Daniel Levy exit not expected to lead to sale of Tottenham

Tottenham’s owners are understood to be committed to the club for the long term amid speculation the exit of executive chairman Daniel Levy on Thursday might be the precursor to a sale of the club.

Levy is understood to have been invited to step down by the Lewis family trust, which controls ownership of the club. The family felt it was time for a change at the top after he had been the club’s key decision-maker for almost a quarter of a century.

Their hope now is that the appointment of Vinai Venkatesham as chief executive earlier this year and bringing Peter Charrington on board as non-executive chairman can be the main building blocks to driving greater on-field success.

The PA news agency understands the trust would be open to external investment, but a full sale is not being contemplated as it stands.

Instead the focus is on improving results on the pitch, after the club finished a hugely disappointing 17th in last season’s Premier League even as they won the Europa League.

A source close to the Lewis family said: “Generations of the Lewis family support this special football club and they want what the fans want – more wins more often.

“This is why you have seen recent changes, new leadership and a fresh approach. In Vinai, (new head coach) Thomas (Frank) and Peter Charrington, they believe they are backing the right team to deliver on this. This is a new era.”

The family commissioned a review by US firm the Gibb River Group, which is understood to have contributed to the changes made among the leadership but was not the sole factor.

The review did however reinforce the idea that a professional CEO was needed, sources close to the family indicated.