Why Levy Is Crucial To Spurs Success

Like it or not, Daniel Levy, who has been the chairman of Spurs since 2001, is crucial to the club’s future and success. Much criticism is often directed his way, but the shrewd businessman is one of the most respected figures in the game. He has recently just been appointed to the European Club Association board.

This summer proved to be a prime example of why Levy will always do what he feels is in Spurs’ best interests, as he knocked back multiple approaches and bids from Manchester City for talisman Harry Kane. And, that’s precisely his modus operandi. People may not always agree, but Spurs and business will always come first for the 59-year-old.

A lot of negativity surrounding Levy, who was named CEO of the Year at the 2017 Football Business Awards, is based on Spurs’ transfer dealings and the lack of net spend over the years. While other clubs appeared to accelerate their growth by spending money, Spurs held back, which led to former managers such as Mauricio Pochettino becoming disillusioned with the club’s direction.

However, Levy approved the arrival of Fabio Paratici this summer, and he’s already allowed the Italian to get to work on rejigging the squad for new head coach Nuno Espirito Santo. As a result, eight players left the club permanently in the transfer window, and five arrived, although Pape Sarr returned to Metz on loan for the rest of the campaign. But Levy delegated, and Spurs spent some serious cash.

On the business side, Levy’s big project has been the new stadium. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is already proving to be a hit with Spurs fans and visiting supporters. And, it impresses away from football too. For example, Anthony Joshua will make a mandatory title defence in N17 against Oleksandr Usyk imminently, and the NFL will return to North London next month.

It’s all revenue for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, and it’s fantastic PR too. It means that the Spurs model will become more sustainable, giving Levy the ability to loosen the purse strings and allow for more significant wages to be paid and money for transfer fees. And this ultimately means they will become competitive as one of the top sides in the Premier League again.

At the time of writing, Levy is still on the hunt for a buyer of the naming rights to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a project he has been working on for a while. There were suggestions a deal was close in the summer, but so far, nothing has materialized in terms of an agreement getting the approval it needs.

Nike and Amazon have both been linked since the stadium opened, and it would make sense for investors owning shares in sports companies to receive an approach, as they could capitalize on the potential to push their brand in the same space. Whatever the outcome, selling the naming rights would be huge for Spurs and another massive indication that chairman Levy is the man to guide the club to success eventually.