Finance

ENIC 'in it for the long-term' as ex-Tottenham CEO Claude Littner shares his takeover thoughts

ENIC are committed to Tottenham Hotspur for the long-term despite the club's crisis.

In a damning indictment of the ownership, Spurs are teetering on the brink of relegation from the Premier League and have tasked new head coach Roberto De Zerbi with securing safety.

But the situation off the pitch appears to be just as perilous, with the latest financial accounts revealing a sharp rise in debt, despite total revenue and extra income increasing.

Daniel Levy's shock ousting last summer led to fresh speculation that the Lewis family would look to sell up, but they look determined to cling on.

All that is certain is that ENIC have had financial issues since taking control of the club.

Claude Littner speaks out on ENIC plans

Since arriving in 2001, the owners have presided over a shambolic handling of the coffers.

Money, when it has been splashed, has too often been thrown at poorly chosen targets, all while bigwigs have bagged exorbitant bonuses, and it only seems to be getting worse.

Premier LeagueClub value
Manchester United£4.9bn
Liverpool£4bn
Manchester City£3.9bn
Arsenal£2.5bn
Tottenham£2.4bn
Valuations according to Forbes in May 2025

Tottenham have been predicted to suffer a loss of around £250million should they drop into the Championship. This would be crippling for ENIC, but they're still going nowhere.

That is the opinion of former club CEO Claude Littner, who worked closely with Lord Sugar during the 1990s before resigning from the position in 2001.

Alongside a prayer emoji, Littner wrote on X: I believe they [ENIC] are in for the long term. Just my view, but pray they really invest in top quality players."

If proven correct, this would be the worst-case scenario for supporters who have long lambasted the Lewis family's running of the club - and rightly so.

Could ENIC change their minds and sell up?

At present, ENIC are holding firm despite the vocal criticism from the stands.

Their latest misstep saw them leave the decision over Igor Tudor's future to CEO Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange, washing their hands of the situation.

Now, they are reportedly plotting a wide-sweeping dressing room overhaul for the summer, tangible proof that they have no plans to surrender their majority stake.

This is despite past interest from Brooklyn Earick's US-based consortium, who were open to making a £4.5billion offer. The world-record approach was rebuffed in October.

It truly appears, then, that Spurs are rigidly sticking to the status quo.