David Pleat: Tottenham fans will learn to give Daniel Levy credit for his 'incredible' achievements | OneFootball

The longest-serving Premier League chairman has been branded “the most astute” in English football

Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Matt Verri

Sign up

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

David Pleat has described Daniel Levy's achievements at Tottenham as "incredible", insisting the departing chairman was the "most astute" in English football.

A shock announcement from Spurs on Thursday confirmed that Levy, the longest-serving chairman in the Premier League, was leaving with immediate effect.

It marks the start of a new era for Spurs, with board member Peter Charrington, who is a director of Spurs' owners ENIC, taking on the newly created role of non-executive chairman.

Who knows what the future may hold, maybe Tottenham will be sold

David Pleat

"I would judge a club on both its sustainability and its results, and it's very difficult to marry the two," Pleat told BBC 5Live when asked for a verdict on Levy’s time at the club.

"To achieve success in the modern game without mega, mega money, as has been proved, is very, very difficult. To do what Tottenham have done in the last two decades is quite incredible, because the stadium is magnificent, no one can rival the training ground, and the club is on a good footing.

"[Levy] has always been sensible ... and has run the club sensibly."

He added: "There is no question [fans will in time give Levy credit] ... This training ground is magnificent. The stadium is there forever, and now they've got to start winning more, and challenging the biggest clubs.

"Who knows what the future may hold. Maybe Tottenham will be sold before too long. We shouldn't draw conclusions."

Legacy: Tottenham’s state-of-the-art stadium

The FA via Getty Images

Levy has long been considered a tough negotiator and shrewd operator. Sir Alex Ferguson described dealing with Levy during Manchester United’s successful pursuit of Dimitar Berbatov in 2008 as “more painful than my hip replacement”.

In an exclusive interview with Standard Sport in 2019, Levy dismissed suggestions he was the "best negotiator" in the Premier League. "All I am doing is trying to become a bigger club and I am just protecting my assets," he said.

The same suggestion was put to Pleat on Thursday night, who also refuted the reputation. He said: "[Levy was] no more tough than any other chairman who protects his club and looks after his club's finances.

"He's got a reputation as being tough, but I can assure you, I've known tougher chairman. He's very sensible. As far as being the custodian of the club, I don't think there's a more astute chairman in the Football League."

"He has looked after the club well. It's not easy to run a club, a massive club. See the problems at some of the biggest clubs, like Manchester United. Supporters are never happy, they want winning, winning, winning [but] it's not that easy."

Tottenham in May won just their second trophy of Daniel Levy reign

AFP via Getty Images

Levy had been instrumental in bringing in new Spurs head coach Thomas Frank, following the departure of Ange Postecoglou despite the club's success in the Europa League last season after finishing 17th in the Premier League on the back of a club-record 22 defeats.

There were, though, growing frustrations within some of the Spurs fanbase over a perceived lack of progress under Levy's long tenure, after a string of managers had come and gone without being able to deliver silverware.

Tottenham said when announcing Levy's departure that there would be "no changes to the ownership or shareholder structure of the club”, and Pleat feels a period of calm is now needed amid talk of a possible sale of the club.

He continued: “Some of the talk I hear, about ENIC and about shares and this type of thing., I think it's very presumptuous at this stage for anyone to draw conclusions they don't know.

“The real reason [for Levy’s exit] very few people know, and I certainly don't. So it's very unwise to speculate. A decision has been made, and the club's in good hands. They've got some good people there, I can assure you."