Kieron Dyer says he was on more money at Newcastle United in 2002 than a top Tottenham Hotspur player he spoke to last season.
Dyer has revealed that he spoke to a top Tottenham player towards the end of last season, and that he found out that he was earning more money at Newcastle back in 2002.
The former England international midfielder, 38, was on the books of the Magpies from 1999 until 2007.
“The wage structure is always going to be Tottenham’s downfall,” Dyer told BBC Sport. “I spoke to a Tottenham player towards the end of last season – a full international, regular for his country, regular for his team – he told me what he was on wages wise and I was on more money at Newcastle in 2002.
“This is a player now at Tottenham, who finished second in the league, a full international in 2017, and he wasn’t on what I was on at Newcastle.
“What Tottenham have been blessed with is their recruitment has been fantastic where they get all these players who have the potential to become the next Dele Alli or Kyle Walker and then they don’t have to worry about the wages, but for Tottenham to go to the next stage they need to sign world class, established players.”
Tottenham do have a strict wage structure in place, and that makes it tough for them to attract the very best of players.
Moreover, many established players in the current Spurs team may want better salaries or move on.
While it is clear that Spurs are preparing for the future and has lofty ambitions, the fact is that professional footballers have a small period of time in which they can maximise their earning potential.
Tottenham are out of the running for the Premier League title this season, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side can certainly end up in the top four.
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