Gary Lineker shares conversation with Daniel Levy ally after Tottenham exit – ‘I know someone…’
Tottenham continued their strong start to the season when they beat West Ham on Saturday in their first match since Daniel Levy’s departure.
Lucas Bergvall was among the standouts as Spurs beat West Ham 3-0 at the London Stadium, with Micky van de Ven and Pape Sarr also getting on the scoresheet.
It had looked to be a close affair before the opening 10 minutes of the second half saw Sarr give Thomas Frank’s side the lead, before Tomas Soucek was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Joao Palhinha.
Xavi Simons impressed on his Tottenham debut, with the 22-year-old bagging an assist for the game’s opening goal.
Mohammed Kudus shared a touching moment with the West Ham staff following the game, despite the hostile reception he received from the home fans.
Gary Lineker gives insight on bombshell Daniel Levy announcement
The football world was rocked when Tottenham announced that Levy would depart from his role as executive chairman.
The days since have brought huge speculation over the ownership of the North London club, but CEO Vinai Venkatesham has since confirmed that the club is not for sale.
Levy, a hugely controversial figure at times, held his position as Chairman of Tottenham for over 24 years.
The businessman had become an enemy of the fans after often failing to properly back the club’s head coaches in the transfer window.
| Most expensive Tottenham signings under Daniel Levy | Fee |
| Dominic Solanke | £65m |
| Tanguy Ndombele | £63m |
| Richarlison | £60m |
| Mohammed Kudus | £55m |
| Xavi Simons | £52m |
But Levy would say that his thoughts were always with the club’s financial health in mind, with the 63-year-old overseeing the move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019.
Such was the surprise surrounding the announcement, Gary Lineker suggested that even Levy himself was unaware of what was coming in the days leading up to the news.
“I know someone that knows Daniel reasonably well and was chatting with him the day before,” Lineker told The Rest is Football podcast on Monday.
“And I don’t think he had any idea that was coming. He doesn’t believe so (that Levy saw the news coming).
“So it was a bit of a turn-up. Obviously they waited until the transfer window had closed, so time for a change.”
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Daniel Levy situation suggests movement behind scenes at Tottenham
Levy’s departure seemed to shock everyone in the footballing world, with the Executive Chairman holding such a pivotal role at Tottenham for so many years.
Suggestions have been made that the decision could be due to pressure from fans, or the embarrassment the club faced on several transfer sagas over the transfer window, but the real reason could go further than that.
Venkatesham appears to be gaining more power at the North London club, and it could be guessed that the former Arsenal man had a direct hand in Levy’s departure.
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