Daniel Levy insisted he has not been given the credit he deserves as the Tottenham chairman delved into a wide range of topics in a rare interview.
Levy arrived at Tottenham in 2000 after being part of a failed attempt to purchase the club two years earlier.
The 63-year-old went on to succeed Lord Sugar as chairman and took over day-to-day running of operations the following year and has since become the Premier League’s longest-serving chairman.
In his quarter century at the helm Levy has presided over a period of significant change for Tottenham.
In 2017 the club waved goodbye to the historic White Hart Lane ground that it had called its home for more than a century.
In its place, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a modern 62,000 venue has become a hub for both sport and entertainment.
Reflecting on the move Levy insisted the club’s new home is his crowning achievement.
‘The construction of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is my greatest achievement, and I’m not doing it again,’ Levy told Gary Neville on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet.
‘This stadium is a symbol of Tottenham Hotspur on the global map. I think it’s fantastic for the local community – the employment that we’re creating because of this stadium.
‘We’re very conscious that we want this area to improve economically and the activity that this stadium brings is very significant for locals.’
Levy added that he feels his impact and achievements in north London will only be fairly judged once he is no longer at the helm.
‘I think it’s one of those situations – when I’m not here I’m sure I’ll get the credit,’ he claimed.
‘When you come here and look at this wonderful building [Tottenham Hotspur 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.’
Under Ange Postecoglou last season Spurs endured a dismal domestic campaign punctuated by a severe injury crisis.
However, despite often being forced to deploy players out of position the club fared significantly better on the continent.
In May, Postecoglou led Spurs to their first silverware in more than 15 years as they defeated Manchester United in the Europa League final courtesy of a first half goal from Brennan Johnson.
Just 16 days later Postecoglou was sacked on the second anniversary of his employment, and replaced by long-time Brentford boss Thomas Frank.
Speaking on Postecoglou’s sacking Levy insisted it had been a ‘collective decision’ made by the board of directors.
‘Ultimately, the decision sits with me, but it’s always a collective decision,’ Levy revealed.
‘We have a board of directors, but under the board, we have a group of technical staff, and they advise.’
The 63-year-old added that the club couldn’t let sentimentality get in the way of making the correct decision.
He continued: ‘We had to explain the decision to part ways with Ange.
‘Ange just won us a trophy – a European trophy – highly significant and he’s always going to be in our history.
‘However, we couldn’t lose sight of the fact that we finished 17th in the league, we lost 22 Premier League games, and it’s impossible for Tottenham to be in that position, and so we had to take the emotion out of it and we had to give some data points as to why we decided to do what we did.
‘Whichever level you do it, no one likes telling somebody, “You’re losing your job”, but it is the nature of football. We’re there to win and yes, we won a European trophy – and it was fantastic – but we also need to win on all fronts – and the Premier League says it all.’
Asked whether he feels he is ‘too involved’ in football matters Levy hit back at his critics and reiterated that decisions are made as a collective.
‘I would say that is completely unfair,’ he added.
‘People that have worked in this club and understand the workings of the football side, I do not interfere at all in the decision making of this player vs that player.
‘It is always the coach, always the technical staff – the only thing I get involved in is when they decide which player they want to buy for instance or which player they want to sell; I will go out and do my very best for this football club. I’m not interfering in the football decisions.
‘It’s no different from any other club – it’s not just me – it’s a board. When we went through the decision to appoint Thomas [Frank], there were several people involved in that decision – I was just one of them.’
