Game-changer: "I'm hearing they're offering him really big money" reporter confirms Tottenham will pay record wages
It’s coming thick and fast, as Tottenham, David Ornstein of The Athletic, guested on ‘Ornstein Transfer Latest’ : Liverpool + Spurs make big moves.
“Uh, but Tottenham are in for him. What I see happening here is Tottenham trying to get in a place where
they know they can do a deal with the player on salary and I’m hearing that they are offering him really big money to join them. Um, and then they’ll approach Newcastle United.
And also, the salary numbers I’m hearing would take Tottenham to an area that you didn’t used to see them go before.”
Tottenham being spoken about as a club operating at such a level suddenly puts a different spin on things.
Tottenham Hotspur’s estimated first-team wage bill for the 2025-26 season is around £137 million in fixed gross salaries (£2.63 million per week), with total wages (including estimated bonuses) closer to £173 million, according to Capology.
Wage figures are estimates from sites like Capology and Spotrac, which are based wholly on based on public reports, contracts, and club financials.
Clubs do not officially publish individual player salaries, and these exclude add-ons like image rights, commercial deals, or performance bonuses in some cases. Many contracts include relegation wage reduction clauses around 50%.
If Tottenham were to confidently approach Newcastle United, knowing that they had a wage deal in place with the player, then this is a game-changer.
Spurs have historically emphasised value and avoided extreme top-end wages compared to rivals. Recent signings (e.g., Simons, Kudus, Gallagher) have pushed the top end higher, but the overall bill remains competitive rather than leading. This deal would be historic.
Equally, it would be the end of the Levynomics era, whereby the club were permanently in the hunt for a lottery ticket win; whereby small change might become worth a fortune.
Therefore, Spurs must only buy class.
I think it is becoming clear now that this new generation of ENIC, the 'nepo twins', Vivienne and Charles, actually mean business. This is not your typical Levy scam operation, whereby we are disingenuously linked to numerous big name players who then, calculatedly, all fall through. This is different and it feels different. There is genuine intent here. Three quality defensive signings in the first 5 days of the transfer window tells its own story. Now midfield is being addressed. I can only conclude, albeit a conclusion tempered by umpteen years of careworn cynicism, that we are on the cusp of a truly transformative transfer window. If so, bring it on!
Lads…..it’s Tottenham.