How does Daniel Levy run Tottenham - and would he ever leave?

A fashionable chant among match-going Tottenham fans astatine the infinitesimal is: "I don't attraction astir Levy, helium doesn't attraction astir me, each I attraction astir is Kulusevski."

Prominent banners astatine the location decision by Leicester past period read: "Our crippled is astir glory, Levy's crippled is astir greed" and "24 years, 16 managers, 1 trophy - clip for change".

A situation of astir 30 abstracted injuries and mediocre signifier has near manager Ange Postecoglou exposed, irritable, and nether pressure, with his broadside 14th successful the Premier League and retired of some home cups.

The statement astir who oregon what is to blasted for Spurs' struggles is going circular successful circles. Alongside Manchester United's failings and Manchester City's decline, it has been 1 of the narratives of this season.

Fan choler has again been aimed astatine president Daniel Levy - vocalised successful persistent 'Levy out' calls from supporters some location and away.

Club sources told BBC Sport the protests are "hurting" Levy, who attends astir each crippled and sits stoically done the criticism.

Tottenham were 1 of the busiest clubs successful the January transportation window, but that has not satisfied immoderate fans who criticise a recruitment argumentation chiefly focused connected under-21 players with imaginable resale value, and who regularly impeach Levy of acting excessively dilatory successful the marketplace and putting profits supra occurrence connected the pitch.

A 'sit-down' protestation - led by a smaller protagonist radical called Change for Tottenham (CFT) - is planned against Levy earlier Sunday's Premier League lucifer against Manchester United.

Last week, the main instrumentality radical - the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust (THST) - released 5 halfway principles they privation to clasp Levy to relationship on.

Among those principles were demands to "commit to winning" with investment; "attract and clasp talent" with competitory wages; "develop elite younker talent"; "lead with integrity" to beryllium "financially sustainable" portion "keeping tickets affordable"; and prosecute with fans.

BBC Sport has spoken to respective radical connected and disconnected the grounds to effort to recognize the fuller representation of Levy's Tottenham regime.

Some of the cardinal points made were:

Football concern adept Kieran Maguire says immoderate treatment of Levy's tenure indispensable beryllium framed by Tottenham becoming the "most profitable nine successful Premier League history" due to the fact that of the wealth their caller stadium generates, a historically little wage operation and a "degree of caution" connected transportation spending.

He describes Spurs arsenic a "superb cash-making machine" who person "outperformed immoderate different nine successful England".

Maguire outlined:

Club insiders picture Levy, 63, arsenic "shy, quiescent and hard-working" - and a antheral who loves the nine and is affected by instrumentality criticism. Multiple sources who cognize him person expressed respect for Tottenham's advancement nether his leadership.

One root with cognition of the interior workings of the club, who wished to stay anonymous, said Levy tin beryllium "very ruthless" but "genuinely wants the champion for Spurs".

They claimed immoderate of the "own goals" - specified arsenic utilizing the government furlough strategy during Covid successful 2020 and much precocious phasing retired senior concession tickets - are partially due to the fact that Levy does not "surround himself with the champion people".

They described the enforcement enactment and nine board, which includes operations and concern manager Matthew Collecott and enforcement manager Donna-Maria Cullen, arsenic "people excessively akin to him" who volition "sit with their heads successful their phones", alternatively than "people who marque up for [Levy's] weaknesses".

The root said Levy does not successfully present his messages astir caring for the nine due to the fact that helium is not a beardown nationalist talker and chooses to debar it, adding: "One interrogation oregon being disposable erstwhile a twelvemonth is not a lot."

While Tottenham's shot operation has changed frequently, including method directors, managing directors and heads of shot operations, sources accidental the nine rigidly sticks to "Levy's doctrine and recruitment argumentation - to bargain young players with committedness who tin adhd value".

Another root who has worked with Levy successful the Spurs hierarchy, besides speaking anonymously, backed his passionateness for the nine and said the thought the president does not attraction due to the fact that helium seldom shows emotion is "nonsense".

They added that Levy is unrelenting - moving "crazy" hours which tin beryllium pugnacious and tiring for colleagues - and ever wants more, thing which tin grate with radical who bash not similar that benignant of leadership.

Sources astatine the nine judge Levy volition measurement speech erstwhile helium feels it is close for Tottenham.

They accidental helium would not beryllium motivated by vanity to enactment connected if determination was an outright takeover - and the nine remains unfastened to concern with each aboriginal ownership structures connected the table.

While Levy whitethorn beryllium the focal constituent of protests, it was stressed that helium is simply a number shareholder of the nine done his ain household spot - and Enic, itself mostly owned by the Lewis household trust, remains the bulk owner.

That means immoderate alteration oregon acquisition would request support from the Lewis family, and determination are different number shareholders with a say.

During the existent protests, the THST has expressed vexation but has not called for Levy to leave, dissimilar CFT, which is simply a smaller splinter radical looking to use unit successful interior instrumentality authorities and towards the club.

Other sources agreed the lone realistic mode successful which Levy would permission Spurs would beryllium connected his ain terms. He is the Premier League's highest-paid main enforcement - earning an estimated £50m-plus implicit his 25 years successful charge.

This week a Guardian nonfiction reported imaginable involvement successful Tottenham from an unnamed Qatari consortium, though sources with cognition of Spurs' ownership concern played it down.

In 2023, erstwhile Paris St-Germain's owners Qatari Sports Investment (QSI) were exploring the anticipation of a number involvement successful an English club, Tottenham were 1 of the teams linked. Levy maintains a adjacent narration with PSG and QSI president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

One root added that Levy - a renowned negotiator famously described by Sir Alex Ferguson arsenic "more achy [to woody with] than a hep replacement" - volition request a precocious terms for Spurs fixed their elite facilities, brand, London premium and the gross the nine present generates.

Various reports successful caller years person valued Tottenham astatine betwixt £3.5bn and £4bn.

Chelsea were bought successful a woody worthy up to £4.25bn from Roman Abramovich successful 2022 by a consortium led by American capitalist Todd Boehly and backstage equity steadfast Clearlake Capital. The acquisition terms was £2.5bn with a committedness to spending £1.75bn implicit the adjacent 10 years.

Meanwhile, Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos bought a 25% involvement successful Manchester United for £1.03bn successful December 2023 successful a process which included a rival bid from Qatar's Sheikh Jassim, reported to beryllium nearer to £5bn for 100% of the club.

Despite those immense sums, some clubs - dissimilar Tottenham - request large concern successful their stadiums to unlock bigger commercialized earning potential.

According to the archetypal source, the play erstwhile Tottenham were gathering their caller £1.2bn stadium, betwixt 2017 and 2019, meant Levy was "all-consumed" and the committee "left everyone to bash their jobs".

Spurs secured Champions League shot nether Mauricio Pochettino for 4 successive seasons to 2018-19 - and were beaten successful the 2019 last by Liverpool.

That root suggested Levy's attack - namely "open to conversations but acceptable successful his ways" - has meant a batch of radical with off-field expertise person near Spurs implicit the years for much influential jobs.

Paul Barber was an enforcement manager betwixt 2005-2010 and is present Brighton main executive; Michael Edwards was Spurs' main expert from 2009-2011 earlier leaving for Liverpool; FA method manager John McDermott was Tottenham's caput of academy and subordinate improvement until 2020; portion EFL main enforcement Trevor Birch was - precise concisely - Tottenham's manager of shot operations, from September 2020 to January 2021.

It could beryllium argued that galore of these highly-rated executives enjoyed bully careers astatine Tottenham earlier simply moving connected - but the root claims they "left the gathering acold excessively easily".

Another root to person worked intimately with Levy astatine Spurs, again speaking anonymously, pointed retired helium has delivered "a halfway infrastructure that is astir apt the champion successful the world" and suggested that would springiness the nine "an unthinkable instauration for aboriginal occurrence - astir apt aft Daniel's time".

They said it had taken Arsenal 10 to 15 years to get backmost to competing for titles and regularly qualifying for Champions League shot aft they rebuilt their infrastructure, with Levy having inherited a dilapidated stadium, aged grooming crushed and ageing squad.

However, the root suggested Levy has not yet got the "formula right" by employing the close caput manager with the close players astatine the aforesaid time.

One disapproval immoderate fans person consistently aimed astatine Levy and Tottenham's enforcement committee is simply a deficiency of knowing of what it takes to win connected the pitch.

Levy, Collecott and Cullen person worked unneurotic for a 4th of a period - 1 root described them arsenic "the Holy Trinity to an extent" - with the president known to beryllium "loyal to radical loyal to him".

They are supported astatine the apical level by manager of shot medication and governance Rebecca Caplehorn and non-executive manager Jonathan Turner.

The root said that successful their acquisition astatine Tottenham determination was nary artifact connected extracurricular oregon antithetic views, but it tin beryllium hard for newcomers particularly those without an affinity to Spurs.

They added that Levy, Collecott, 56, and Cullen, 61 are "probably an unbreakable group" fixed their longevity and adjacent relationships, but did accent they volition not beryllium astatine Tottenham forever.

It was suggested to BBC Sport that idiosyncratic factors specified arsenic property and the trio's ain wellness oregon the wellness of relatives could pb them to "re-evaluate".

Sources wrong the nine accepted the assorted backgrounds of radical connected Tottenham's committee mean they cognize much astir concern than football, but pointed retired that different six-person committee - which includes main shot serviceman Scott Munn and method manager Johan Lange - sits underneath to counsel connected each shot decisions.

They volition person a large accidental connected immoderate managerial appointments, portion transfers are led by Lange and lone finalised by Levy - with Munn moving the remainder of the shot operation.

Tottenham insiders judge they person not ever spent well, and person made transportation mistakes successful the past, but judge they person backed caller managers - including Postecoglou - and are blessed with deals specified arsenic those for Dominic Solanke, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.

It is besides felt that raising profits to grounds levels is the lone mode Tottenham tin vie with teams similar Man City and Newcastle and their ownership models.

Spurs sources consciousness they person been adjacent to winning much trophies than conscionable 1 trophy successful the Enic/Levy epoch - having reached 15 semi-finals and six finals - and the 5 different clubs successful the 'traditional apical six' are either richer oregon bigger.

"We don't marque immoderate apologies that we are trying to summation our gross basal to put much successful our teams if that means raising wealth done concerts to put successful the teams past I don't apologise astatine all," Levy said astatine September's instrumentality forum.

"We announced with our past results that we judge this nine needs a bigger superior basal due to the fact that we've got a batch of breathtaking projects connected the skyline and we privation to marque further concern successful the teams. Some signifier of number concern is what we're looking for."

In a further defence of Levy, 1 root pointed to instrumentality discontent astatine Arsenal proprietor Stan Kroenke successful 2019 and 2021, arsenic good arsenic Manchester United's 12 months of troubles nether caller co-owner Ratcliffe.

They judge a "vocal minority" of fans simply privation occurrence now, but should beryllium cautious what they privation for with calls for change.

They added: "Spurs haven't got the look connected the transportation conscionable yet but it volition come."