Spurs CEO says ownership will provide ‘firm backing’ financially to improve on the pitch | OneFootball

Tottenham’s CEO Vinai Venkatesham says the club’s current ownership is committed to taking the club forward.

Spurs’ long-serving executive chairman Daniel Levy stepped down last week after 25 years in the role.

The club’s ownership ENIC, run by the Lewis family, have since been adamant that the club is not for sale, and Venkatesham insists they are looking to take the club forward.

Speaking to Tottenhamhotspur.com, he said: “There’s been a lot of newspaper articles and a lot of media speculation about a takeover, so I can be really clear on this. 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 the statement I hope was unambiguously clear that Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale.

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

“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.”

Levy had been an unpopular figure with Tottenham supporters but Venkatesham says he deserves credit for what he has done at the club.

“What he has done at this football club over the last 25 years is extraordinary,” he said. “He has played a huge part in the transformation of the club, and there are so many examples – the training centre, the stadium, the media centre that we’re just sitting outside now… his contribution is there for all to see, and I think his legacy really is extraordinary.

“For me personally, obviously, I was expecting that I was going to be working with Daniel for many years. It’s ended up only being a few months, but he has been a wonderful support and counsel to me during that period, and I feel really settled in.

“I think also at a time like this, it’s really natural to pause and look back and reflect, but I also know in my job, it’s really important to look forward. And this is a new era for the club under new leadership, completely backed by our majority shareholder, the Lewis family, so we can feel optimistic and ambitious for the future as well.”

Venkatesham also insists the Lewis family are committed to backing the club financially to improve on the pitch.

“I need to try and answer your question without leading to a whole load of transfer war chest stories tomorrow,” he said. “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 cognisant 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 perspective 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.”