How is it that a chairman sells the club’s best player and still comes out looking like a hero?
Simply, because he is a shrewd dealer who has everything figured since months ago.
Gareth Bale was the club’s top scorer with 21 goals in the league and almost single-handedly, dragged Tottenham into a lucrative Champions League position with a number of, often stunning, winning goals towards the end of the season.
Bale was recognised as the standout player in the league, sweeping the board at the end of season awards, winning the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards, besides the prestigious Football Writer’s Player of the Year award.
With the form and recognition came interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe, and eventually, Real Madrid. With Tottenham having missed out on Europe’s elite competition for the second year running, bids to sign Bale were inevitable.
This is where the smartest man in Football, Daniel Levy, comes in.
Often considered as a hard negotiator, having sold previous star players like Luka Modric and Dimitar Berbatov at a premium, this summer has been nothing more than about saving face.
Although contracted to Tottenham for another three years, Bale wants out and with the price on his head at all-time high, all roads lead out of the door for the man from Cardiff.
This time, however, the stakes have been raised because of just how important Bale has been to Tottenham over the last couple of years.
Levy has spent well and has got the fans excited with a number of eye-catching signings. Paulinho starred in the Confederations Cup for Brazil, Roberto Soldado has consistently scored goals for one of the world’s elite clubs in Valencia, Nacer Chadli has a wonderful goal-scoring record for a winger and Etienne Capoue is a young but technically astute player who should fit well to the Spurs system.
With the fans’ attention diverted to these new players, as well as the excitement surrounding the possible additions of Willian from Anzhi and Erik Lamela, the prodigious young talent from Roma, nobody has any time to dwell on losing the club’s best player.
Although a lot of credit has to go to Franco Baldini, Tottenham’s new Technical Director and possibly most astute signing of recent times, it is Levy who has overseen the entire summer operation.
Bale will depart with nothing but the fans blessing, while taking up the challenge of playing for the world’s biggest club. Southampton may have discovered Bale but it was Tottenham who created the modern day superstar and they will always see him as one of their own.
It is likely that a deal was struck with Real Madrid weeks ago, Levy simply wanted the time to make a few signings, appease the fans and then move forward.
Levy would not have spent the amount of money he has, and still plans to, without a significant lump sum already coming in the other way.
If a deal hadn’t already been struck, then Real Madrid would sense that Tottenham were eager to sell to cover their costs, thus, driving down the price of the player; Levy is not stupid.
The final cost for Bale is yet to be seen, however, one would be surprised if it is the $160 million being reported. If the deal also includes Fabio Coentrao, who up until a couple of years ago was arguably a better prospect than Bale, then this feat will be only down to one man.
A final thought to throw into the whole affair is the ‘partnership’ that Real Madrid and Tottenham signed last year, a deal which Levy most likely instigated and was integral in all its finer details.
While little is known about the specifics of the deal, it would come as zero surprise if Bale plus a player swap was mooted as long ago as last summer.
Don’t be too surprised if the top performing Tottenham players in the upcoming campaign are seen in a Real Madrid shirt next season, sold at a ‘Levy’ premium.
Ben Lusk
Roar Rookie
Couldn't agree more about 'arry. Great as a personality in Football but has a pretty patchy history. Known as a wheeler dealer but helped to pretty much bankrupt Portsmouth with the deals he put in place and was responsible for putting people like Samba on £100k a week in a relegation threatened team. With the new influx this is now definitely more AVB's teams than Harry's, we'll see if it's better and if so how much better.
Steven McBain
Roar Guru
I personally wouldn't mention Redknapp because he's the most overrated manager of his generation who simply (in the Terry Venables mould) befriends the media, gets himself a great press and dupes everyone along the way. Redknapp is a mangerial charlatan and dodgy to the hilt in terms of financial dealings. If you ask a lot of West Ham fans in particular they were more than happy to see the back of him and bearing in mind Levy is so shrewd, it would seem odd that he would have dispensed with him so easily if he was indeed the manager everyone thinks he is. The FA weren't even remotely interested in him for the England job. He has a wonderful PR machine and nothing else. The journalists love him, the people in the game think otherwise.
Steven McBain
Roar Guru
Excellent article Ben and you're probably spot on about what is going on with Bale right now. I had my doubts about the deal happening but the level of spending indicates Spurs didn't want the deal to come out and everyone know they were laden with cash prior. Think you completely right.
Mantis
Roar Guru
Interesting you havent mentioned Harry Redknapp in there anywhere. He is acknowledged as one of the best wheeler-dealers in the comp. I think he and Levy were a good business partnership.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Still think many spurs fans would have loved to have the last decade or even last 15 years Arsenal have had, i.e. UCL every year. They may not have had a great year for quite a while now but they also haven't had a 'bad year' for a very long time. Except Bayern, Man U, maybe AC Milan and the 2 Spanish giants, I don't think many other euro teams have done better, I mean in terms of consistency. Spurs are cashing in on one fantastic player and good on them for that. tbh, I think Wenger was waiting for their UCL preliminary round and after last night's win in Turkey, I think he will now have a good look at what's on offer. As he said last night 'we still have ten days to make a move; ppl don't understand that it's starting now'. Let's see what happens. Not an Arsenal fan but I still think Wenger is one of th smartest managers in world football.
Franko
Guest
Hahaha, it's so true. Adebayor has expired, but look at Levy's run with him thus far: Man City sign the guy for £25million and pay him £160-80,000 p.w Spurs take him on loan, during that time Man City are still paying him £100,000 p.w and Spurs pick up the difference Spurs sign him for £5m. I know I'd be much happier being Spurs than Man City in that case, they have lost £20m and paid a guy another £5m in wages who barely even played for them!!!! They'll be hoping to off-load him to Anzhi though.
AlexThanopoulos
Roar Rookie
If he can get Adebeyor off the books then he really is a magician. Looks like he could be the new Winston Bogarde
Franko
Guest
Levy has made his mistakes no doubt, Darren Bent springs to mind but overall, he has been very very good. Here are a few of his highlights: 2006 – Sold Carrick to Man utd for £18.6 (United 6th most expensive ever at the time) and brought in Berbatov for £11, then selling Berbatov 2 years later to Man Utd for £30m (age 29) 2009 – Sold Robbie Keane to Liverpool for £19m bought him back 6 months later for £12m 2010 – Buying Van Der Vaart for £8m (age 27) and selling him two years later for (age 29) £10.3 2013 – Selling Clint Dempsey to Seattle Sounders for £6m (who knew they had that kind of cash!) the same as what they paid Fulham 2 years earlier. (age 30)
AlexThanopoulos
Roar Rookie
Good Article and very true. Spurs have basically strengthened the side across the board and all done with what will be the cost of one (albiet a very good) player. Bale is excellent, but 94 million plus Coentrao? Getting that over the line highlights Levy's abilities...
Ben Lusk
Roar Rookie
Arsenal haven't won a trophy for 8 years and the manager has publically stated that coming 4th is like a trophy. AVB at Spurs came out saying he wanted to win the league in his first season and he now has a much stronger squad without their best player. He has taken some risk but it could work wonders for them this year. Arsene hasn't been aggressive in the transfer market for a number of years and he's relied too heavily on youth. Now he has the money but not the strategy. Next few days will be interesting!
Hawker
Guest
ah yes 4th place the wenger cup, spurs have out grown this ambition as their summer business has shown compared to arsenal's lack of...
ElGusto
Guest
it is always good when you see someone (or...dont see them) operate in a way that shows they understand the importance of perception, and that in a underrated way a clubs success is directly linked to their perception of its management. Spurs, the team that keeps on giving..and to think we always thought it was 'arry
Brian
Guest
A bit rich saying Arsenal can learn from Tottenham when last year they came top 4 and Spurs didn't with Bale.
Ben Lusk
Roar Rookie
Arsene could certainly learn a few things from Mr Levy. After all he sold their best player (Van Persie) to their biggest rivals without replacing him last year. Part of the reason the situation is getting so desperate at the Emirates is because the fans are seeing what great business has been done by their nearest rivals, their rivals that can't even offer Champions League football! Arsenal would love to have the talents of a Willian, Soldado or Lamela. Instead they will pay over the odds for who knows who. Latest names are Benzema and Di Maria,I can't see Real letting both Benzema and Higuain leave in one summer though and Arsenal really need to focus on a striker and not another winger.
Hawker
Guest
The best (and not the best) players are always on the market - at the right price (eg. Bale) Willian and Lamela are quality attacking players, if they are signed spurs have had the best transfer window of anyone. They have also cleared the deadwood in parker,huddlestone, livermore from CM makes sense they brought in Paulinho and will get Sandro back shortly.
Andy
Guest
All the best players are now off the market though. That's not necessarily a bad thing, there will certainly be rough diamonds available but to get the truly world class players Tottenham crave they're arriving a little too late. I don't mind Tottenham, and they do great business, no one can compare to that. I also don't think losing Bale will be that big of a deal but they need to now spend that money wisely, not panic towards the end of the window buying someone they do not need. They have way too many centre mids and need some quality attacking players. I am not conviced that Willian is that player though.
Franko
Guest
Indeed, he is the best wheeler-and-dealer going about. Had they already sold Bale, they'd have to be paying twice as much for any signings as the other clubs knew they would be cashed up. Bale for a record fee and Coentrao is a great result for Spurs. Arsen believes it is best to bring them through young and 'learn the Arsenal way' but it seems he could learn a thing or two from Levy.