Football London

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has revealed he would change the current handball rule and implement a timeout during each half if given the chance.

Managers across the Premier League have expressed their frustration at the current interpretation of the handball rule, with multiple penalties being awarded over the past 12 months. Current rules state a penalty should be awarded if a player "deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, for example moving the hand/arm towards the ball".

It's also a spot kick if a player "touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger". Frank now believes something should change. Speaking to BetMGM, the Dane said: "I would take out the handball rule as for me it’s not right. If there’s a handball and it touches your arm in the penalty area, you are giving the biggest chance to the opponent just because it ‘touches’ your arm.

“Of course, if you’re standing on the goalline and you try to save it like a goalkeeper in the old days that’s different but I simply don’t understand how if it just touches a player’s arm, and it touches their arm in certain areas, it gives the opportunity for the biggest chance in the game. It’s a rule that has to be changed to improve the game and make it fairer.”

Frank was also asked if there were any other changes he’d like to see and the former Brentford boss gave an interesting suggestion. “I’d have a timeout in each half,” added the 51-year-old.

“From a coaching perspective, I think it would be lovely to have an opportunity during the game to speak to the players and be able to adjust something.”

Frank made the move from west London to north London over the summer, taking the reigns from Ange Postecoglou despite the club's Europa League success in May. The former Brondby man's first competitive game was the penalty loss to PSG in the UEFA Super Cup final, while in the Premier League Spurs have won two of their opening three games.

“I think it’s been a good start to the season so far – I’ve been really pleased with how the players have approached things since I’ve come into the football club,” Frank said. “We’ve played three games in the Premier League and one in the UEFA Super Cup and I’ve been happy with three of the performances. We weren’t good enough against Bournemouth but overall from where we started to where we are now, I’m satisfied.

“I’m never super, super satisfied unless we have won every game and performed to a really high level – but it’s been a good and positive start, which, for me, is the main thing. Confidence breeds more confidence and you get a lot of positive things out of that which is why it’s always really important to start the season well.

“You get that feeling that you’re on the right track and doing the right things and I think for the most part we’ve done that so far. The players have been fantastic from my first day here and I’m learning more and more about them every day. It’s about how they react to certain situations, what works and what doesn’t and also what they are like as people and also as players.

“I think all head coaches and managers have their own way of doing things and I’m no different. The one thing I always think about coaching philosophy is do what you believe in – I’m me, I can’t be anyone else and I need to do what I believe in both on and off the pitch.

“I need to come across the way I am and I think that’s the best way for players to buy into what you’re trying to get across in the way you do things. That’s not to say you shouldn’t seek inspiration from other people. When I was younger I was definitely looking to other coaches to see how they were doing it to get a bit of help and I still do that now, albeit a bit differently.

“Where I am in my career it’s more looking at others from a tactical standpoint. You might spot a little tweak another coach or manager makes and see if there’s a way you can use that on your team. I think most around the world do that and I guess it’s just how much influence you want from others in terms of what you do.”

So what does success look like this season? Is it qualifying for the Champions League? Is it wining more silverware?

“Success this season is building something that is sustainable and strong. I want us to consistently perform at our highest level each and every game," the Spurs boss admitted.

“If we can do that we will win enough games to get us into a place where we want to be, so that’s the aim. I’ve been in the Premier League for four years now, it’s so competitive and relentless. Every team, player and manager is so good you have to be on it every time you step on the pitch.

“I know everyone wants to talk about the future but, for me, the most important thing is the here and now. It’s easy to talk about the months and years to come – we need to think about what we are building in this moment as that is what we can control.”

Dominic Solanke will be hoping to make his first Tottenham start of the new Premier League campaign against West Ham United this weekend having been plagued by an ankle injury since pre-season.

After missing five friendlies, Solanke returned off the bench in Spurs' UEFA Super Cup final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, with two substitute cameos against Burnley and Manchester City following that.

The form of Richarlison has kept him out of the starting XI but it also looks as though injury is preventing him from playing more minutes with the Englishmen absent from the matchday squad to face his former club Bournemouth prior to the international break.

"He has got a minor issue with his ankle," Thomas Frank revealed. "That's been a little bit grumbling also in the pre-season. It's just too much for this game and now we have international break so hopefully he can be ready after that."

Solanke posted a photo of himself in the Hotspur Way gym just a few days later with it clear he is eager to get back involved. If he deemed fit to return, that could even come from the start with Richarlison potentially a late returner from international duty after playing for Brazil in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Carlo Ancelotti's side were beaten in a World Cup qualifier away at Bolivia with conditions far from ideal for those visiting their 23,000 capacity stadium as it is at an altitude of 4,088 metres above sea level. Oxygen masks are often needed for those that play at such altitudes, with Neymar previously describing the conditions as 'inhuman'.

With Richarlison playing just over an hour from the off, he may not have physically recovered to start Spurs' trip to West Ham on Saturday evening. That could see Solanke included in the starting XI - even if he only plays 45-60 minutes.

The 27-year-old appears to be keen on featuring after posting a photo of him in action for Spurs to his Instagram story. Alternatively, Frank could hand deadline day signing Randal Kolo Muani his debut.

After joining on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain, Kolo Muani has spent the last 10 days training under Frank and with some of his new teammates.

Frank also looks set for dilemmas elsewhere with Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence competing for the left-back spot. The latter has just made his England debut and been very impressive in Tottenham's four competitive games.

Tottenham Hotspur could be missing three crucial players for the upcoming showdown with West Ham United. Thomas Frank's side travel to the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon and will be aiming to return to winning ways following the defeat to Bournemouth before the international break.

And they might have to do it without a host of key members of their squad. Playmaker James Maddison remains restricted to the side-lines following his long-term knee injury.

Meanwhile, Sweden international Dejan Kulusevski is not expected to return to action any time soon. The pair join young defender Kota Takai in being ruled out.

And while Radu Dragusin remains out of contention for the clash with West Ham at least, Spurs have - however - received positive news regarding his fitness. The defender has returned to training following his cruciate ligament injury.

It might be some time before he returns to the pitch, but to see him back in training is an encouraging sign. Fellow defender Cristian Romero has also given Frank a boost having returned from international duty unscathed.

He was ruled out of Argentina's second game of the window due to suspension, meaning he was eligible to return earlier than expected. Elsewhere, Yves Bissouma and Dominic Solanke could also be back in the fold for Tottenham following their injury issues.

From the West Ham side of things, Graham Potter has far less headaches when it comes to getting an XI together. The Hammers only have three injury doubts ahead of the game at the time of writing.

German forward Niclas Fullkrug is out due to a calf strain. He is expected to be recovering for a fortnight.

Meanwhile, George Earthy could potentially return to contention after recovering from an ankle problem. Brazilian winger Luis Guilherme is also a doubt having picked up a collarbone issue during pre-season.

West Ham will certainly be keen to have as many players available as possible as Graham Potter's side aim to make it back-to-back Premier League wins. They downed Nottingham Forest 3-0 before the international break to secure their first victory of the campaign.

Spurs, in the meantime, are aiming to return to winning ways following their defeat at the hands of Bournemouth earlier this month.

Following the clash with West Ham, Spurs get their Champions League campaign underway having been drawn to take on Villarreal in their opening game.

Tottenham Hotspur could be about to make another huge decision behind the scenes less than one week on from the shock exit of Daniel Levy as chairman.

In the following six days after that club statement, the reasons for his departure, the possibility of a full takeover, and plans from the Lewis family, who own Tottenham through ENIC, all became trending topics.

Spurs CEO Vinai Venkatesham swiftly addressed the latter two subjects in a lengthy interview posted to club channels where the stance on selling - following a club statement which confirmed two investment approaches were rejected - was again made perfectly clear.

"Yeah, I've seen that very quickly there's been a lot of newspaper articles and a lot of media speculation around takeover, so I can be really clear on this," he said. "So the Lewis family are really clear. They see their involvement in Tottenham Hotspur being long-term and they see their involvement continuing through the generations.

"We made a statement very late last night and a statement I hope was unambiguously clear that Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale."

The possibility of outside investment has been explored in recent years though with Levy stating "the board and its advisors, Rothschild and Co, are in discussions with prospective investors". Following his exit, the advisors employed to assist investment decisions could also be let go.

According to City AM, Tottenham are weighing up whether or not to replace Rothschild as the club’s retained bankers.

The financial institution were brought on board in April 2024 to advise the club on potential external investment. However, that process was halted in its tracks earlier this summer as a cash injection from ENIC was pushed into the club.

It has also been claimed that as an investment process is no longer being conducted, contracts with third-party advisors are being reviewed and Rothschild may well end up being let go.

Levy himself also appears to be in a difficult position over whether or not to sell his 30 per cent shareholding stake in ENIC having already lost £3million through an annual salary and bonuses.

Harry Kane gave an emotional speech in the England dressing room after Tottenham defender Djed Spence made his Three Lions debut against Serbia.

The 25-year-old came on as a late substitute in Tuesday night’s 5-0 World Cup qualifying win over Serbia in Belgrade. Kane opened the scoring for Thomas Tuchel's side before Noni Madueke doubled the lead two minutes later. Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi and Marcus Rashford scored in the second period to cap off an impressive camp for England.

After the game at Rajko Mitic Stadium, Spence was passed his first ever Three Lions cap by former Tottenham teammate Kane. Visibly emotional, Kane said: "We have a new debut today. I asked to do this, because I saw this player three, four years ago at Tottenham and he had to go through a lot.

"He had to keep his head up. He had to work hard. Now he's an England player so he fully deserves this. I'm a little bit emotional because I know how much it takes to get here and I saw what it was like, and it was tough for you. Credit to you, your family, everyone involved - you deserve this one."

Spence joined Spurs from Middlesbrough in July 2022 but has had to be extremely patient, with Antonio Conte at the time describing the signing as "an investment by the club". Loan spells to Rennes, Leeds United and Genoa followed before Spence eventually broke into the starting XI under Ange Postecoglou last season.

The defender, who can play right-back and left-back, has played every minute of Tottenham's four games so far this campaign and has impressed under Thomas Frank. That form earned him a place in Tuchel's latest England squad and the Englishman described playing for his country as an "honour".

“It was amazing, it has been a long time coming,” he said. “I have dreamed about it all my life since I was a kid so it is amazing. It is an honour. H gave it to me when I was in the dressing room.

“I’m a little bit emotional, the journey I have been on. I’m officially an England player now so I am over the moon. He said I was at Tottenham with him a few years ago and he has seen my growth and he knows how hard it is to get to this level. He is just happy for me.”

With Destiny Udogie returning to fitness, Spence's form means the Italian may have to bide his time to get back into the Tottenham starting line-up. Spurs travel to West Ham on Saturday and you would expect Frank to select Spence at left-back once again.

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a financial deal to hand themselves a huge cash injection after a chaotic last few months at the club.

Back in May, Spurs ended their 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League. Having finished in 17th place in the Premier League, Daniel Levy and Co. made the decision to replace Ange Postecoglou with Thomas Frank.

Just three months on from playing a major role in a significant exit, it was Levy departing - with a bombshell club statement confirming his departure after two-and-a-half decades posted last week. Since then, takeover talk has ramped up with Spurs forced to release another statement revealing they had rejected two approaches.

In between exits for Postecoglou and Levy, Spurs endured a transfer window like no other with Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus brought in as the big names, but failed pursuits of Piero Hincapie, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Gibbs-White, Nico Paz and Savinho somewhat overshadowed that.

However, just simply being in the conversation for that calibre of player perhaps showed where ambitions lie with football.london having revealed a cash injection, most likely from the club's majority shareholders ENIC, had been pushed into the club.

And now a second big-money figure looks to be on the way with Bloomberg claiming Spurs have raised £90million through a receivables financing deal with Macquarie Group Ltd.

The club have agreed to give the Australian lender income from future broadcasting rights for a lump sum of money, according to sources. It has also been claimed that the rights are tied to money due to the club from the Premier League from December 2025 to May 2026.

This news arrives after CEO Vinai Venkatesham spoke publicly about the changes at the club which included making the stance of the Lewis family clear amid talk of a full sale.

Speaking as part of a lengthy interview posted to Spurs' official channels, he said: "Well, first and foremost, I know the Lewis family really well. I think it's important for our supporters to know that they're very, very passionate about Tottenham Hotspur and they're ambitious for the club.

"And when I talk about their ambition, what they're really focused on is ensuring that everything that we do across the complete breadth of the club really centres back and is focused on giving our men's team and our women's team the best chance to be successful on the pitch over the long term.

"So that's their laser focus, all around being successful on the pitch. They know, of course, that we operate in a very competitive environment and that there are a number of other teams that have the exact same ambitions we have to compete to win the biggest trophies in the game.

"They're also focused on stability. They know there's been lots of change at the club, and now it's time for some calm and for some stability. Finally they believe and trust in the people that we have working in the organisation."

Daniel Levy sacked 13 different managers during his 24 years as chairman of Tottenham Hotspur and one of the assistant coaches let go has recalled the ruthless way it happened.

Levy stepped down on Thursday in the final part of the Lewis family's plans to restructure the hierarchy at Spurs to ensure more sporting success going forward. The 63-year-old departed with two trophies during his tenure across his near quarter century stint as well as that huge new stadium and state-of-the-art training complex being built under his watch.

He also sacked and hired a lot of managers and coaching staff and one of them, former Tottenham player and then assistant head coach Gus Poyet, has remembered the way Juande Ramos and he were dispensed with back in 2008.

"In less than a year - it was clearly two big different parts. In the beginning, Juande made a massive impact because after four or five months being in there, we won the League Cup. And I remember Daniel really feeling how special, you know, it was for the fans to win a trophy. He was absolutely delighted," said Poyet when speaking to oddspedia.com.

"Then before I started the second season, I think that Daniel Levy supported the coach a lot. He gave him money, money, money and I mean money without going too far. Modric came into the club so it was it was really very good negotiations and a quantity of players coming but in the football side it didn't work. Like I said, it's two parts, completely opposite.

"Getting to the maximum of winning a trophy and not being able to win a football game with a lot of money spent. Me, my relationship was professional, very respectful. We didn't have any issues. From day one to the last, he was very honest with me."

He then added: "It was a little bit strange how we left. I don't know if you know. We were sacked the night before of a game. We were at the hotel. We were ready to sleep and play a game the next day, to manage the game, and we were called down after 10pm to be informed that we were leaving.

"It was quite a strange feeling leaving that hotel at 10.30 at night. Which means he was ruthless, proper, OK? But like I said, super professional. Never a problem, never an issue. Everything was spot on. He respected all the contracts."

The Uruguayan admitted that it was a difficult and unexpected moment in his coaching career which knocked him for six.

"I felt miserable. I felt miserable when I was leaving the hotel with my luggage. I was supposed to be thinking about tomorrow and going home," he said. "It was strange. You know, sometimes if it was Monday morning after a game and you get a phone call from the chairman, you're thinking, oh, oh, oh…Maybe we'll get in the sack.

"But you have a phone call in your room at the hotel, to come down. You're thinking, oh, something happened, maybe the game is called off or maybe something, but you will never expect to get sacked the night before of a game at the hotel. That for sure, that was totally unexpected, even if the results were not good enough. I said it at the time and I'm saying it now. Sometimes you deserve to go. It was totally unexpected at that moment of the day."

Poyet now hopes that the Tottenham fans who have chanted for Levy's departure over the seasons do not regret those words.

"I would say to the fans, I hope what is coming in not worse. Because then maybe you're going to have to start singing Daniel Levy’s name to get him back," he said. "The good thing for the newcomers and the new chairman and the new people in charge is that all the magnificent training ground and a stadium is done.

"So, now, I suppose there is going to be more focus on the team, we'll see. Many, many people spend money, and only one or two win things every year. So, let's see if they can do it."

Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Martin Jol believes that Luka Vuskovic is going to become a better player than current Spurs captain Cristian Romero.

The young Croatian centre-back finally arrived at Spurs this summer after signing from Hajduk Split two years ago. He was not able to move to England until he was 18-years-old which meant loans at Radomiak in Poland and Westerlo in Belgium before making the switch the Premier League club in July.

After a pre-season which brought a goal and assist in the opening friendly against Reading, new head coach Thomas Frank felt Vuskovic would benefit from a loan at a higher level than before and the teenager agreed with a move to Bundesliga side Hamburg, where Jol was once the manager.

In an interview with football.london regarding the departed chairman Daniel Levy, Jol made it clear that he believes Levy's chances of sporting success were undone by recruitment failures, but he does not believe Vuskovic is one of the club's poor purchases over the years.

"[Levy was] commercially unbelievable, but 80% of his time, his recruitment staff were terrible. That is what I think, because people keep on criticising him about not spending money but I think they spent £700million or so over the last four or five years," said the Dutchman.

"The amazing thing is, how can you spend £700million, and there's not one player in this squad who can go to Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea. I mean [Mohammed] Kudus went from Ajax, not to Chelsea, not to Man City, he went to West Ham, and of course he's very talented, but he's not better than [Dejan] Kulusevski, 100% not, but I know him from Ajax very well, he's so talented.

"But I mean, he wouldn't go to Chelsea or Man City or Man United or Liverpool. You see Liverpool, they want it, they buy it. But I mean Richarlison wouldn't go to Arsenal or Chelsea or whatever, all these players. How many players are there in the Spurs team now, who would be bought by one of the big four or five?

"[Cristian] Romero could go anywhere but you feel like if he plays for a while at his top level, he will get injured. Romero is a good, decent defender, but I will tell you one thing, the guy they sent to Hamburg now - Luka Vuskovic - will be better."

That's a big statement with Romero being a World Cup and two-time Copa America winner and having been described by international team-mate Lionel Messi as the best defender in the world

Vuskovic has an old head on young shoulders and admitted after his move to Germany that while his time will come in the Premier League, he is not ready yet.

Tottenham midfielder Pape Matar Sarr has decided to donate his international match bonuses this month to help orphaned children back home in Senegal.

The 22-year-old has made the decision to donate his September bonuses for his two appearances for Senegal to the National Office for the Pupils of the Nation (ONPN), a public institution that supports orphans of the armed forces and other victims who died in service to Senegal.

Sarr will be rounding up the amount he would have earned in bonuses for the games against Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo this month to 5million CFA francs (£6,600) to be donated to the children in his homeland.

"These are children who need our support because they no longer have their parents by their side," said the Spurs midfielder. "I have made a commitment to them and I will do my best to ensure they lack nothing. This is only a small gesture. Others will certainly follow through my foundation. In the meantime, I hope this small gesture can bring relief to some of them."

The Pape Matar Sarr Foundation in Senegal looks to help youngsters in his homeland, pushing for better education, sports and health for future generations and this year signed a partnership with the ONPN. Through his foundation, Sarr has visited orphanages, spoken to government officials to discuss key social and educational development issues and has ensured the distribution of food kits to families in his childhood neighbourhood.

On the pitch, Sarr looks set to have a big season at Tottenham ahead of him under new head coach Thomas Frank with the Dane a big fan of the young player after being impressed by him in pre-season.

When football.london asked Frank this summer which Spurs player had surprised him after working closely with him in training, he said: "Pape Matar Sarr is the standout in terms of, I don’t want to say expectations, but he has impressed me. He has done very well. He had a very good season two years ago and then he had a not as good (season) last year. His ability with the ball, his running power is really good."

Sarr has started all four of Frank's competitive matches so far and scored a long-range goal against Arsenal in Hong Kong during pre-season. It appears that the Senegal international has a top mentality both on and off the pitch.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the past week at Tottenham Hotspur has been the repositioning of the Lewis family as the official power behind the club.

In the decades after ENIC bought a controlling stake in Spurs from Alan Sugar in 2001 there was always an acceptance that Daniel Levy was the man steering the ship but one who would turn to his long-time mentor and one of the UK's richest men, ENIC owner Joe Lewis, when the biggest decisions had to be made.

It was never a publicly-stated thing and Lewis' name was only mentioned in passing on the club website under its ownership details, while the only quotes about him would come from managers and players after they had left. Some would speak about having held Spurs meetings in the Bahamas with the billionaire involved or simply met him on his superyacht. Lewis was the most background of owners you could possibly find.

Then a little while after he ceased to have public control of Spurs in 2022, with a family trust of which he is not a beneficiary taking over, Lewis became more of a public figure due to a court case involving insider trading which eventually ended with him pleading guilty and being fined £4million.

For Tottenham fans over the preceding years, the mysterious Lewis was very rarely seen at the club and became part and parcel of their frustration at the lack of success with Levy and a lack of investment. Banners with both men's faces on them were held aloft at protests with ENIC and Levy seen as synonymous in being responsible for Spurs' mediocrity.

Fast forward to these past few days and all of the above has been torpedoed. Levy is gone after 24 years and now the club has for the first time very publicly pointed towards those with the real power behind everything going on.

"This is a new era for the club under new leadership, completely backed by a majority shareholder, the Lewis family, so we can feel optimistic and ambitious for the future as well," Spurs CEO Vinai Venkatesham said on Monday.

It feels like a clear line has been drawn between the previous era and the one to come, even if the Spurs supporters may only see the names ENIC and Lewis still involved and will need to be convinced otherwise.

"I know the Lewis family really well," continued Venkatesham in the most public of statements about the family. "I think it's important for our supporters to know that they're very, very passionate about Tottenham Hotspur and they're ambitious for the club. And when I talk about their ambition, what they're really focused on is ensuring that everything that we do across the complete breadth of the club really centres back and is focused on giving our men's team and our women's team the best chance to be successful on the pitch over the long term.

"So that's their laser focus, all around being successful on the pitch. They know, of course, that we operate in a very competitive environment and that there are a number of other teams that have the exact same ambitions we have to compete to win the biggest trophies in the game, so we know it's not easy and we know that there's hard work ahead, but that is the focus.

"They're also focused on stability. They know there's been lots of change at the club, and now it's time for some calm and for some stability. And finally they believe and trust in the people that we have working in the organisation. Their model is all about empowering the people we have on the ground to deliver against the ambition they have and of course the ambition that we all share."

Publicly and privately there has been talk of investment, a desire to win and a frustration from inside the family that Tottenham's success on the pitch was not good enough during Levy's reign. The 63-year-old would have made a lot of money for the powers-that-be with his development of Spurs as an organisation and a brand, yet the claim is that the next generation of the already mega-rich Lewis family want more than simply financial gains.

The Spurs fanbase will be watching closely to see what comes next. Those who wanted Levy out will be unsure at this point whether that was only half the job or the main obstacle in their eyes has indeed been removed.

It's worth noting that with Joe Lewis now 88 and with the power resting very much in the hands of his children and grandchildren, there are different voices involved.

football.london reported earlier this summer that Lewis' daughter Vivienne is a regular presence at matches, popular around the club and approachable, known as "Viv". The 62-year-old, formerly a long-time partner of ex-Liverpool player Craig Johnston, was spotted last month sat along from Levy in the opening day Premier League victory against Burnley and at the final game of last season against Brighton.

Vivienne and her 61-year-old brother Charles, who set up ENIC with his father and Levy, are both understood to be the driving force behind the family's plans and the new era at Spurs alongside Nick Beucher, who is married to Vivienne's daughter Joanna. The latter is co-CEO of the Tavistock Group, which owns ENIC, alongside Daniel Levy's son Josh. Vivienne and Charles are both senior managing directors of Tavistock.

When the Levy news broke on Thursday, a source close to the Lewis family told football.london: "Generations of the Lewis family support this special football club and they want what the fans want – more wins more often. This is why you have seen recent changes, new leadership and a fresh approach. In Vinai, Thomas and Peter Charrington, they believe they are backing the right team to deliver on this. This is a new era."

Venkatesham was also willing in his club interview on Monday to go into more detail about the Lewis family members backing the new era.

"There's been a big focus on the club from the next generation of the family and to talk you through the key people, so the first is Viv Lewis, who is a very regular attendee at Tottenham Hotspur games and also frequently joins us on pre-season tour. So she was with us this summer for the whole of our tour to Hong Kong and South Korea," he said.

"And going forward around the club, you'll be seeing a bit more of her brother Charlie and also her son-in-law Nick. And the thing that ties them all together is their passion for Tottenham Hotspur and their ambition for the club moving forward."

It's a world away from the lack of public mention of Joe Lewis over the preceding decades and it's a bold move from the family to position themselves front and centre, even if it's with a view to backing rather than running the club. That will be left in the hands of Venkatesham on a day-to-day basis with help at board level from non-executive chairman Peter Charrington, himself a long-standing advisor to the Lewis family.

The new faces at the top of Tottenham will know they need to break away from the perceptions of the Levy tenure if they are to be seen as something fresh. That will begin with investment into the club, which has previously been relatively marginal from ENIC if you spread it across their 24 years in control, for Spurs have been constructed as a self-sustaining entity by Levy.

The current state of the game has moved on though and Tottenham's rivals in the transfer market were spending almost £300million each in the summer with Liverpool topping £400million. Even with Spurs' record-breaking revenue streams from the stadium and commercial activity, they cannot compete without help from their billionaire owners.

It's why Levy was seeking extra cash from ENIC and also outside investment for a minority stake. However, football.london understands that in this new era the Lewis family are not looking to sell the club in part or in whole.

When Venkatesham when asked about investment in the team, he said: "I need to try and answer your question without leading to a whole load of 'transfer war chest' stories tomorrow.

"I think it is very fair to say that we have firm backing from the Lewis family against our ambitions to be successful on the pitch, both on the men's side and women's side.

"They know that's going to require investment and we have their firm backing, but I would also say like all other 20 Premier League clubs, we also need to make sure that we're also cognizant and aware of the financial fair play rules, and that means we need to continue to grow our revenues.

"We need to continue to develop players both from the academy and young players that we buy. We need to make sure that we're selling players at the right time, and we also need to make sure that every time we're recruiting a player we're making smart decisions both from a sporting and a financial perspective.

"If you don't do that because of how the financial regulations work, you can find yourself in a position where you've got money to spend, but the regulations don't allow you to spend it.

"So I guess to summarise, absolutely there's financial backing against the ambition we have and like every other club in the Premier League, we need to do that in line with the financial fair play rules."

The proof will be in the pudding over the next couple of transfer windows. When it comes to financial fair play, Tottenham do have big revenue streams through the stadium and a Premier League low wage to revenue ratio of just 42%, but they have also been dreadful at selling players at the right time as Venkatesham stated.

Key will be the form ENIC's investment takes, along with the sponsorship deals put in place over the coming months and years, with those naming rights yet to be sold six years after the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium opened.

That could be accelerated as a big financial driver to aid Spurs with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules as long as the money gained exceeds the current brand benefits of having the club's name associated with the huge building in the Tottenham High Road.

It's certainly a very different Tottenham Hotspur on the face of it with fresh leadership at all levels. Only the future will provide the answers as to whether Levy was truly the obstacle or the executor. Spurs fans will be hoping it's the start of something bigger.