A source told The Telegraph: “There has been no explanation from the club or acknowledgement of the domestic performance concerns from the club. Instead, their messaging was focused on the Europa League, which is not the tier of competition global sponsors expect from a so-called ‘elite club’.”
The growing disillusionment from home fans which has led to empty seats and a toxic atmosphere at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on matchdays is also cited as a factor, with a source saying: “Who wants to be associated with a club that is disliked by its own fans and nobody wants to entertain clients in a stadium that is not full and where people are angry? That is the reality.”
It is a concerning reality for sponsors when their branding is displayed inside a stadium which is half-empty and not happy, with Tottenham sponsors reportedly believing that declining attendance figures and fan satisfaction are impacting the perceived value of their sponsorship deals.
Furthermore, Spurs have shown that they lag behind their ‘big six’ rivals in terms of pulling power for high-profile transfers, with the likes of Arsenal hijack Eberechi Eze, Morgan Gibbs-White and Antoine Semenyo all snubbing the north London outfit in the last two transfer windows. The exit of Daniel Levy is also seen as a negative by sponsors, who felt greatly respected by the former chairman and have on occasion been left strikingly out of the loop by the new leadership structure.