Daniel Levy departure: Joe Lewis family launches new Tottenham era seeking 'more wins, more often'

Decision came as a shock as ENIC looks to put sporting success first

End: Daniel Levy

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Matt Verri

1 minute ago

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A bombshell statement has launched a new era at Tottenham.

It has been a summer where the club have had their transfer business played out in frustratingly public fashion, the failed pursuits of Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze detailed every step of the way.

This, though, was news nobody saw coming. The revelation that Daniel Levy's time as chairman of the club is over after almost 25 years.

While there was huge respect towards the work Levy has done at Spurs and what has been achieved, particularly off the pitch, it was felt among the family of Joe Lewis that the time was right for a change.

Generations of the Lewis family support this special football club, and they want what the fans want – more wins more often

Source close to the Lewis family

Levy's departure as chairman will move the club more towards an orthodox structure, rather than one centred around a single figure.

Moves in that direction have already taken place at Spurs this year and Levy's exit can be viewed as the final piece of the puzzle.

Vinai Venkatesham was appointed chief executive in April and he will take on the primary responsibility of the day-to-day running of the club.

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Peter Charrington, director of ENIC, joined the Spurs board as a non-executive director in March but has now been appointed non-executive Chairman, a newly created role.

A source close to the Lewis family told Standard Sport: “Generations of the Lewis family support this special football club, and they want what the fans want – more wins more often.

“This is why you have seen recent changes, new leadership and a fresh approach. In Vinai, Thomas [Frank, manager] and Peter Charrington, they believe they are backing the right team to deliver on this. This is a new era.”

Vinai Venkatesham (l) will take over the day-to-day running of the club

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There are currently no changes to the ownership or shareholder structure, so Levy retains a link with the club through his shares.

Levy's departure will give rise to speculation that the club is being prepared for a potential sale, though sources insist the Lewis family are committed to the future of the club and delivering success on the pitch.

Large sections of the Spurs fanbase will celebrate Levy's departure, having grown frustrated with his leadership.

The club's leadership structure has felt far too distant, which Venkatesham is believed to be keen on changing.

In June, soon after Venkatesham’s appointment, the new CEO and Levy sat for a joint interview with the club’s media. Weeks later, Levy sat down with Gary Neville for Sky Sports’ The Overlap podcast. While not hugely enlightening content, it marked a significant departure for the previously camera-shy Levy.

Daniel Levy and the Joe Lewis family have regularly been the subject of protests

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More than 1,000 supporters attended a protest against Levy and the club's ownership before a fixture against Manchester United last season. That has continued into this season, though numbers have been significantly smaller at those marches.

Within a minute of the Premier League match away to Manchester City last month, days after Arsenal had hijacked a talks for Eze, the away support broke into chants of 'we want Levy out'.

With time, there will be elements of Levy's tenure that should be viewed as a real success. He has overseen the move into a new stadium, one of the most impressive in Europe, and the building of a state-of-the-art training ground which is also considered among the best in the world. In an era of PSR and financial concerns, Spurs are well-run and in fine health.

Put simply, though, there has not been enough success on the pitch, with the Europa League ending a 17-year wait for silverware.

Tottenham’s stadium was opened in 2019

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Spurs have also regularly frustrated in the transfer window. After reaching the Champions League final in 2019, the club signed only Tanguy Ndombele and Ryan Sessegnon and failed to kick on. A familiar theme of failing to get deals over the line for top targets has continued this summer and Levy has been front and centre of that.

Since Mauricio Pochettino left, Spurs have lurched between managers and playing styles with little in the way of joined-up thinking.

The hope for Spurs is that a new board structure and a fresh approach will spark a more stable, successful era.

It could also prove a positive for Thomas Frank, who despite a largely impressive start to life in charge, has already had to contend with questions about fan unrest and the club's transfer failings.

In the short term, the end of Levy's time as chairman will lift the mood in the stands and allow the focus to be on Frank and his players.

However, should these changes not bring more success, the long-term lightning rod is no longer there to catch the heat.

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