Tottenham's non-executive chairman Peter Charrington has promised a "genuine break" from the way the club has operated in recent years, admitting football success had not driven their decisions.

Spurs narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League on the final day of the season, with a nervy 1-0 win over Everton enough to keep them up at West Ham's expense.

While the Hammers' 14-year stay in the top flight is over, Spurs have finished as low as 17th in back-to-back top-tier campaigns for the first time since a run of three between 1912-13 and 1914-15 (17th, 17th, 20th).

And in an open letter to supporters published on Monday, Charrington insisted Spurs will not make the same mistakes moving forward, having been roundly criticised for their recruitment in recent campaigns. 

"Last September, we recognised that something seismic had to change at Spurs. The Lewis family stepped in and authorised a full reset," Charrington wrote. 

"That decision was not taken lightly, and it came later than it should have. But what has been put in motion is real, and it marks a genuine break from what had come before.

"As part of that process, we discovered some uncomfortable truths. The qualities that make Spurs distinct, our football, our ambition, the connection between the team and its supporters, had been allowed to fade. 

"Football success had not been driving our decisions. We did not have the right expertise in key roles. We did not build squads good enough to compete in the most demanding league in the world. 

"Two 17th-place finishes in a row is not acceptable, and we will not dress it up as anything other than falling well short of what this club expects."

Roberto De Zerbi signed a five-year contract when he took the reins in the midst of Spurs' relegation battle, and midfielder James Maddison believes the Italian is undoubtedly the right man to take them forward.

"He's so passionate," Maddison said of De Zerbi. "He's been living at the training ground with the guys, with his team. He's there at 9pm with all his staff. 

"They've got the tactics board up, there's six of them, they're just talking. It's 9pm and we've already had four or five meetings on each game. He's just obsessed with football.

"You feel the authenticity of someone who is passionate for Tottenham, because I am. I love this club and I want this club to be successful so badly.

"Without that appointment, disaster could have maybe struck, but it didn't and he takes a lot of credit for that because of the work he's done behind the scenes and on the training pitch. I'm excited under this manager."

De Zerbi oversaw three wins, two draws and two defeats in his seven Premier League matches at the helm in 2025-26, with his 43% win rate being significantly higher than Tottenham managed under either Thomas Frank (27%) or Igor Tudor (0%).

De Zerbi's Spurs scored fewer goals per game than Frank's team (1.14 to 1.38) but also conceded fewer (1 to 1.42), with Tudor's side averaging 0.8 goals for and 2.6 conceded per match.