After 25 years as chairman of Tottenham Hotspur football club, Daniel Levy has stepped down from his role as Executive Chairman on Thursday, according to a statement on the club website and on social media.
Chasing success since his arrival at the club, Levy has transformed the club in many ways with a state of the art stadium, training facilities, and other endeavors around the pitch. Under Levy’s leadership the club’s profile rose dramatically from a club that mostly competed for cup titles and frequently
finished near mid-table to one that regularly competed in the Champions League. Trophy success was much harder to come by in the Levy era; last season’s Europa League title was the first silverware in 17 years at the club and comes after the League Cup title in 2008. His crowning achievement however is the construction of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the footprint of the old White Hart Lane, with Spurs playing in what was then the newest (and still best) stadium in England.
I am incredibly proud of the work I have done together with the executive team and all our employees. We have built this club into a global heavyweight competing at the highest level. More than that, we have built a community. I was lucky enough to work with some of the greatest people in this sport, from the team at Lilywhite House and Hotspur Way to all the players and managers over the years.
“I wish to thank all the fans that have supported me over the years. It hasn’t always been an easy journey but significant progress has been made. I will continue to support this club passionately.”https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2025/september/tottenham-hotspur-announces-departure-of-executive-chairman-daniel-levy/
Levy’s tenure is a complicated one — as great as his contributions were in transforming Tottenham, he frequently rankled fans for switching managers, and his fiscal prudence often seemed to clash with Spurs fans’ desire for sustained success on the pitch. As an example, Levy sacked Ange Postecoglou, who delivered the Europa League title, after Spurs finished in 17th place in the league; the chairman voiced the clubs passion to win Premier Leagues and Champions League titles. Levy’s final managerial appointment was Thomas Frank from Brentford, but he also hired Vinai Venkatesham as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and brought Martin Ho in to lead the women’s team, all part of a comprehensive backroom shakeup.
It appears as though that shakeup may have contributed to Levy’s departure. The article is not clear on exactly what happened that led to this decision, but the report suggests that the Tottenham Board of Directors have eliminated Levy’s entire role, not just him as Executive Chairman. Appointed as part of the summer boardroom changes, Peter Charrington is now stepping into the newly-created role of Non-Executive Chairman.
As part of its succession planning, the club has made a number of senior appointments in recent months. Vinai Venkatesham was hired as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), with Thomas Frank as our new men’s head coach and Martin Ho as women’s head coach. Peter Charrington joined the board and will step into the newly created role of Non-Executive Chairman.
— Statement, Tottenham Hotspur
This implies that the entire leadership structure is changing from a single Chairman in charge of all football and non-football operations to a model by which there is a CEO and board managing all aspects of the club. From my reading this implies that Vinai Venkatesham, whom Levy appointed last year, will ostensibly be the head of the snake. This reorganization would give significantly more power in club operations and decisions to the board, which is comprised in part of members of the Joe Lewis family. It’s a sea change in the way the club has been managed up until this point.
It is also interesting that this change is happening now, soon after the club had previously announced a large cash injection into the club and a distinct difference in how the club was managed from the top down. It is NOT clear whether Daniel Levy’s departure is voluntary, or if Venkatesham and the board decided to restructure, leaving Levy out of the picture. The timing of this announcement might suggest that this decision has been in the works for a while now, but it’s not known if that is actually the case. I would also hesitate to make any conclusions… yet… about whether this decision would have any bearing on recent rumors that the Joe Lewis Family Trust, which owns the majority of Tottenham shares, would be open to selling the club.
This is a massive, massive change for Tottenham Hotspur. We will have more on this as the news develops.
