Source: BBC Football
Sport InsightHow does Daniel Levy run Tottenham – and would he ever leave?Published14 February 20251087 CommentsImage source,Getty ImagesByLaura Scott,Sports News CorrespondentandNizaar Kinsella,BBC Sport football news reporterA popular chant among match-going Tottenham fans at the moment is: “I don’t care about Levy, he doesn’t care about me, all I care about is Kulusevski.”Prominent banners at the home defeat by Leicester last month read: “Our game is about glory, Levy’s game is about greed” and “24 years, 16 managers, 1 trophy – time for change”.A crisis of about 30 separate injuries and poor form has left manager Ange Postecoglou exposed, irritable, and under pressure, with his side 14th in the Premier League and out of both domestic cups.The debate about who or what is to blame for Spurs’ struggles is going round in circles. Alongside Manchester United’s failings and Manchester City’s decline, it has been one of the narratives of this season.Fan anger has again been aimed at chairman Daniel Levy – vocalised in persistent ‘Levy out’ calls from supporters both home and away.Club sources told BBC Sport the protests are “hurting” Levy, who attends almost every game and sits stoically through the criticism.Tottenham were one of the busiest clubs in the January transfer window, but that has not satisfied some fans who criticise a recruitment policy mainly focused on under-21 players with potential resale value, and who regularly accuse Levy of acting too slowly in the market and putting profits above success on the pitch.A ‘sit-down’ protest – led by a smaller supporter group called Change for Tottenham (CFT) – is planned against Levy before Sunday’s Premier League match against Manchester United.Last week, the main fan group – the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) – released five core principles they want to hold Levy to account on.Among those principles were demands to “commit to winning” with investment; “attract and retain talent” with competitive wages; “develop elite youth talent”; “lead with integrity” to be “financially sustainable” while “keeping tickets affordable”; and engage with fans.BBC Sport has spoken to several people on and off the record to try to understand the fuller picture of Levy’s Tottenham regime.Some of the key points made were:Levy will step aside when he feels it is right for Spurs and “every option is open” for different future ownership structuresHe is “hurt” by protests, “hurt” by results, and has opted to sit through the ‘Levy out’ chants rather than hide awayAn acceptance Spurs have not always spent well in the transfer market but belief that recent managers, including Postecoglou, have been backed financiallyClub leadership feel they have come closer to winning more than just the 2008 League Cup in the Enic/Levy era having reached 15 semi-finals and six finalsSources who have worked with Levy say he does not communicate well enough and suggest the executive team are too similar, hence occasional “own goa…
Published: 2025-02-14T13:30:55
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