Issue 29 - Levy Stands Down

The transfer window has slammed shut. The international break has landed. And already, the chaos of the season is spilling over into boardrooms, training grounds, and headline-makers across Europe. Welcome to issue 29. Go.

An Unexpected Shock

Did anyone have Daniel Levy standing down as Executive Chairman on their Thursday evening football bingo card? I certainly did not. A day that many felt would never home come around. A day that may be etched in Tottenham folklore.

If you are a Tottenham fan who is aged 25 or less, all you would have known is a Daniel Levy-led era in N17. Today must feel like the aftermath of when a dictator is finally removed from power.

Not to say that I am equating Levy to the likes of Saddam Hussein or Colonel Gaddafi but it does raise the question as to whether his decision to step down is one that creates a unifying force or a power vaccum within the club.

Because although many have demanded that Levy step down - a voice that has certainly got louder these last few months, they along with every Tottenham supporter move into the great unknown.

What is it the say about being careful what you wish for?

Then again, this change in leadership could mean that glory finally descends on the white half of North London. Every component is in place off the field. A stadium that is the envy of sports teams around the world, a world-class training ground to go along side it.

A financial behemoth thanks to Levy’s financial acumen but that same acumen has arguably been the reason why Tottenham have failed to mix it with Europe’s elite on a regular basis.

There have been fleeting moments of dalliance. The 2019 Champions League final as one example, the period of Premier League near misses under Mauricio Pochettino is quite easily another.

There is almost a sense that pre-2017 Tottenham were the perfect vehicle for this type of financial management. Slowly but surely going up the league ladder. Slowly but surely putting a dent in the glass ceiling above.

Breaking The Windscreen

However, that dent was never enough to shatter the structure above and whereas the journey out of the midpack was nothing short of exciting under the likes of Harry Redknapp, the frustration in not converting further progress into trophies was apparent.

Frustration that has reportedly also been felt within the boardroom just as much as outside it. The return of two trophies in the space of 17 years was always going to be hard to stomach for a club with unlimited financial resource.

Which also begs the question as to whether those unlimited financial resources somehow get even deeper in the next 12 months or so. Is this boardroom change the final hurdle before the decks are cleared for a big money takeover?

Next In Charge

Qatari-led? US-based with naming rights involved for the stadium? Amanda Staveley getting back into the football ring? The possibilities are endless, the rumour mill already working overdrive.

Especially as the timing of this news comes within the international break. Admittedly, such timing has to be viewed as rather clever when you consider that anytime beforehand would have seriously derailed the start to Tottenham’s season under a new manager.

Now though, a line can be drawn and a new era begins. Is this the true ignition spark that Tottenham fans have been yearning for? Personally, I hope it is. Worringly, you just never know with this club.

Was Levy the glue that we as Tottenham fans actually needed or is it finally time to rip of the band aid? Time will tell. Maybe not this season but certainly in the next three to five. The game is about glory. Are Spurs about to get a far larger share than before?

Transfer Window Analysis

The Premier League transfer window has now SLAMMED shut for the next few months and now that the dust has settled on deals up and down the country, it is time to try and make sense of the moves that happened (and also those that did not).

Therefore in a scattergun approach similar to Newcastle’s attacking recruitment policy over the course of the summer, I am going to give my take on the movers, shakers and history makers.

The Wicked Game

Liverpool finally get their man. Newcastle end up getting two. Alexander Isak’s protracted transfer saga concludes rather unsurprisingly on deadline day for £130m, the Reds treat themselves after a perfect start to the new Premier League season.

The move was rather acrimonious, the statement from Newcastle was as blunt as it could possibly be but as always the devil will be in the detail and as far as Alexander Isak is concerned, the detail will be in whether he can help Liverpool retain the league crown.

As to where he and Hugo Ekitike both play in a Liverpool starting eleven is well above my pay grade and as we have seen before two into one in attack simply does not go. Will Arne Slot be able to break the mould or has he purchased one player too many?

Little And Large

As for Newcastle, they have reshaped their attack with the capture of Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart and Yoan Wissa from Brentford. Wissa like Isak seemingly throwing his toys out of the pram in order to get a move. Woltemade looks like he is fresh out of Berghain.

A combination in size that the likes of Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe have perfected in the past. A combination that does not really fit around the way Eddie Howe likes to set up his Newcastle teams.

With that said, it does at least give Howe a different option where needed. Nothing wrong in getting in the mixer if needs be and especially if your focal point of just under two metres tall can engineer the knockdowns for his new teammate from Brentford.

The Bomb Squad

Or Raheem Sterling at Chelsea as it is otherwise known.

Me Or Him

Although Liverpool may have got their man, they could have picked up another and if you ever thought Igor Julio’s decision not to move from Brighton to Crystal Palace was going to create such a ripple effect, you are a smarter man or woman than I.

When the news of Julio’s switch broke early on Monday morning, it was something of an eyebrow raiser. Why would Crystal Palace want to deal with their most hated rival? Turns out it was a case of necessity than desire.

Parallel to all of this was Marc Guehi’s medical. Complete that as expected and he like Alexsander Isak would be linking up with the defending Premier League champions. This part of the bargain ticked off, Liverpool seemingly getting a bargain at £35m.

Then the hitch comes about. Suddenly Igor Julio - Brighton’s fifth choice centre back decides that maybe a move to South London is not the smartest decision. Put this way, he would never be welcomed back at The Amex.

Wait A Minute

His cold feet move mean that Guehi’s own move is in jeopardy but Steve Parish is still warm to the idea of selling the England international. Move still on? Not if Oliver Glasner has anything to say.

The Austrian reportedly fires off an ultimatum and if his captain is sold without a replacement coming in, he would call time on his tenure at Selhurst Park and leave the house of cards to collapse instead .

Liverpool supporters and pretty much anyone else watching transfer deadline day unfold on Sky Sports News glued to the TV as the wait for further developments. 7pm deadline passes but a deal sheet buys us all two more hours.

Unfortunately, that extra buffer is not enough as Palace cannot source reinforcements. Guehi stays for now. Glasner gets his way but there is no way Parish gets £35m for his main asset in January. Who would be a football club chairman?

Feeling The Pinch

Aston Villa fans glad that the international break has come around. Aston Villa fans maybe not too delighted with the transfer business that has been concluded in the past week (or maybe the lack thereof is a better description).

Yes, they may have kept hold of Emi Martinez for now but the loan arrivals of Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott have offered something of a mixed reception - admittedly more because of the former than the latter. The less said about Victor Lindelof the better.

In a BBC interview this week, defender Ezri Konsa has stated that Aston Villa have been killed by PSR. I think it just goes to show that spending money is the easy bit, being able to sustain that level of spend within the guidelines becomes far more difficult.

United’s New Hope

Senne Lammers is the latest man to take hold of the poisioned chalice that comes with being Manchester United goalkeeper. Surely, he has to be better than Andre Onana or Altay Bayandir. I mean, it’s not as if he can be any worse.

The Filter Five

Five reasons to break out the bunting this weekend.

Getting Rather Messi

Lionel Messi likely played his last international game on Argentinian soil as the defending World Cup champions eased to a 3-0 home win over Venezuela. The mercurial Messi scoring twice in a game that had more than a hint of farewell.

The former Barcelona icon has been rather coy on his future and whether he will even make it to North America in next summer’s World Cup party. Whatever his decision, he are really approaching the end of days for arguably the greatest player of all time.

Another World Record

The world record in women’s football has been broken for the third time in almost no time at all as the London City Lionesses have signed France international Grace Geyoro from Paris St-Germain.

The fee comes in at £1.4m and to give some further context when compared to the men’s game, the record was £1.7m in 1978 when Paolo Rossi switched from Juventus to Verona - that would be worth £13.8 in today’s money.

Shocks In Qualifiers

Newcastle supporters with either a couple of spare quid or a good VPN would have watched Slovakia play host to Germany on Thursday night in their opening 2026 World Cup qualifier. I don’t think anyone would have had a 2-0 home win on the cards.

Their four team group has been blown wide open as Northern Ireland made light work of Luxembourg within the same mini-league. This qualification process certainly seems cut-throat but this is also the by product of having 48 teams at the World Cup proper.

Please Watch This

I mentioned in the previous issue about a BBC Documentary called Football’s Financial Shame. I cannot recommend enough how much you should watch this.

You may think of former Premier League players as greedy, you may still do but this will definitely lift the lid on all of that and properly make you feel sick to the stomach by the time you have watched it.

Too Much Money

In what world would you see Yannick Carrasco and Josh Brownhill play in the same team? The Saudi Pro League world. The Burnley midfielder is set for a move to Al-Shabab. I am set for a move to my sofa for a lie down after this.

Admin

Right, that’s the end of issue 29 as word continues to spread around the football world.

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Issue 30 will be out on Tuesday September 9th

Thanks for reading

Dan