'It's one of those' - Daniel Levy dropped major hint he would leave Tottenham on August 4

Daniel Levy dropped a hint that he would be leaving Tottenham weeks before announcing he would be stepping down after 25 years at the helm. It was confirmed on Friday that Levy would be leaving his role after playing a central role in Spurs becoming one of the Premier League and European heavyweights.

Levy was criticised for his lack of big spending at times, but when all is said and done, he will surely go down as someone Tottenham fans appreciate given the impressive work he has done, particularly commercially, growing the club’s image, spending responsibly to put the club in a superb position, and also building a new world-class stadium.

Conforming his departure, Levy said: “I am incredibly proud of the work I have done together with the executive team and all our employees. We have built this club into a global heavyweight competing at the highest level. More than that, we have built a community. I was lucky enough to work with some of the greatest people in this sport, from the team at Lilywhite House and Hotspur Way to all the players and managers over the years.

“I wish to thank all the fans that have supported me over the years. It hasn’t always been an easy journey but significant progress has been made. I will continue to support this club passionately.”

Peter Charrington, Non-Executive Chairman, said: “I am very honoured to become Non-Executive Chairman of this extraordinary Club and, on behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Daniel and his family for their commitment and loyalty to the Club over so many years. This is a new era of leadership for the club, on and off the pitch. I do recognise there has been a lot of change in recent months as we put in place new foundations for the future. We are now fully focused on stability and empowering our talented people across the Club, led by Vinai and his executive team.”

Levy’s departure took many by surprise, but the now former Spurs chief seemed to drop a big hint during his interview with The Overlap, which went live on August 4. “It’s one of those situations when I’m not here I’m sure I’ll get the credit,” Levy told Gary Neville when speaking about his work and the new stadium,

“This stadium is a symbol of ­Tottenham Hotspur on the global map. It’s fantastic for the local ­community – the employment we’re creating because of this stadium. 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.”

During that interview, Levy also spoke about the appointment of Thomas Frank. He said: “Whenever you appoint a coach, you always believe it’s right. You need a lot of ­ingredients for it to be right. Thomas is a highly intelligent individual, a ­fantastic way about him in terms of communication. He will be great at ­developing young players and older players and making them better. He gets the style of football we want to play. We haven’t said to him: ‘You’ve got to win the league this year.’ We just want to compete at the highest level.”

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