Daniel Levy Deserves Some Credit for Spurs’ Success
At times, it’s almost difficult to imagine that Daniel Levy has played a huge role in helping Spurs get to where they are today, but not giving him some credit is foolish.
It’s easy to look at Spurs’ performance this season and hail praise first and foremost to Mauricio Pochettino, and to an extent his coaching staff, and then finally to the players themselves.
But rarely would a chairman be given credit for helping his club reach the amount of success that Spurs have gotten during the 2015-16 season. Perhaps that should change this year.
Related Story: Ranking the Top 30 Transfers in the Daniel Levy Era
It’s not that Daniel Levy has always been terrible at his job. But he has made some unfortunate mistakes over the years. Big mistakes that have doomed his club in certain seasons whether it’s sacking managers or selling his best players.
This time around, perhaps the 54-year-old chairman of Tottenham Hotspur has found the perfect formula to help set Spurs up for the foreseeable future. Daniel Levy has let people handle the daily football operations while he’s busy working on the brand new stadium.
Now, the most logical reason to shower praise for Levy is of course the hiring of Mauricio Pochettino following the sacking of Tim Sherwood two years ago.
But at the same time, this wouldn’t have happened if Daniel Levy didn’t take André Villas-Boas words to heart when he first inquired about Mauricio Pochettino when the Argentine took up the managerial job at Southampton before hiring him as Spurs’ coach ahead of the 2014-15 season.
“Very good coach. Very good appointment.” said Villas-Boas after Pochettino was named as the Saints’ new manager on January 18, 2013 (quotes via the Telegraph).
Even now, Mauricio Pochettino continues to impress another former Spurs manager, this time it’s Tim Sherwood who had plenty to say of the Argentinian.
“For me, Tottenham have got it right on and off the pitch and I think Daniel Levy has to take an awful lot of credit,” said Tim Sherwood.
“It has taken time but he has given the manager time to build the squad. He has got a recruitment guy in Paul Mitchell who recruits players for the manager – not for the football club, but for the manager. He has got a blend of youth and experience.”
“Pochettino is telling them (the young players) the right things and they want to learn and improve themselves and they know that at a club like Tottenham they are going to get an opportunity. The manager is picking them not on reputation or price tag but on merit and what they do every single day in training, which is very intense.”
One thing to take note of is what Sherwood said regarding Paul Mitchell being the recruitment guy who recruits players for the manager and not for the team.
More from Hotspur HQ
- Storybook ending after difficult period for Tottenahm’s Richarlison
- Tottenham comeback showcased invaluable intangible Ange has cultivated
- Tottenham player ratings in 2-1 comeback win over Sheffield United
- Tottenham projected starting 11 for Sheffield United
- Tottenham’s Richarlison says he’s going to seek psychological help
While Daniel Levy appointed Mauricio Pochettino as the manager, Levy could have continued to have a director of football (like Franco Baldini) work alongside Pochettino.
And if that was the case, things would have been vastly different now. Instead, he chose to work with his new manager and let him hire his own people while overseeing the plans for a new stadium.
Out was Franco Baldini, in was Paul Mitchell, head of recruitment who joined Pochettino from Southampton.
Then there’s John McDermott, the team’s head of coaching and development in the youth academy who was already there prior to the Argentine’s arrival but was given a bigger role recently.
And finally Daniel Levy hired Rebecca Caplehorn (formerly of Queens Park Rangers) to be the director of football operations.
All of these moves, plus the building of Spurs brand new training facility and eventually their new stadium wouldn’t have been done without the help of Levy.
Daniel Levy has received his fair share of criticism which were well deserved on some instances but the ratio for criticism and praise is a 2:1 ratio of more negativity than positivity.
It’s easy to understand some fans’ frustrations regarding the past four transfer windows with Pochettino at the helm and certain targets or players who could have helped Spurs get better, but weren’t signed.
Next: Will Spurs' Vertonghen and N'Jie Return When Healthy?
But it should be admirable that Daniel Levy with the help of Mauricio Pochettino, Paul Mitchell, and John McDermott hasn’t gone out of his way to continue throwing money away like other clubs just to get immediate results.
Spurs and Leicester City have shown this season that minimal spending — using money when needed — and bringing in someone, or some players, who can come into the club and help out when called upon is the best course of action to take.
And for that, coupled with the aforementioned moves that Daniel Levy has made at manager position, the training facility and new stadium, deserves plenty of praise for steering Spurs in the right direction with a bright future of potential silverware up for grabs.