Tottenham adds psychologist

Tottenham Hotspur are seeking a club psychologist for the men’s first team, as the team fights to avoid relegation in the final month of the season. (telegraph.co.uk) The move was reported on April 22 by Telegraph football correspondent Matt Law, who wrote that Spurs are advertising for a specialist to help “mentally drained” players. Law said the search follows a run in which Tottenham have not won a league match in 2026. (telegraph.co.uk) Law reported that head coach Roberto De Zerbi has already identified confidence and mentality as issues, and that Brighton’s stoppage-time equaliser last weekend left players on the pitch in visible distress. Tottenham’s next league match is away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, April 25. (telegraph.co.uk) (tottenhamhotspur.com) The hire fits a wider shift in elite football, where clubs increasingly treat psychology as part of performance staff rather than an emergency measure. Tottenham are already recruiting a lead sport psychologist for the women’s first team, with duties that include support under pressure, injury rehabilitation and mental health. (uksport.gov.uk) That job posting says the women’s psychologist would work with coaches, medics, nutritionists, analysts and player liaison staff, and would provide both individual and small-group interventions. It also says the role is meant to help players “thrive under pressure” and support return-to-play after injury. (uksport.gov.uk) The timing also tracks a broader argument from players’ unions that football’s calendar is stretching recovery beyond safe limits. In its 2024 annual workload report, FIFPRO said the modern schedule is producing “physical and mental fatigue” that is “now dangerous.” (fifpro.org) That report compiled player complaints from across the game, including Jude Bellingham saying players are “mentally and physically” exhausted and Rodri saying 80 matches in a season are “not possible.” The union said its monitoring covered 1,500 men’s players across 100 leagues. (fifpro.org) (footballbenchmark.com) Tottenham have not publicly announced the men’s appointment on their official site, and the Premier League’s club directory does not list a first-team psychologist among current senior staff. If the role is filled, it would formalize a support function many clubs now see as part of basic player care as much as match preparation. (premierleague.com) (tottenhamhotspur.com)