Spurs: Is it time for a sugar daddy owner or in Levy we trust?
As the Harry years have gone by we have, in equal measures I feel, made some superb acquisitions and also squandered millions on acquisitions that will choose simply to describe as not superb.
With the transfer market being such a minefield, and a minefield that appears to be full of mercenaries at that, how can clubs such as ours continue to strive for season on season improvement without the bottomless pockets of your oil Ogliarchs or Sheikhs?
For every Scott Parker there has been a Sebastien Bassong. For every Van der Vaart there has been a Robbie Keane (second time round). With so many criteria that have to be met for a player to be successful in the English Premier League, along with a stringent wage and transfer budget, it is becoming nigh on impossible to see how Tottenham can continue to be part of a new look 'Big Four' year in year out.
We are very lucky to have a chairman with the business acumen that Daniel Levy possesses. He continues to maintain the club's financial position despite the lack of stadia that many of our rivals can lay claim to and the lack of a money bags benefactor. He makes sure that the club's accounts are as such to allow our manager do a job that many envy.
We have seen many clubs suffer at the hands of owners that want be a fan favourite, but also can't help meddling only to realise that their knowledge of our great game was not what they believed it to be.
For us to move forward and go from challenging for Champions League qualification to challenging for the Champions League trophy it is essential to be in a new stadium with a stronger squad. This can only happen with great investment. Investment that I am sure the current setup is capable of, but will require a great deal of time and patience from us fans.
It will be slow and at times, I'm sure, arduous. In footballing terms we are in a healthy position, perhaps not as healthy as some fans feel we should be but we are certainly not a club in rapid decline. This means that to investors, we are still an attractive proposition when it come to selling the stadium naming rights. This will be the largest sum of external money put towards the stadium that Spurs will not have to pay back. It is achievable, Arsenal have managed it recently and set a good model to follow for a self-financed club.
A young, improving squad can be maintained for a period of five years with relatively little disturbance, maybe just one or two comings and goings a year to keep the squad fresh. It is, however, key to have the right manager in charge.
It goes without saying that if a multi-billionaire decided they wanted to buy Spurs and that money was of no object in their pursuit of turning Tottenham Hotspur into the biggest, most successful club in the world, financially it would be a lot more comfortable. If this were to happen, it would come at a risk. Yes we would have the 60,000-seater, world class stadium that has been talked about for so long. Yes we could compete with all comers for the world's finest players. However, we could get an owner that wants to pick the team, or even an owner that wants to PLAY (Shanghai Shenuha)!! This is all without even considering the new UEFA Financial Fair Play Rules that are now in effect. How would a club, already competing in Europe, be able to get away with £100 million losses now?
This brings us back to the question of whether we NEED a money bags owner that wishes to use us as his hobby in order for us to become the world revered side that we all want. I for one hope this never happens to us. I could think of nothing worse than being dependant on a rich man's whim. I have, for years, shaken my head like an old man watching a youngster defacing someone else's property at the likes of Man City, Chelsea, PSG etc. Thus, it would be somewhat hypocritical of me to cheer a side built in a very similar manner. Also, you would have to live in the constant fear that one day that said rich man may decide he has had enough of football and all of the criticism that comes with it and pull his money out and leave you with an unserviceable wage bill, à la Portsmouth FC.
I like the fact that Tottenham is a well-run business and despite only having played Champions League football once we almost guarantee a spot in the annual list of the world's 20 richest clubs and with the right plans in place both on and off the pitch I believe we can continue to grow into the club that we so badly desire.
I know that all of our dreams could come true should we acquire a very wealthy owner with the right mentality but at the same time I wouldn't want it to come with the potential risk of having to realise our worst nightmare.
Do you agree with Gary Stevens? Would you welcome the Mr MoneyBags at White Hart Lane? Do you feel that there is no better chairman than Daniel Levy? Whatever you views, we would love to hear from you.
Related Articles:
Spurs: Is there a glass ceiling on White Hart Lane?
Spurs: What is going on at the Lane?
