Tottenham chief executive Vinai Venkatesham took clear shots at former chairman Daniel Levy’s running of the club during a meeting with the Fan Advisory Board.
Venkatesham, who moved to the white half of north London last April after 14 years at bitter rivals Arsenal, implied that under Levy’s stewardship the club had not prioritised on-field success and that, worringly, player sales may well have to be prioritised going forward.
The Tottenham supremo also admitted “significant change” was needed following an internal review of both the men’s and women’s teams.
Venkatesham’s criticism comes after Levy surprisingly left Spurs in September after nearly 25 years at the club, having combined the roles of chief executive and chairman.
Often painted as a controversial figure during his time in charge, Levy was accused of prioritising the business side of the club over on-pitch success, although he did finally deliver their first trophy since 2008 after success in the Europa League final last May.
However, after a bright start to Thomas Frank’s tenure, it’s been a disastrous campaign domestically for Spurs, who now sit just one point above the relegation zone with an interim manager in Igor Tudor who has lost all four of his games in charge to date.
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The Fan Advisory Board highlighted a lack of trust from supporters regarding the club’s direction, while the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) called for “emergency action” following the 5-2 Champions League hammering at Atletico Madrid in midweek.
But in a move to try and reassure supporters that the club are trying to build in the right direction, Venkatesham suggested that he has removed the club’s previous wage structure, adding that “there is now complete clarity across the club that on-pitch success is our number one priority and focus”.
The minutes, published by Tottenham, read: “VV [Venkatesham] explained that since joining the club in June 2025, there has been a comprehensive review of the organisation to determine the issues and actions required.
“He explained that whilst he had a perspective of the club from the outside, it is only after spending time inside the club you can fully understand strengths, areas to improve and remedial actions needed.
“While the club has made strong progress in areas such as the stadium, training facilities, commercial growth and stadium operations, several areas were identified as falling short of what is required to compete at the highest level.”
Among the issues highlighted by Venkatesham, wage structure and a player transaction approach that had impacted competitiveness in the transfer market were major acknowledgements.
Speaking about the club’s finances, he then added that Tottenham need to plan for ensuring that they do not fall foul of Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, with accounts revealing four consecutive years when the club have recorded losses.
“VV noted that the club has been loss-making for a number of years, which means compliance with Financial Fair Play rules need to be actively monitored and planned for,” the minutes read.
“An increased emphasis will therefore be placed on player sales alongside continued revenue growth to ensure we have the regulatory headroom to invest.”
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While clearly criticising Levy’s time in charge, Venkatesham and sporting director Lange also need to shoulder some, if not all, of the blame for the disastrous appointment of Tudor as interim coach.
Indeed, they continue to dither over replacing the Croatian, who has been completely unable to get a tune out of a Spurs side who are still to win a top-flight game in 2026 and are spiralling towards relegation.