Daniel Levy was a loyal custodian of Spurs who knew his job was to protect the club

When Daniel Levy took over as Tottenham’s chair in 2001 I was introduced to him by Alan Sugar and promised that, as director of football, I would help him get his feet under the table as quickly as possible. The club he leaves behind almost 25 years later is one many players from around the world would love to be part of.

Daniel very swiftly understood the difficulties of running a big football organisation with so much emotion attached. He had to parry a great deal of hurtful and at times unfair criticism but he remained a sensible custodian and a workaholic who was astute and principled.

His presence at the training ground was noted and even when players were on international duty he was often there working in his office. During the period of building the new stadium Daniel and his fellow directors had many meetings on Sundays with the contractors at White Hart Lane.

Daniel’s legacy is that magnificent stadium and an unrivalled training ground. He got the finances required at an interest rate the club could cope with and dealt with the delays caused by issues involving the local council.

It was difficult at the same time for Spurs to raise funds to afford the exorbitant wages paid to players and the enormous transfer fees. But Daniel recognised you have to run a club in a sustainable way according to its resources and that it’s very difficult to compete with the mega-money at certain clubs.

One of his first decisions was to appoint Glenn Hoddle as manager and there has been a big turnover of coaches. Daniel took counsel from several people before settling on his choices. Some coaches came with great CVs – consider Antonio Conte and José Mourinho – and some were lesser names such as Juande Ramos, Nuno Espírito Santo and Jacques Santini, but it was never easy to achieve success. Winning the Europa League could be a big transitional moment for Spurs. It will be fascinating to see how a new era develops.

Importantly, I have never known Daniel interfere with the business of the manager. I worked there as the director of football, had two spells as caretaker manager and spent 14 years as a scouting consultant and never has he interfered with selection or tactics. I’ve had chairmen who would ask: ‘Why is so-and-so not playing this week?’ But Daniel was never like that.

Although Daniel had a reputation as a tough negotiator, he was no more tough than any other chairmen I have come across. He always tried to get the best deal for the club, and if a transfer was recommended and possible he did his utmost to secure it. People forget there are many facets in a transfer, including dealing with agents. Sir Alex Ferguson famously said Daniel was “more painful to deal with than a hip replacement” but let’s not forget Manchester United took Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Carrick. Daniel was a loyal and hard-working custodian of Spurs, a genuine supporter who knew his job was to protect the club.

Many supporters regard winning as the only thing that matters but, generally speaking, the fan on the street doesn’t understand the intricacies of running a club. It is so difficult and that is amplified when so much revolves around emotion. Fans always wants more and more but it is not as easy as that.

Sensibly, Daniel didn’t make too many public statements, unlike some football executives over the years. He was sensitive but like all chairmen he has needed a thick skin. No one likes being in the public glare when results are not positive.

I found Daniel to be approachable but it wasn’t like you would have a thousand conversations a day with him. You speak to your chairman when there is something they really need to be aware of. Bear in mind the complexities of running a club with so many departments, from IT, programmes, catering, accounts, medical, ground staff, security, in-house television and commercial to the football itself. Dealing with supporters’ groups queries also takes time. It’s almost impossible to keep a close eye on so many areas. Daniel recognised how hard it was to micromanage but he was always there, whatever was required.

He leaves the top executive role with Spurs recognised as one of the Premier League’s best-run clubs and benefiting from increased exposure. Whatever Daniel’s critics say, he worked very hard to do his best at all times.

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