Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has come in for some intense criticism this week over his recent transfer dealings after a leading football agent revealed his thoughts to Football Insider.
What’s been said?
Late on Tuesday evening, the club announced the departure of Victor Wanyama on a free transfer and even though they are offloading around £65k in wages, the midfielder is still only 28-years-old and could have maybe commanded a fee.
While Christian Eriksen left north London in January in a £16.9m move to Inter Milan – a fraction of the price Spurs were asking for last season.
This agent believes greed has got the better of Levy, resulting in him taking a hit on his reputation as a shrewd negotiator and also in him losing his Midas touch.
Speaking to Football Insider, the anonymous representative said:
“Take the Christian Eriksen and Victor Wanyama deals, Tottenham lost out big time. Levy was asking for £130-£140million for Eriksen at the end of last season when he had a year left on his contract. It was pie-in-the-sky stuff.
“They refused to cut the price until later in the window, by which time they realised he was not quite as in demand as they hoped.
“In the end, they had a disinterested player who went through the motions before they had no choice but to sell him in January? For, what? £16million. That’s nothing. They could and should have got £70-80million for him last summer when he wanted to go.
“Levy’s lost his Midas touch. Is he getting too greedy? Has he taken his eye off the ball with the stadium?
“You look at the [Kieran] Trippier deal. What was it, £20m? That’s nothing for an England international at his peak age. [Vincent] Janssen was sold at a huge loss when they should have let him go a year or two earlier.
The Danny Rose situation doesn’t appear to have been handled too well, either. He’s another one they could end up getting nothing for.”
Anonymous agent to Football Insider.
Club cost
Many of the players that the agent mentions were indeed on their way out of Spurs in some form, but he’s also correct in claiming that they never made the most out of it.
Had Eriksen been sold for circa £70m last season, the money could have been used to firstly find his replacement but also spent bolstering their backline – where Jan Vertonghen looks likely to be the next out – and finding a suitable backup to Harry Kane – a decision that is surely rued in north London.
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He also questions the sale of Vincent Janssen, Kieran Trippier and Danny Rose, which has put Levy’s decision-making under the microscope.
Is he really doing what is best for the club? Is he fulfilling his duty as chairman of Spurs?
N17 could be without Champions League football next season as Jose Mourinho’s sit five points from the playoffs and have it all to do in Germany if they are to overcome an away goal to RB Leipzig.
Money talks: How much did Levy pay for each of these Spurs stars?
The knock-on effect is a lack of funds and willingness from players to join a club that isn’t competing on the elite stage – all of which is the ultimate consequence on how Levy has gone about his business over the past few years.
And in other news, Spurs fans have been rating the season of this player…
