Tottenham Hotspur have endured a mixed start to their campaign so far this year, although based on their performances last season, that shouldn’t be all that surprising.
Ange Postecoglou’s side were only able to pick up one win from their opening four games, but a late comeback against Coventry City in the League Cup last week might have been the spark they needed as, despite going behind early on against Brentford on Saturday, the Lilywhites came away deserved 3-1 winners.
However, while things might be getting better, there are still several players in the squad who clearly aren’t good enough, including one who makes more than Brennan Johnson and Micky van de Ven.
Johnson and Van de Ven's salaries at Spurs
Tottenham paid Nottingham Forest about £47.5m for the services of Johnson last summer, and while it took him a little while to get to grips with life in N17, he eventually ended the season with a respectable haul of five goals and ten assists in just 34 appearances.
This year has been more of the same for the Welshman, as while he has struggled at points and dealt with his fair share of criticism in the process, he has found the back of the net on two occasions in just six games.
Although he’s not in scintillating form, the 23-year-old has the backing of his manager and can clearly impact games going forward, so it would probably be fair to say he’s worth the £70k-per-week he is earning.
Likewise, Van de Ven has proven that he is undoubtedly worth the £50k-per-week he is on, as, despite hamstring problems causing him to miss several games last season, his incredible speed makes him a crucial cog in Postecoglou’s system.
The Dutchman set a new sprint speed record of 37.38km/h last season, and while he’s more than just his speed, it’s this unique skill for a centre-back that allows the manager to play such a high defensive line, safe in the knowledge that the former Wolfsburg ace will be there to clean up any mistakes.
Overall, while both players fill very different roles in the Spurs’ team, both are deserving of their current wages, which is unfortunately not something that can be said for one of their teammates.
Fraser Forster's salary at Spurs
So, the player in question is not a first-team regular but is, in fact, backup goalkeeper Fraser Forster.
The Englishman joined the club on a free transfer in June 2022, and since then, he has featured about as regularly as you’d expect a second-choice keeper to, making 22 appearances across all competitions in the two years since.
However, as demonstrated in the game against Coventry last week, the former Southampton ace is clearly not up to the level required to fill in for Guglielmo Vicario.
He gave away the ball early on when trying to play out from the back, looked generally uncomfortable throughout the game and received a warranted 3/10 rating from Spurs writer Alasdair Gold.
Moreover, aside from Stefan Ortega at Manchester City, the Englishman is the highest paid backup keeper among the ‘big six’, as the Lilywhites are paying the 36-year-old a considerable salary of £75k-per-week, which seems outrageous from the outside.
Ultimately, while Forster may be good enough for a lower-level Premier League side, he is no longer good enough for Tottenham, and Postecoglou should look to move him on and replace him as soon as possible.
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1 ByDan EmerySep 23, 2024