.

Reacting to the news of Tonali‘s imminent arrival, the ex-Crystal Palace owner questioned the player’s motive to join Spurs.

He began: “What does it tell you about the players that are joining them? 

“Because with respect to Tonali, why would you go from Newcastle to Tottenham Hotspur?

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“I suspect it’s because of the money – that tells you that you’ve either got a player that’s playing for money, or a player that’s playing for ambition because you’re going to a side that finished fourth from bottom of the league last year.”

After casting doubt over Tonali’s ambitions, Jordan then questioned Tottenham’s ownership and their new transfer strategy.

Jordan added: “I don’t think they know what they’re doing. They’re paying massively over the odds for these players. 

“I think you’ve gone from one extreme to the other – you’ve got football expertise that Daniel [Levy] and his team exhibited at certain times, but they didn’t have the balls or the financial desire to push the envelope.

“Now you’ve gone the other way, which is you don’t care about the financial concerns of what you’re doing. You’re just going to spend whatever you want to spend. 

“And the fans will love it. But when you’re looking at what they’re buying…”

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Jordan’s warning

Fellow presenter Jim White suggested Tottenham’s ownership are simply matching the transfer market by shelling out £100m for Tonali, reminding Jordan of Manchester City’s £116m deal for England midfielder Elliot Anderson.

But Jordan was unconvinced, as he insisted the two clubs are not on a level playing field, and expressed doubt over Spurs’ decision-makers.

He went on: “They’ve won the league (Man City). Tottenham have won nothing. Tottenham have sat fourth from bottom in the last two seasons.

“Now Tottenham have gone [one of] two ways. They’ve gone from actually having some degree of control over what they’re buying. 

“First of all, I don’t think they’ve got any football expertise in the building in terms of the commercial side of things.

“I don’t think Vinai [Venkatesham, Tottenham’s CEO] has a clue about football. I think he knows how to run commercial things, but I think he has no clue about football.

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Jordan added: “I think the sporting directors in there are not good enough. So they’re making decisions – we can all spend money. 

“They have now gone from buying players at a certain budget to buying players at top, top, top money – well done. 

“And they’ve now gone to paying players top, top wages. You’re not getting Tonali because he wants to come to Spurs, you’re getting Tonali because you’re paying Newcastle £100 million, and this guy’s going to get £300,000 a week.”

He added: “I look at Spurs and I think they’re chaotic.”

Signing off, the talkSPORT host warned: “We will see how this profligacy plays out. 

“I’m willing to wager you, it will not play out the way that Spurs now think they’ve got the utopia – ‘We’ve got Daddy Warbucks in the building that’s now going to buy his way to absolute success’. 

“I bet they bloody don’t.”

More to come

While Jordan had a stark warning for Tottenham, it appears they won’t be slowing down in their ambitious summer transfer window.

On the same day the presenter questioned Spurs’ approach, talkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs revealed: “Tottenham, I can tell you, will not be done yet. 

“They’re looking at the left hand side for either a winger or an attacker.

“Possibly a number nine will arrive as well, as they’ve revamped their defence, their midfield and soon to be the attack as well. 

“And don’t forget Martin Dubravka has joined as a backup goalkeeper and Anthony Kinsky signed a new deal. Five years plus one additional club option.

“So Tottenham are really backing Roberto De Zerbi.”