The financial boost from the Lewis family came at a time when Tottenham are fighting for a top five finish this season, and have suffered only three Premier League defeats in 11 matches under new boss Thomas Frank, a considerable improvement from where they were under Ange Postecoglou last season. While £100m might not stretch far in today’s highly inflated football economy, many are calling it "the beginning, not the end" of a new financial drive at Spurs. Behind the money is a new face of Tottenham power, Vivienne Lewis, daughter of the late billionaire patriarch Joe Lewis. Alongside her brother Charles and son-in-law Nick Beucher, Vivienne has taken personal charge of the family’s football jewel, regularly attending matches and meetings to steer the club’s new direction.
Since ousting long-serving chairman Daniel Levy in September, the Lewis family has tightened its grip, rebuffing three separate consortium offers from Saudi, Chinese, and American investors. A source close to the family had earlier told The Daily Mail, "This is initial additional funding. As the club's management decides what's needed to deliver success, more money will be available. The Lewis family is committed to backing the club to be successful."
Speaking on the new club owners, Frank told reporters: "They [the Lewis family] definitely said they are all in for the club, that they want to be here for the long term and they want to have success. That’s, of course, a little bit big headlines. We’ll see what happens in the future, but I’m confident they will back us to do everything we can to build a successful club.
"I’m very good at talking up here [to the media], but it’s about showing it out there on the pitch consistently and after setbacks. The same with them. In the best positive way, that’s what we need to do together."
Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!
Addressing the club's plan for the January transfer window and whether they would spend the entire £100m on one player, Frank added: "In the next 50 years? Then yes! It’s very evident that every successful club, not for one year. Over five, six, seven years, to build, you need a combination of time and processes. Then, of course, investment. If you want success in football, you need to invest in players. Hopefully, do it cleverly and we want to do it smart, so we don’t invest too much on the wrong players. But you need to invest... £100m? I don’t know. Let’s see. I don’t think we are close to spending £100m, put it that way. But I don’t know, let’s see what happens in the future.
"So you need to be good at developing the players, which I believe we are and we will be very good at. But then you also need to invest in the right potential of a player. He could be 22, or 26. Declan Rice is a good example. How old was he when he joined Arsenal? 24? That’s important. Nobody achieves the top without investing."