Former Premier League goalkeeper Brad Friedel has cited Newcastle United in a discussion about Daniel Levy’s Tottenham Hotspur departure.
The decision to move the 63-year-old out of his position as executive chairman came as a big surprise to many. Daniel Levy has been part of Tottenham Hotspur since 2001, so it was a huge decision to make for their owners.
Tottenham are hoping the change will bring them more wins, both on and off the pitch, and end a remarkable run from Levy, which saw them move into a new stadium, welcome lucrative new partnerships and win a European trophy.
In an interview last month, Levy was critical of PIF at Newcastle United for ‘pumping’ money into the club, whereas they had worked from the ground up to build their empire. While Levy is gone, former Spurs goalkeeper Brad Friedel has stated that he would have never made the one big decision Newcastle decided to make over the summer.
Brad Friedel says Daniel Levy would not have sold Alexander Isak
Alexander Isak’s transfer saga stole the headlines all summer, with the 25-year-old confirming his intentions to leave Newcastle in July.
Newcastle were insistent that Isak would not leave, but realised his position as star striker was untenable, and did not want to risk him going on strike for months. Liverpool signed Isak for £125m, a British record transfer fee.
With Newcastle doubling their money on the Sweden international, the sale has been deemed ‘transformative’ for their PSR position, allowing them to improve their starting XI in January and beyond.
However, Friedel suggests that Levy would not have allowed such a transfer saga to happen at Tottenham.
MORE NEWCASTLE STORIES
“It’s interesting. Every player knew that they didn’t have the power to get moves for instance,” he said on Sky Sports News.
“So, this Isak deal that we saw transpire over the transfer window, he would’ve stayed a Tottenham player.
“He wouldn’t have lost a negotiation like that. I was there for the two transfers of Luka Modric and Gareth Bale, two of the world’s greatest players.
“Daniel got maximum value, and if you notice, he never sold inside England. So you’re not playing against them unless they’re in the Champions League.”
Despite Levy’s comments, he still had some sense of admiration for what is happening on Tyneside. Tottenham wanted to appoint Eddie Howe as head coach following the sacking of Ange Postecoglou, with Toon fans branding the reports as ‘laughable’.
Friedel played for Newcastle in the 1990s under Kevin Keegan, but was unable to get a work permit to make a permanent move before signing for Liverpool in 1997.
Despite what he says and what others believe, Newcastle were right to sell Isak on deadline day. Although the transfer fee was less than what they were hoping for, it still represents significant profit for the club and gives them significant PSR headroom.
Additionally, Isak had completely lost the trust of the Newcastle fans, who were happy to see him go after everything that had gone on through the summer.
Two new strikers have been signed in Isak’s absence, so it is clear they are happy to move on with Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade.