“We’re not Spursy!” says Tottenham.  | OneFootball

It’s early days in the post Levy era, but dare I say it, things are looking positive for this new look Spurs. Off the pitch, CEO Vinai Venkatesham recently gave an official interview via the club to explain what the departure of Daniel Levy means. He was keen to stress that it’s very much business as usual in N17.

As explained by Vinai, Peter Charrington is the new chairman but in a non-executive role. Levy was both chairman and an executive, and therefore involved in the club on a day-to-day basis. Charrington won’t be full-time, and his primary role will be empowering the club on the ground to get on with things (whatever that means). These were helpful and clarifying words from Venkatesham, who comes across well-spoken and a good communicator. He then went on to explain the role of the Lewis family going forward.

A Family Affair at the Lane

With billionaire owner Joe Lewis approaching his 89th birthday and perceived by many as too elderly to have a say in the dealings of a Premier League football club, his children are now circling around the fortunes. Lewis is no longer the majority shareholder at the club; this was transferred to the Lewis Family Trust in October 2022. Importantly, Joe himself is not a trust beneficiary. It’s a scenario that rings close to a hit Apple TV show, in which mega rich family members compete for the keys to the kingdom. But let’s also remember that we’re in the early days, so only time will tell how it plays out.

Once again we return to the wise words of Vinai, who provided us some background on the the next generation of the Lewis family. There’s Vivienne, Joe’s daughter, her brother Charlie, and Vivienne’s son-in-law Nick. Vivienne is widely regarded as the heir to the throne and she was on the whole pre-season tour in Hong Kong and South Korea this summer. All three are apparently passionate about Tottenham Hotspur and very ambitious, so let’s hope this transition is indeed a success, and not Succession.

More Resilient

Anyway, let’s get back to the football. The name’s Tottenham, Tottenham ‘Hotspursy’…. Well maybe it’s not anymore. After being 2-0 down to Brighton last weekend, Thomas Frank’s men found a way to claw themselves back to 2-2 and earn a point. This was really encouraging and a polar opposite to last seasons encounter on the south coast. We don’t need reminding, but on that occasion Spurs were 2-0 up but ended up losing 3-2.

Frank was in good spirits after the match and praised the mentality of his players. He felt it was his team’s the best performance of the season. There were chances to equal what the Seagulls did last year, but the Albion held on for a draw. Richarlison and a Jan Paul van Hecke own goal earned the point at the AMEX Stadium. However, there are still question marks over the Brazilian and if he’s the main man to lead the Tottenham attack.

Stat Attack

One thing that has dramatically improved under Frank is the defense. The 1-0 victory over Villarreal in their return to the Champions League was the fourth clean sheet in their first five games. Having signed a new contract and being given the captains armband, Cristian Romero seems a more settled figure. It also helps that he has the Dutch speed demon Micky van de Ven by his side. These two really could be two of the best centre-back pairings in the country right now and long may it continue.

The draw at Brighton also marked the first time in three years that Tottenham have managed to avoid defeat in an away league game when trailing by two or more goals. This was a run of 15 losses, proving Frank’s suggestion that the mentality of the team is stronger and more robust. In terms of match stats, Tottenham had 45 touches of the ball inside the opposition box, compared to just 17 for Brighton. They also had 11 shots on goal, but only three of those were on target. Meaning many fans are still calling for a top quality number 9.

The Future’s Bright

Everyone knows Frank came to Tottenham with a well respected reputation. With three wins, one draw and one loss the great Dane is really starting to show his pedigree with his new team. That’s a healthy ten points from five games, scoring ten and only conceding three goals. He’s also up and running with his first win the Champions League, so there’s lots of optimism around Tottenham Hotspur at the moment. The longer this feeling lasts, the more chance there is of the letters ’s’ and ‘y’ staying away from the end of the word spur…. Or so we hope.