Former Tottenham boss Daniel Levy played a huge role in blocking the former Spurs star’s dream move to Chelsea, and the player candidly admitted it.
Tottenham with problems in N17 after Daniel Levy
It has been three months since the Lewis family decided to force him to step down as chairman of the Lilywhites after a checkered 25-year term.
Although Levy rarely left the headlines, he attracted a lot of criticism, especially towards the end of his term, when fans flocked to protest both him and ENIC’s management of the club.
His departure marks the end of the longest-serving chairman in Premier League history, a tenure defined by extraordinary infrastructure but marred by disastrous near-misses.
His business acumen has turned Tottenham into a financial powerhouse, culminating in the opening of the £1.2bn Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2019, revolutionizing the club’s commercial capabilities.
The most profitable club in world football — 2025 | value |
|---|---|
real madrid | 1.2 billion pounds |
man city | £727 million |
P.S.G. | 700 million pounds |
man united | £668 million |
bayern munich | £664m |
FC Barcelona | £659.5m |
arsenal | £621.5m |
liverpool | £620m |
tottenham hotspur | £533m |
chelsea | £474m |
via deloitte money league | |
Under his management, Spurs have competed in Europe for 18 of the past 20 seasons, establishing themselves among England’s elite despite chronically under-investing in talent compared to their rivals.
Although the club’s net spending in Mauricio Pochettino’s first four years was just £29m, Tottenham infamously became the first Premier League team to end the summer season without making a single signing in 2018.
His cautious approach to transfers became Levy’s hallmark, and his lack of trophy success led to intense criticism.
Tottenham reached the Champions League final under Pochettino in 2019, but the Argentine was sacked four months later despite Spurs’ persistent transfer budget restrictions.
Levy’s final season as manager was a very turbulent one, with manager Ange Postecoglou being sacked just after the club achieved Europa League glory. Fans were fed up with the constant turmoil of a manager without a meaningful silver medal, despite Levy’s long list of appointments including back-to-back winners Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
Tottenham could prove ‘attractive’ for the manager, who Levy had been urged to hire ahead of Frank
He is on the verge of leaving his current club.
Levy’s departure triggered a major reorganization, with former Arsenal CEO Vinay Venkatesham taking over, and Postecoglou being replaced by Thomas Frank.
Peter Charrington replaced Levy in the newly created role of non-executive chairman, but was far less involved, with co-sporting directors Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange forming the new management team.
Despite his unpopularity with much of the fan base, Levy undoubtedly left a mark on Spurs that will be remembered for decades to come.
Former Tottenham favorite Luka Modric has revealed how his former president blocked his move to London rivals Chelsea.
Luka Modric reveals Daniel Levy blocked Tottenham from moving to Chelsea
Talk about champion failures Via ESPN, the current AC Milan midfielder was said to have been keen to join the West Londoners, but Levy told him there was “no chance” that Modric would be allowed to leave.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have said publicly that I wanted to leave,” Modric said.
“Still, I did very well at Tottenham. They were very hard on me and president Daniel Levy made it very clear in the first meeting that there was no chance they would let me go. After that, I carried on as if nothing had happened. I knew it would be complicated. Both clubs are in London and have a rivalry.”
“I wanted to go even though I knew it would be very difficult.”
Shortly after, the Croatian legend admitted that it was for the best in the end after enjoying a fantastic season at Tottenham.
“In the end, that didn’t happen and I kept playing. It was probably one of my best seasons,” he continued.
“We finished fourth, but Chelsea won the Champions League that year.
“I had a phenomenal season, and then a year later I got an even better opportunity, and in the end it went even better. Maybe if I had joined Chelsea I would not have gone to Real Madrid.”
Modric is now the most decorated player in his country’s history following a glittering career at Real, with Levy eventually giving him the green light to leave the Bernabéu for £30m in 2012.
Incredibly still playing at an elite level, the 40-year-old has made over 150 appearances and scored 17 goals for Spurs, making him one of the best signings of Levy’s tenure for just £16.5 million from Dinamo Zagreb.
