Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy says he expects followers to understand his legacy solely as soon as he’s stepped away from the membership.
Levy has held the reins at Spurs since 2001 and has incessantly been a divisive determine amongst supporters.
While the membership has seen main infrastructure developments throughout his tenure – most notably the development of the £1 billion state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – followers have voiced frustration over the shortage of trophies and the lack to capitalise on robust seasons reminiscent of their Premier League title pushes in 2016 and 2017, or the memorable run to the 2019 Champions League closing.
Last season encapsulated a lot of that pressure. Despite a disappointing Seventeenth-place league end – the membership’s lowest within the Premier League period – Spurs managed to finish their lengthy silverware drought by defeating Manchester United within the Europa League closing.
However, that success wasn’t sufficient to quell criticism. Then-manager Ange Postecoglou, who was dismissed simply days after lifting the trophy in Bilbao, averted a lot of the blame for Spurs’ home collapse.
Instead, followers directed their anger at Levy, holding him accountable for the membership’s perceived stagnation.
Speaking to Gary Neville on The Overlap, Levy addressed that criticism.
“I think it’s one of those situations [in which] when I’m not here I’m sure I’ll get the credit,” he mentioned.
“When you come here and look at this wonderful [stadium], and the fact that other clubs are now trying to copy what we’re doing, that should be a sign that maybe we did do something bold, and something right.”
Opened in 2019 on the positioning of the previous White Hart Lane, the 60,000-seater venue has shortly established itself as one in all Europe’s premier stadiums.
It hosts NFL video games, main live shows, and different occasions, serving to elevate Tottenham’s world profile.
Still, that off-pitch progress has not been mirrored by constant on-field achievement.
“Nothing has changed in terms of our ambition,” Levy insisted. “Having gained the Europa League – thanks to Ange – you get a style of it, but it surely’s not sufficient. It’s by no means been sufficient.
“We’ve been in 16 or 17 semi-finals, seven finals, and we haven’t gained sufficient.
“We know we need to use that as a springboard to keep winning. We’ve won two trophies in the last 20-plus years. We’ve been so close, so many times.”
Pressed on why Spurs have struggled to translate potential into constant success, Levy supplied a candid admission.
“I can’t really answer [why], because I’m not the one that picks the team, motivates the team.”
Another New Era
Looking forward, Levy is inserting his religion in new head coach Thomas Frank, who joined from Brentford following Postecoglou’s departure.
Frank will lead Spurs into the 2025-26 Premier League marketing campaign along with his first aggressive match set for August 16 at dwelling to Burnley.
He will accomplish that with out membership icon Heung-Min Soh, who’s leaving after a decade of service. The South Korean ahead obtained a heartfelt farewell in Sunday’s pre-season match towards Newcastle in Seoul.
As Spurs enter a brand new chapter, Levy referred to as for endurance and life like expectations.
“He gets the style of football we want to play,” Levy mentioned of Frank. “He understands that Rome wasn’t in-built a day. We haven’t set him, ‘You’ve obtained to win the league this 12 months.’ We simply wish to compete on the highest degree.
“We will support him to the best of our ability. If you look at transfer fees, we’ve been in the top four spenders since the stadium opened, we’ve spent close to £700 million net on new players.”
