Former Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy made a few high-profile mistakes during his near-25-year reign, with Spurs now tipped to try and rectify one of them.
Tottenham ushering in new era after Daniel Levy exit
Since Levy’s departure, which left high-ranking football executives “stunned”, the Lilywhites have made a few major announcements as the Lewis family attempt to usher in a new era at N17.
Peter Charrington has stepped in as the club’s new non-executive chairman, with ex-Arsenal chief and CEO Vinai Venkatesham now taking a more prominent role in the day-to-day running of Spurs alongside members of the Lewis family.
Earlier this month, the north Londoners made a serious statement of intent — announcing a £100 million injection of fresh capital via ENIC after rejecting three separate takeover approaches from ex-Newcastle United shareholder Amanda Staveley’s PCP International Finance Limited, a consortium through Firehawk Holdings Limited and American tech entrepreneur Brooklyn Earick.
Soon afterward, Tottenham also confirmed the return of transfer chief Fabio Paratici, who will work alongside Johan Lange in a co-sporting director role.
Paratici will essentially be the ‘dealmaker’, responsible for getting high-profile signings over the line, while Lange is tasked with overseeing their data-driven recruitment strategy and scouting (Sky Sports).
The announcements are coming thick and fast on a regular basis, with Spurs also confirming the imminent arrival of Dan Lewindon as the club’s new Performance Director — once he serves a notice period after departing the City Group.
This major reshuffle of the board follows a long Levy era which attracted very mixed reviews.
While the 63-year-old oversaw Tottenham’s move to their brand-new, state-of-the-art stadium — helping to transform them into one of world football’s highest revenue-generating clubs — Spurs’ lack of major silverware and reputation for frugal spending were a key theme of the complaints surrounding Levy’s tenure.
Real Madrid
£1.2 billion
Man City
£727 million
PSG
£700 million
Man United
£668 million
Bayern Munich
£664 million
FC Barcelona
£659.5 million
Arsenal
£621.5 million
Liverpool
£620 million
Tottenham Hotspur
£533 million
Chelsea
£474 million
via Deloitte Money League
While Levy played a key role in recruiting Tottenham icons like Gareth Bale, Rafael van der Vaart, Luka Modrić, Christian Eriksen, Moussa Dembélé, he also brought in the likes of Roberto Soldado, Vincent Janssen and more as some of their worst signings of the last two decades.
As the seasons go on, his punt on Argentine striker Alejo Veliz looks like a major miss as well.
Alejo Veliz expected to never play for Tottenham again
Levy bought the forward from Rosario Central for around £13 million just over two years ago, in a quick-fire double deal with Micky van de Ven, but while the latter has gone on to become a revelation, the same cannot be said for Veliz.
The 22-year-old has made just eight appearances for Tottenham, scoring his first and only goal against Brighton in the Premier League in 2023.
He’s since been sent out on loan to Sevilla, Espanyol and back to Rosario, with pundit John Wenham convinced that Veliz will never play for Spurs again after a series of underwhelming spells abroad.
“I don’t see him ever featuring for Tottenham,” Wenham told Tottenham News.
“I’d say it’s a lot of money, but we spent a similar fee on Pape Matar Sarr. There was a similar fee on Lucas Bergvall, and look what he’s worth now. We paid even less for Luka Vuskovic.
“So you take some gambles, and they’re not all going to be a success. It doesn’t mean your recruitment is horrendous because you spent £13million on Veliz.”
The South American, who scored 24 goals in 75 senior appearances for Rosario before joining Spurs, now finds himself at a crossroads despite previously being tipped for greatness in north London.
Veliz, praised for his “incredible” ability in the air, was also called an “exciting” player to watch out for by Spanish football experts.
“He has a certain something that means that occasionally he’ll try things and you’re like ‘no’, I think he could be a 16 or 17 goal [striker] this season,” said Graham Hunter in 2024.
“Which is a big ask, I know I might be wrong, but what I see in him are the special elements about judgement, about movement, about being able to hold players off.
“Raw, raw as a farm boy – partially because he is a country boy, but they have an exciting footballer.”
Now, with Tottenham reportedly in the market for a new striker, the likelihood of Veliz coming good is becoming increasingly slim.
