This opinion piece isn’t an attack on Daniel Levy, nor am I massively Levy or ENIC Out. However, there is a time and a cycle of life where things do take their natural closure, and I think we have reached that point when it comes to Levy and, more importantly, ENIC’s relationship with Tottenham Hotspur.
We must understand that Levy/ENIC won’t sell until their price is met. That valuation being £4-6 billion, which would be over the estimates both Statista and Forbes have given. I recommend checking out the Forbes piece, which provides a good breakdown of the club’s revenue.
On the other hand, it would be a good time for Levy to think of the bigger picture because (I know many fans won’t like to hear this) Daniel’s off-the-field legacy would be cemented if sold to the right owner.
That new owner would have only two main worries: the day-to-day operational costs and putting aside funds to sign players to push for titles and silverware.
The 62-year-old has done some wonderful things they wouldn’t need to worry about. They include the training ground, the stadium, brand deals, and other revenue streams, such as concerts and the building of a hotel.
However, there is still more money to be made from the possibility of the fifth Champions League spot and the stadium naming rights.
I know the naming rights have been a stick with which to beat the ownership. Still, they’ve been clever with making the club the brand because everytime the stadium is used for the Premier League, NFL International games and big concerts, the club’s name is broadcast around the world, making it more known.
The stadium rights will either be the final act of this current stewardship or be the top job to sort out for a new ownership, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the deal would come with a shirt sponsorship.
Similar to Arsenal’s deal with Emirates, who got a 15-year deal plus a 7-year shirt sponsorship for the undervalued steal of an estimated £100 million.
It’s safe to assume that, unless you’re newly promoted to the Premier League team or a big Championship side, no big side would accept that sort of deal in today’s landscape, especially since the RFU and Allianz signed a 10-year agreement for the naming rights of Twickenham for £100 million.
Sticking with Allianz for a moment, they would be the top target for a stadium/shirt partnership. This is because the Munich-based financial services firm is worth 116.12 billion euros, and due to their ties with Bayern Munich, it’s a well-known brand that doesn’t have a foot in the Premier League.
The one issue would be the naming rights because there are multiple worldwide and might be confusing for marketing reasons. So for that reason, it could be called the long-winded name of Allianz Stadium Tottenham Hotspur. Regardless, fans won’t give a shit, they’ll either call it the Allianz, Spurs or White Hart Lane.
Furthermore, the company’s logo would look better than AIA, nothing against the Asian insurance company, and I have never had an issue with it being red. I think it would just look more pleasing to the eye.
We do have an issue with this line of stadium/shirt sponsorship thinking because AIA’s £320 million deal doesn’t end until 2027, and this could genuinely be the main reason why Levy and co haven’t done anything.
I wouldn’t be shocked that the year before the deal expires, the club will announce a stadium/shirt partnership with whatever company for £500 million for 12 years, making it £41.7 million a year.
So, who would be leading this new ownership? Many fans, solely because of money, would want it to be a state, but the most likely will be an American with an NFL team because then Tottenham will be their UK home for the International games and make money for both teams.
When looking at the wealthiest owners lists, you’re looking from fourth up. For entirely selfish reasons, I’d hope Seattle Seahawks owner Jody Allen would make a strong bid to ENIC.
The selfish reason would be because the Seahawks have been my NFL team for years (before they won the Super Bowl), and I would love to see them return to the UK to play in North London.
It might be a good ownership fit from a non-selfish viewpoint because the Seahawks are seemingly well-run. Jody Allen has followed in her brother’s footsteps, mainly by being hands-off and letting the general manager and head coach handle everything.
That was proven with Pete Carroll being at the club for 14 seasons, and that patience was rewarded with the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship. They don’t have any issues being risky, as Seattle went from the oldest head coach to the youngest in Mike Macdonald this season.
That would prove positive for Ange Postecoglou, who at the beginning would be given a free reign to do what he must to make Tottenham successful.
Elsewhere, within a new ownership, they will want to do things their way to be successful. I can see an American, especially American football, owners wanting to change the structure of the club and do something different.
To do that, I would first sack Scott Mann because while I’m sure he’s doing a top job behind the scenes, many fans don’t know what he does for a job.
So, instead of a chairman and chief football officer, they’d smash those two jobs together, creating a General Manager. While general managers are very, very rare, they exist in football, but they’re not the same thing in American football.
Tottenham’s GM would be similar to an NFL GM in this case. The role would include building the team, hiring the head coach, giving the green light to signings, handling contracts, and the new thing for the UK press, which would be communicating with the media and will require attending press conferences.
This would be separate from the head coaches’ press conferences, as the GM would speak about both the men’s and women’s sides.
If the ownership change were happening between now and six months/a year, the ideal target would be Dan Ashworth.
He was there for the beginning of Brighton being the club they are today, transforming England and had a decent beginning at Newcastle before wasting his time at Manchester United.
Below the GM would be two technical directors, one for the men’s (be it Johan Lange or Fabio Paratici) and the other for the women’s team.
Finally, this will anger people, but Levy will still have a role at the club.
His business and contacts would be invaluable for the new ownership, but to sweeten the blow a little, his role wouldn’t be official; he would be more of a non-executive director. So he’d be on the board but not an employee of the club and has no responsibilities. Instead, be completely independent to help achieve the club’s off-the-field goals.
So these are my thoughts on situation of Daniel Levy and the possibility of new ownership.
The Bear Cave 