Daniel Levy's behind the scenes behaviour that left a mark on Tottenham signing

Jermain Defoe has admitted it was difficult watching Tottenham supporters protest against Daniel Levy, who showed such kindness to him and his family.

The outgoing Spurs chairman announced his departure on Thursday. Levy guided the north London outfit into a fresh chapter, leading the transition from their former White Hart Lane home to the cutting-edge Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He initially joined the board in 2000 before being appointed to the position he now leaves in 2001.

Defoe was brought in by Levy's Spurs in 2004 and subsequently made 363 appearances for the club across two separate periods, netting 143 goals before eventually returning as under-18s coach and club ambassador in 2022.

Speaking earlier this year, he revealed his perspective on Levy and his respect for how the 63-year-old handled him throughout his playing career.

"Do you know what, obviously with me, Daniel signed me from West Ham and I played for the club for nine years," Defoe began, speaking to the Mirror courtesy of bet365's new Sub On Play On product.

"Every time I've come across Daniel, he's been nice. He's always really been nice to my mum and my family - and my family means a lot to me."

Levy remained a divisive character amongst Tottenham fans throughout his nearly 25-year tenure in N17, with him and the club's leadership frequently becoming the target of supporter-led demonstrations.

Defoe, whilst recognising the reasons why some supporters felt frustrated by how Levy and Co managed the club, confessed he found such criticism tough to stomach, given his personal relationship with the departing chairman.

"I do get what the fans say, but the chairman can only do so much. I think his vision was, 'I want this club to be the best in class,'" added Defoe. "So that means the best training ground - we've got that.

"Some of the best coaches in terms of academy coaches. I was part of that for two years, some amazing coaches there, good people. The infrastructure, you know, having a stadium that everyone's proud of.

"Then he got to a point where he thought, 'You know what, okay, [Mauricio] Pochettino's gone and that, again, best in class, let's go and get Jose Mourinho.' It didn't happen. The next best one, Antonio Conte. So no one can really say that he's not tried.

"It was difficult witnessing all the demonstrations and that kind of thing. Because I simply thought to myself, 'I wonder what Daniel is thinking.'

"Just that human side. He was probably sitting there with his wife, I think sometimes his dad comes [to games], and I just sat there and I thought, 'I wonder how he's feeling.'

"Listen, no one's perfect. So even though people were frustrated at the recruitment, all that sort of stuff, 'I've given you the best stadium, the best training ground.' So everything's there, the foundations are there. The club is stable."

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