The best Tottenham Hotspur lineup of the last 24 years as the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Jermaine Defoe and Moussa Dembele all miss out
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On Thursday 4 September 2025, it was confirmed that long-standing Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy had stood down from his position after a 24-year-association with the football club.
Levy joined Tottenham mid-way through the 2000/01 season when he replaced Alan Sugar as chief decision maker. At the time George Graham was still the club’s manager, but just a month into Levy’s time with the Lillywhites, he dismissed the former Arsenal boss from his position and replaced him with Glen Hoddle.
Since then a total of 17 managers have been hired and fired under Levy, with the club winning two major trophies - the League Cup in 2008 and the Europa League earlier this year. The Lillywhites, who failed to finish in the top six throughout Sugar’s 10-year-stint at the club, regularly qualified for European competitions during Levy’s tenure and even reached the final of the Champions League in 2019. They were also beaten finalists in the League Cup on five separate occasions with the most recent coming in 2021.
Throughout Levy’s time with the club plenty has changed from the training ground to the stadium and a whole generation of footballers and managers have come and gone. But what is the best combined Tottenham XI of Levy’s 24 years with the club? And who was his best managerial appointment?
Goalkeeper and defence
GK: Hugo Lloris: 145-time French international Hugo Lloris is by some distance Tottenham’s best goalkeeper of the Premier League era. The former Lyon man spent 12 years in North London and captained the club for nine of those. He racked up 447 appearances across all competitions, keeping 151 clean sheets and was consistently one of the top shot-stoppers in the division.
RB: Kyle Walker: Kyle Walker is widely considered one of the best right-backs of the Premier League era and it was his time at Tottenham which first made him a household name. The 96-time England international joined the club from Sheffield United in 2009 and eventually became a regular for the club, racking up 229 appearances while making the PFA Team of the Season on two occasions while also being named Young Player of the Season in 2012.
CB: Jan Vertonghen: Tottenham Hotspur beat Arsenal to the signature of Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen in one of the great signings of the Andre Villas Boas era. The versatile defender was a rock throughout his time in North London, making 315 appearances and making the PFA Team of the Season on two occasions.
CB: Toby Alderwield: Toby Alderwield joined Tottenham from Southampton in 2015 and would enjoy an impressive six-year-association with the club. The Belgian formed an excellent partnership with Vertonghen which saw the club hold the record for having the best defensive record in both of their first two seasons together. Alderwield also made the PFA Team of the Season on one occasion during his time with the capital club.
LB: Danny Rose: At the peak of his powers, Danny Rose was considered to be one of the best left-backs in the Premier League and the clear first choice for England at international level. The Doncaster-born defender arrived from Leeds United for just £1m and went on to spend 14 successful seasons with the club, making 214 appearances across all competitions and making the PFA Team of the Season on two occasions.
Midfield and attack
CM: Luka Modric: While he’s perhaps best remembered for what he’s gone on to achieve at Real Madrid, it’s also worth noting just how good the Croatian international was in his early years at Tottenham. He took time to settle initially after being signed by Juande Ramos, but once Harry Redknapp arrived it was clear they had a generational talent on their hands. Modric made 160 appearances in total for Spurs, scoring 17 times and making 24 assists, while helping the team qualify for the Champions League in 2010 - marking their first appearance in the competition since 1962.
CM: Christian Eriksen: Danish international was the best example of Tottenham using the Gareth Bale money to their advantage in the summer of 2013. Eriksen brought flair, creativity and technical quality to the team throughout his seven year stay as the Lillywhites briefly competed for a league title while also reaching the final of the Champions League. The former Ajax ace scored 69 goals and contributed 88 assists in 305 appearances for the club while also making the Team of the Season on one occasion.
CM: Dele Alli: In a direct shoot-out between attack and defence, I’ve opted to pick Dele Alli ahead of the more pragmatic option of Moussa Dembele. The latter deserves his flowers as one of the most underrated defensive midfielders of the Premier League era, but it’s hard to forget just how good Alli was during his early years in a Tottenham shirt. Overall, Alli scored 67 and assisted 59 in 269 appearances for the club, including 18 in a single league season in 2016/17. He won the Young Player of the Year award in successive seasons and also made the Team of the Year twice.
RW: Gareth Bale: It’s hard to believe now, but when Gareth Bale first joined Tottenham from Southampton he was viewed as a bit of a flop at left-back. So much so that it was even once reported they considered offering him in exchange for Stewart Downing back in 2008. Things changed dramatically when Harry Redknapp began to put more faith in the youngster as an attacking full-back and over time he’d soon become one of the most feared right wingers in the country. He’s remembered for a notable hat-trick against Inter Milan and three seasons between 2010 and 2013 where he made it into the Team of the Season three times while also being crowned Player of the Season before his move to Real Madrid. Bale’s won everything in the game at club level since making the move to Madrid and also enjoyed a solid loan stint back in North London under Jose Mourinho in 2020/21.
ST: Harry Kane: Tottenham’s all-time leading goalscorer with 280 strikes in 435 matches and the second highest scorer of the Premier League era. Harry Kane was Tottenham’s captain and talisman for more than a decade and quite possibly the best player in the club’s history. He made the Team of the Season six times and won the Golden Boot three times. This one needs little explanation.
LW: Heung Min Son: The only player in this team that stayed long enough to win a major trophy. Heung Min Son was signed from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 and over the course of a decade established himself as a modern day great. The South Korean international left the club over the summer with an overall record of 173 goals and 101 assists in 454 appearances while winning one Golden Boot and also making the PFA Team of the Season on one occasion.
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino
The likes of Harry Redknapp, Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho have all managed Tottenham under Daniel Levy, but there’s no denying that Mauricio Pochettino had the biggest impact on the team during his incredible five-year association with the club.
The Argentine never won silverware in the end, but did lead Tottenham to their highest points tally in a single season (86) in 2016/17, while also going unbeaten at home for the first time in a single season since 1965. He also reached the League Cup final in 2015 and a Champions League final in 2019 and had the team regularly competing for the Premier League title throughout his tenure.