Daniel Levy breaks silence on Tottenham relegation fight: 'I pray every day' | OneFootball

Spurs remain in significant danger of the drop

They were held to a draw at home to Leeds on Monday night, which means West Ham still believe they can overhaul their London rivals.

If the Hammers beat Newcastle this weekend, Spurs will be in the bottom three when they then travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in their penultimate game next Tuesday.

Levy left Tottenham in September in a shock ousting which stunned the English game, leaving after almost 25 years as the club's executive chairman.

Daniel Levy after an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle (Andrew Matthews/PA)

PA Wire

That was a decision made by members of the Lewis family - the club's majority owners - after they decided Levy had not overseen enough success on the pitch.

In a rare interview, Levy told Sky Sports that he still watches "every single game" and spoke of how hurt he is by Spurs' struggles.

"I'm feeling the pain but I'm optimistic that we'll get through it," Levy, who was attending an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, said.

"It's been very, very difficult - Spurs is in my blood. I could never have envisioned this at the beginning of the season.

"Obviously incredibly disappointed. Let's look forward and very much hope that next season we're still in the Premier League."

Spurs finished 17th last season under Levy's leadership, though the league was not the priority for the final months of the campaign as the club went all in on winning the Europa League.

There have been no such excuses this season. Managers Thomas Frank and then Igor Tudor oversaw a disastrous run of results to leave Spurs firmly in the relegation fight.

The form has picked up since Roberto De Zerbi took charge and they have now taken eight points from their last four matches.

Daniel Levy spent almost 25 years at Spurs’ helm

PA

After their trip to Chelsea, Spurs host Everton on the final day of the season in a match that could decide whether they avoid an historic relegation or not.

"I'm always optimistic, I pray every day that we will [survive]," Levy said.

Asked about West Ham's controversial defeat to Arsenal, he replied: "It's interesting getting into individual games but all I'm focused on is making sure Tottenham stay in the Premier League."

Levy knows as well as anyone how poor Spurs' record is against Chelsea, particularly at Stamford Bridge.

He was in the stands for many of those defeats, with Spurs winning just once in the league away at Chelsea in the last 36 years.

"Always tough, never a good place for us," Levy said. "Hopefully this year is going to be different."

Reflecting on his time at Spurs, Levy told Press Association: “What I would have hoped for is winning the Premier League, winning the Champions League… easier said than done.”

Levy was made a CBE by the Prince of Wales for services to charity and the community in Tottenham, supporting education, health and social inclusion and creating jobs through the construction of the stadium.

Levy revealed that he spoke to Aston Villa fan Prince William about the plight of Spurs, who he hopes avoids relegation.

“I thanked him for allowing us (Tottenham) to beat Aston Villa when we played them a few weeks ago,” he said.