Levy has 'sack clause' inserted in Nuno's Tottenham contract if target not met

Tottenham have an escape route in place in case their season goes badly with a secret clause reportedly inserted in new boss Nuno Espirito Santo's contract.

Tottenham started the season well, winning their first three games to put themselves top of the table.

But they then slumped to successive 3-0 losses in the league, topped off by a 3-1 loss to rivals Arsenal in the North London derby.

Pressure was on heading into the weekend clash with Aston Villa, but Spurs managed to earn all three points to mark the start of a possible turnaround.

Yet questions still remain over the capabilities of boss Nuno, who is already under threat of the axe just months into his tenure.

Nuno has come under growing pressure as Spurs have struggled to perform ( Image:

REUTERS)

Key players have underperformed but criticism has been levied at Nuno's side for their lack of a gameplan and poor tactics.

Nuno's appointment marked the culmination of a lengthy and embarrassing recruitment process that saw a number of managers linked with the role one after the other.

The former-Wolves boss was far from Spurs' first-choice, and The Athletic report that Tottenham co-owner Daniel Levy got him to sign a deal that heavily favoured the club.

The report claims that the agreement with the Portuguese boss includes an escape clause for Spurs if the season does not go as planned.

If Nuno fails to deliver a top-six finish, then Tottenham would be able to sack the 47-year-old halfway through his two-year deal without having to pay him any compensation.

So for Nuno, either Spurs get European football or the club will likely re-enter the managerial market for a new boss.

Compensating sacked managers can be a problem, and is believed to be one reason struggling Barcelonaare hesitant to let Ronald Koeman go.

Tottenham have already let Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho go in the last two years, though there were reports a similar clause was inserted into the latter's contract to avoid a hefty pay-off.

That might explain why Mourinho was sacked so abruptly in the week leading up to the Carabao Cup final last season, but will also serve as a warning to Nuno that he might not even see out the current campaign.

The existence of the clause highlights how eager Nuno was to take the job, and the compromise he was prepared to make to land a gig at a top six club.

In the game against Villa, Spurs pulled ahead after 27 minutes thanks to a well-placed finish by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg.

Where will Spurs finish in the table this season? Have your say below.

Son Heung-min was the stand-out player for Spurs in their clash with Aston Villa ( Image:

Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

Villa equalised through Ollie Watkins, who got his first goal of the season ahead of being recalled by Gareth Southgate for England in the next international break.

However, it took only four minutes for Tottenham to respond.

A swift counter-attack, led by Son Heung-min, ended up being shovelled into his own net by Villa left-back Matt Targett.

Son starred for Spurs, assisting both goals and helping prevent them recording four consecutive league defeats for the first time since November 2004.

Emerson Royal also impressed after a rocky start to life at White Hart Lane.

Spurs secured a needed win in which they looked the better side, and Nuno was able to leave the pitch to a round of applause.

Harry Kane continues his poor start to the Premier League having failed to score in six league games.

After endless rumours of a possible switch to Manchester City never materialised, Kane has, as yet, struggled to rediscover his goalscoring form of last season.