Revealed: Tottenham make shock new transfer move
Tottenham recruitment chief Steve Hitchen has been forced to take a pay cut as well as have his department shut down due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Football Insider understands.
Spurs have followed Newcastle United by putting their scouting work on hold in April and May, just ahead of the summer window.
A Tottenham source has told Football Insider that all heads of departments at the club have been forced to take a 20 per cent pay cut.
This comes after Tuesday's announcement that all 550 non-playing staff have seen their salary cut by 20 per cent and put on furlough “where appropriate" in order to cope with the financial crisis caused by Covid-19.
Hitchen is among those who has been impacted, along with the likes of the head physio and even chairman Daniel Levy.
One department head who has escaped a pay cut is manager Jose Mourinho, even though football has been suspended and there are no matches.
Targets for the next window have already been drawn up and discussions around those players would rest on the four-man transfer committee.
This is made up of Mourinho, Levy and Hitchen, as well as academy director John McDermott, who is joining the Football Association in June.
The drastic move to shut down the recruitment department is a surprise, given the transfer window is due to open in mid-June as normal.
There is a strong possibility that could be changed, however, especially if the major leagues across Europe continue well into the summer months.