12 September 2023 , 12:29
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Ben Foster has opened up on the "bonkers" system at Tottenham that left players virtually unable to earn the bonus payments in their contracts.
Spurs are run by the notoriously hard-nosed negotiator Daniel Levy, who has been the Premier League club's chairman since 2001. Foster, a former England international, has now labelled Levy as a "brutal, ruthless" businessman after disclosing the bonus system he implemented.
The former keeper, who recently retired after a spell at Wrexham, got the information from Danny Rose, who he played alongside with the Three Lions and at Watford. Rose made more than 200 appearances for Spurs, and revealed the remarkable bonus structure.
According to Rose, the Tottenham players would only receive their bonus if they beat a top six side by two or more goals. Even a 1-0 win against the likes of Manchester City or Manchester United would not be enough.
"One of the lads, Danny Rose, was at Tottenham and Daniel Levy is so famously known for being tight and being an absolute businessman, brutal, ruthless businessman," Foster told The Fozcast.
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"Apparently, their bonus schedule, their bonus payments were almost impossible to achieve, almost impossible. To actually get paid a bonus, you would only get it for beating one of the big boys, one of the top six teams. So you're talking a Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool.
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Daniel Levy implemented a brutal bonus structure at Tottenham (ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images))"Apparently, I swear on my life, this is what he said to me, you've got to beat them by two clear goals as well. [1-0] it's not enough mate, you ain't getting that bonus. Winning games, they expect you to win games as Tottenham manager, at Tottenham apparently.
"To get the bonus you have to obliterate your opponent. You have to beat Man City 2-0, 3-0 to get that bonus payment which is bonkers. I was saying 'Rosey, there's no chance, that's impossible'. He was just saying 'I know Fozzy, I know'.
"He said there was one time they were winning 2-0 and in the last minute they conceded a goal and everyone was looking at each other thinking 'OK come on lads we've missed out on the bonus', and they've still won the big game."
Rose spent 14 years at Tottenham, though failed to win a trophy during his time with the club. They did reach two finals with the League Cup in 2015 and the Champions League in 2019.
The left-back earned more individual success, having been rated as one of the Premier League's best full-backs during the peak of his career. That earned him successive spots in the PFA Team of the Year between 2015 and 2017, though apparently did not result in a bonus from Spurs.