Life under lockdown has been nothing short of a disaster for Tottenham

Twelve months ago Tottenham had just opened their glitzy £1billion new stadium and they were on the verge of reaching the Champions League semi-finals.  

It was a great time to be a Spurs fan. Mauricio Pochettino’s side beat the eventual Premier League champions Manchester City in Europe at one of the best arenas in the world.

What a difference a year makes. Of course, life is not as we know it due to the coronavirus pandemic but for Tottenham life under lockdown has been a disaster.

Twelve months ago Tottenham had just opened their spectacular £1billion new stadium

Twelve months ago Tottenham had just opened their spectacular £1billion new stadium

A year on and Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy have been through a nightmare fortnight

A year on and Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy have been through a nightmare fortnight

The club originally furloughed non-playing staff amid COVID-19 but backtracked on Monday

The club originally furloughed non-playing staff amid COVID-19 but backtracked on Monday

The north London club became the second Premier League outfit after Newcastle to place non-playing staff on furlough two weeks ago.

Tottenham understandably received huge backlash for the decision, just as Liverpool did before performing a monumental U-turn, due to their financial clout.

The club’s decision was heavily criticised by supporters and former players, such as Match of the Day host and ex-Spurs striker Gary Lineker. 

‘The way Tottenham have handled it I don’t think has been very good – what they are doing to their staff I don’t agree with whatsoever,’ Lineker said, speaking on BBC Radio 4’s World at One show. 

Spurs announced a profit of £69million last year and they are the eighth largest club in the world with revenue of over £460m, according to Deloitte’s rankings.  

However on Monday Tottenham finally joined the Merseyside club in backtracking on their initial plan to use tax-payers’ cash through the Government scheme. But some of the damage has already been done.

Ex-Spurs midfielder Jamie Redknapp slammed chairman Daniel Levy for his original decision: ‘I just feel at times they don’t act like a big club,’ he told Sky Sports News.

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho (L) and some of his Tottenham players were accused by the Government of 'putting lives at risk' after flouting social distancing regulations for training

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho (L) and some of his Tottenham players were accused by the Government of ‘putting lives at risk’ after flouting social distancing regulations for training

Davinson Sanchez and Ryan Sessegnon were pictured out running

The pair were spotted running on Hadley Common

Tottenham duo Davinson Sanchez and Ryan Sessegnon were also spotted out running 

‘Tottenham, I know full well have good finances and plenty behind them, but it didn’t sit well with me.’

Liverpool took just a few days to make the U-turn on their original decision while Tottenham took a fortnight to backtrack. 

Speaking on Sky Sports’ The Football Show on Tuesday morning, pundits Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness claimed Tottenham fans were left ’embarrassed’ by the decision that ultimately ‘backfired’ on Levy. 

Sportsmail revealed that it was furious Tottenham players that helped force the club into the change of heart while Levy admitted ‘regret’ at the criticism they’ve faced. 

In a separate video, Ivory Coast international defender Serge Aurier was seen out with a friend

In a separate video, Ivory Coast international defender Serge Aurier was seen out with a friend

But the mess surrounding furloughing staff was just the nadir of a nightmare two weeks for the club. 

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho and some of his Tottenham players were accused by the Government of ‘putting lives at risk’ after flouting social distancing regulations for a training session. 

Mourinho admitted he broke the guidelines — introduced to halt the spread of the virus — after he and his players were filmed training in a London park, but he did not apologise.

Mourinho stated: ‘I accept that my actions were not in line with government protocol and we must only have contact with members of our own household.

‘It is vital we all play our part and follow government advice in order to support our heroes in the NHS and save lives.’

The Portuguese boss oversaw a training session with midfielder Tanguy Ndombele on Hadley Common in Barnet last week and footage also emerged of Davinson Sanchez, Ryan Sessegnon and Serge Aurier out running and similarly defying the rules. 

Piers Morgan, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and ex-Spurs boss Harry Redknapp all condemned the actions by Mourinho and some of his players. 

The ill-fated training session just compounded the club’s problems. Tottenham were once again in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.  

While things have turned sour for Spurs in the public eye, cracks have now started to appear within the club.

And now star striker Harry Kane could be on his way out which would be a massive blow

And now star striker Harry Kane could be on his way out which would be a massive blow 

Star striker Harry Kane could be on his way out which would be a massive blow to Tottenham.

It was revealed at the weekend that the England captain is open to a move to Manchester United.

And Levy would weigh up sanctioning a world record £200m Kane move to United in a bid to ease financial worries as the club continues to pay for their £1bn stadium. 

However Levy was also incensed with the forward for going off-message during the COVID-19 crisis. So was he just trying to just put their star man in his place by indicating he will allow his departure?

A risky game with Spurs fans already disheartened by the club’s recent ill-judged actions.

There’s no doubt that Tottenham have had a calamitous time. How the Spurs faithful would love to rewind the clock back to this time last year.

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