Daniel Levy's philosophy at Tottenham has led to faliure – it must change

It was Danny Rose who gave the game away in the All or Nothing documentary that followed Tottenham Hotspur when he concluded a confrontation with Jose Mourinho by saying: “I’m going to see Daniel.”

Daniel, of course, is Daniel Levy, the Tottenham chairman who, over the past 20 years, has hired 10 permanent coaches, who, between them, have won 61 trophies before and after managing Spurs.

Sadly, the combined total of trophies those same coaches managed to win with Tottenham remains at just one – the 2008 League Cup – and this will finish as another trophyless season for the club no matter who is in charge at the end of it.

For all the changes of managers and players, it seems the culture of Tottenham has remained broadly the same. For Rose in 2020, read Richarlison in 2023.

It was Richarlison, remember, who earlier this month gave an interview to Brazilian media after the Champions League elimination to AC Milan, claiming he was fit and that he should have started.

Richarlison presumably declared himself fit to start the Southampton game as well and yet had to be replaced after just three minutes. The forward is still yet to score for Tottenham in the Premier League this season and his biggest club achievement to date is survival from relegation with Everton.

One can only speculate on whether or not Richarlison is one of the group of Tottenham players who were supposedly upset by Antonio Conte’s assessment of them.

The view from within the dressing room was reported as being that the players felt Conte will leave the club, either immediately or at the end of the season. Of course they would, why wouldn’t they? The recent history of Tottenham is to sack the manager and let the players off the hook.

Managing director of football Fabio Paratici was appointed to try to help shift the Spurs culture and the Italian has done that to an extent but too many roads still lead to Levy.

Mauricio Pochettino briefly bucked the trend of the dressing room holding all the power, but when results dipped after the Champions League final, Levy eventually opted to do what he has always done – replace the coach and allow the players to dictate the culture.

History would suggest that players, even those who have achieved very little, are viewed as a financial asset by Levy, while managers are treated as a cost.

It had been Pochettino who promoted Levy’s brother-in-law Allan Dixon from being a player liaison officer to team manager. Dixon is a popular and well-liked member of staff who is a trusted figure, but his presence on the touchline and proximity to the squad has raised eyebrows from the outside.

At least Rose had the front to tell Mourinho to his face that he was going to take his excuses to Levy. Not all the Tottenham players have been so brave over the years, with the treatment tables thought to be one place where grievances are often aired.

This, of course, is not uncommon throughout football and yet the Premier League’s most successful clubs over recent years have been rewarded for backing their coaches over under-performing players.

Pep Guardiola was allowed to dump the likes of Joe Hart and Yaya Toure, who is now working at Tottenham, Jurgen Klopp oversaw a huge overhaul at Liverpool and Mikel Arteta was allowed to change the culture at Arsenal, even while missing out on Champions League qualification.

Chelsea were the best example of a club who could win trophies while consistently blaming and changing their managers. But that was while they could outspend their rivals and since their financial advantage has been reduced, so too has their success rate, with the Blues trying to emulate City, Liverpool and Arsenal these days.

It tells Spurs fans all they need to know that central to Levy’s decision over Conte is whether or not he believes the Italian can still achieve qualification for next season’s Champions League amid fears that his criticism of the players will see Tottenham lose their grip on fourth place.

Should Levy sack Conte to try to save a top-four place, then he will have demonstrated a greater interest in earning money than winning trophies and committing to a proper chance that might one day see Tottenham rewrite their history.

Arsenal accepted a season in the Europa League in pursuit of a bigger dream, which could well become a reality at the end of this season. Tottenham it seems are stuck with the Rose mentality of “I’m going to see Daniel.”