Spurs news: Vinai Venkatesham criticises Daniel Levy's running of Tottenham with 'significant change' needed | OneFootball

CEO insists that on-pitch success is ‘number one priority and focus’ after comprehensive internal review

Tottenham chief executive Vinai Venkatesham has criticised former chairman Daniel Levy’s running of the club during a meeting with the Fan Advisory Board.

Levy left Spurs in September after nearly 25 years at the club, having combined the roles of chief executive and chairman.

A controversial figure during his time at Tottenham, Levy was often accused of prioritising the business side of the club over on-pitch success.

Spurs lifted their first trophy in 17 years last May, beating Manchester United in the Europa League final, but have seen results slide since Levy’s departure.

They now find themselves just one point above the relegation zone with nine Premier League games left to play this term.

The Fan Advisory Board have highlighted a lack of trust from supporters regarding the club’s direction, while the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust (THST) called for “emergency action” following Tuesday’s 5-2 defeat by Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

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 identified by Venkatesham, insufficient focus across the organisation on on-pitch success, a lack of specialist expertise in certain areas, insufficient empowerment of experts in others and a wage structure and player transaction approach that had impacted competitiveness in the transfer market, were notable acknowledgements in what was a wide-ranging assessment of the club’s issues.

Speaking about Tottenham’s finances, Venkatesham then added that the club needed to plan for ensuring that they comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

“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, citing four consecutive years when Tottenham have recorded losses, per their accounts.

“An increased emphasis will therefore be placed on player sales alongside continued revenue growth to ensure we have the regulatory headroom to invest.”

Tottenham have lost six consecutive games across all competitions for the first time in their history and remain the only Premier League team without a top-flight win in 2026.

Interim head coach Igor Tudor is under serious pressure after becoming the first Spurs boss ever to lose each of his first four games in charge.