23 April 2023 , 10:48
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One amusing thing about Daniel Levy’s address to the Cambridge Union is how he speaks as though talking to a congregation who know very little about football or are in primary school, not one of the world’s most renowned academic institutions.
Another amusing thing is how Levy says Tottenham “has progressed enormously” over the two decades or so of his stewardship.
There is a brand new shiny stadium, for sure, and their average finishing position in the league during his 22-year reign is about 6.1 compared to about 8.8 in the equivalent period of time that preceded his arrival. But during that time, Spurs won three FA Cups, one League Cup and a UEFA Cup compared to the one League Cup won in the Levy era.
Progressed enormously? Well, I guess Beyonce is coming to that new shiny stadium, although some of us remember Chas ’n’ Dave doing a turn at the old White Hart Lane.
Depends on your definition of progress, I guess.
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“When we first came to Tottenham, winning was making sure we stayed in the Premier League,” said Levy, whose alma mater is Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.
That is not strictly true. In the eight full Premier League seasons before Levy took over, Spurs finished this number of places above the drop zone respectively - 12, 5, 13, 10, 8, 4, 7, 8.
Not earth-shatteringly good but hardly a consistent flirtation with disaster as Levy implies.
Daniel Levy made some bold claims (NurPhoto via Getty Images)His chat with the students was pleasantly upbeat but, it turns out, took place on March 14.
Since then, Levy has lost one of the world’s best managers and a director of football who is banned from football for two and a half years.
Antonio Conte and, eventually, Fabio Paratici have gone, and Spurs, since Levy’s university chat, have won just once - a hugely fortunate victory over Brighton.
However ‘enormously’ Levy believes Spurs have progressed, they are not progressing right now.
But at least they have got Harry Kane, and Levy, it seems, is hoping that there will be a statue of the England captain outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium one day.
Kane, not unusually, likes the individual accolades, so would not be averse to being immortalised in a hard substance but he would rather Levy come up with a plan to have Spurs competing for the trophies that are absent from the striker’s honours list.
Harry Kane has just over a year left on his Tottenham deal (Getty Images)Contract crunch time is coming for Kane, of course, and there will be no shortage of suitors if he decides that a new challenge is required.
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While it is hard to see Kane upping sticks from the Premier League, to be in the Allianz Arena the other night was to be reminded of what a great club Bayern Munich is.
And, of course, they are serial trophy winners. As you walk into the media centre, the honours board is as big as Tottenham’s pitch.
Not only that, the current Bayern could not be any more desperate for a goalscorer. They are waiting for a striking hero in Munich.
Almost certainly, it is not going to happen - there is barely a chance.
But as Levy seems to be steadfastly delusional about Tottenham’s progress, if Kane wants more than a statue and solo trinkets to gaze admiringly at, he will need to be somewhere other than where is now.