Former Tottenham Hotspur winger Andros Townsend has claimed that the club’s medical department has “not been strong enough” over the past 15 years. His comments come after manager James Maddison called for a full investigation into Tottenham’s alarming injury record.
The midfielder was sidelined for much of the season after injuring his anterior cruciate ligament during pre-season.
He returned as a substitute in the final games of the season as Spurs narrowly decided on the final day to remain in the Premier League. They maintained their place in the top flight with a 1-0 victory over Everton at the expense of West Ham in a tense final game.
Maddison was not the only player to suffer injuries throughout the season, with six key players missing from the squad for the game against the Toffees.
“People try to say, ‘Oh, but we have this and that.’ But what we have is astronomical, and we need to think about why it is so.”
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, Townsend reflected on his time at Spurs and gave his candid thoughts.
“I left Spurs in 2015 and 11 years ago too. For the last 15 years, the medical department hasn’t been strong enough,” he said.
Asked if it was quality of care, expertise or staffing that was lacking, Mr Townsend said: “Everything you just said.”
When Joe Hart was asked what makes a good department, he answered: “Knowledge, protocol.
“As you said, a lot of players go out looking for a second opinion, but when over and over again the second opinion from a specialist is completely different to what the medical department is saying, it raises questions about the quality at your club.”
He later added: “I have spoken to medical staff many times, both inside and outside of football, and it is not their fault. The budget, they have not been allocated a budget to build a first-class medical department.”
“You’re signing players for £50, £60, £70 million and you’re not giving the budget to the people tasked with looking after them.
“So you’re spending all that money, for example Dominic Solanke, Spurs spent £60 million on him and he spent most of the season injured, because you’re not spending part of the budget on the medical team to help someone like Dominic Solanke. I think that’s the biggest problem.
“Everywhere I’ve been, the biggest problem is that clubs don’t give their medical departments a budget commensurate with the value of the players they sign.”
