OPINION
As the walls close in on Tottenham with the latest in a series of fiascos surrounding the new stadium following a fallow transfer window, the question is worth asking. Has Daniel Levy lost his magic touch?
The chairman and all-powerful transfer and contract negotiator who has appeared one step ahead of his peers in boardrooms across the Premier League and Europe has seen his reputation take a major hit in recent times.
Nine months after Levy personally confirmed at Spurs fans forum the new stadium would be “100 per cent ready” for this season, yet another setback means the club are forced to take cover at Wembley for at least two more months.
Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy have personally confirmed at tonight’s Tottenham Hotspur fans forum the new ‘Spurs Stadium’ is 100% ready for the start of next season. #COYS#THFC pic.twitter.com/aDPpl5nMx3
— Ricky Sacks ???? (@RickSpur) December 11, 2017
This comes four days after the closure of a transfer window in which Tottenham became the first Premier League club since it came into operation in 2003 to not buy a single player.
But the blunders of Levy and his board do not end there.
The chairman’s attempt to soften the rising costs of the new stadium by securing a £20million-a-year naming rights partner are still yet to result in a breakthrough.
As reported by the Daily Mail in March, Levy hired sponsorship specialists TRM to find a blue-chip partner, but sacked them and decided to take personal control of the search.
Five months later, it is yet another deal that the long-standing chairman, who also operates as a de facto chief executive, has failed to finalise.
Is Levy taking his reputation as a tough negotiator too much to heart?
Is he unwilling to budge on his valuation assessments and find any middle ground, whether it comes to transfer or commercial deals?
Tottenham fans who only care about where their team are in the league table might argue the garden is rosy in north London following the opening-day 2-1 win at Newcastle United.
But Spurs’ short and medium-term ambitions must be questioned, as must a series of wretched behind-the-scenes moves.