Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has said that he feels he receives ‘unfair criticism’ of his role and achievements at the club. Levy joined as Chairman in 2001 and has overseen the building of a World Class training facility and Stadium. Yet, in that time, only one League Cup trophy has been won, and some point to his over prudence when it comes to transfers as the reason for just the one trophy.
Levy Feels Criticism Is Unfair
Unfair Criticism or Justified?
The comments come from Levy in the ‘All or Nothing’ docuseries that begins airing on Amazon Prime video from Monday 31st August 2020 which sees the Spurs man talk about how hard it is to run a successful football club.
Levy has picked up a reputation for being a very tough negotiator, but the Spurs chairman disputes that notion, saying in the series;
”I think the perception of me is that I’m hard nosed, stubborn, don’t care and am not ambitious. I think a lot of that isn’t fair.”
The new stadium shows signs of ambitions with a retracting pitch to allow for not only football, but also for concerts and NFL. The revenue this will bring into the club, the 8th richest, should put Spurs in a position to attract top players. Yet, for two transfer windows, the club signed no one at all, and in the current window have only brought in Pierre-Emile Hojberg from Southampton and Joe Hart on a free from Burnley.
Incredibly Ambitious
While some fans point to the lack of signings as demonstrating Levy’s lack of ambition for the club, the chairman hotly rejects that view;
”I certainly think I’m incredibly ambitious to improve the team. They just don’t understand how hard it is to get to that place.”
Nearly twenty years on and that one trophy is still an issue for fans who want to see silverware at the club. Regular top four finishes and Champions League football, the upcoming season aside, have been highlights of Levy’s tenure, but, ultimately, there are no prizes to show for that progress.
What Next?
Daniel Levy will always be a controversial character. Some love what he has done for the club financially – Tottenham were in financial strife when he joined – whilst others will see the lack of tangible success on the pitch as failure.
Daniel Levy is notoriously shy but in the documentary, we see him being candid and passionate about the business and the football club.
There can be no question that he has achieved great things during his tenure, but, the next step has to be success on the pitch. Without that, Levy will be judged as the man who took the club forward but not far enough.
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