It was officially confirmed last week that Daniel Levy would be stepping down from his position as Tottenham Hotspur’s chairman, and it was met with mixed reactions.
Some wanted to point to the fact that Spurs were the most profitable ‘big six’ team in the Premier League during his tenure, which spanned over 24 years from March 2001 to the start of this month.
You only have to rewind a few months to the Europa League trophy that Spurs won, ending their 17-year wait for a major trophy, to find one of the highlights of Levy’s time as chairman.
Daniel Levy's expensive Spurs blunders
However, some supporters may point to some of his transfer business over the years as being less-than-impressive, perhaps contributing to the 17-year wait for a trophy.
Levy was not really different to any other chairman, owner, or sports director, in the sense that he made good and bad signings throughout his time at the club.
For example, he sanctioned a potential club-record level deal for Dominic Solanke last summer, signing the English striker in a move worth up to £65m. The 27-year-old marksman scored just nine goals from 10.97 xG in 27 appearances in the Premier League for Spurs last season, per Sofascore.
Solanke is, therefore, yet to show that he is worth a club-record fee for Tottenham, given his lack of quality in front of goal so far, but he is not the only Levy signing who falls into that category.
Richarlison was signed from Everton in the summer of 2022 in a deal that was worth up to £60m, and he has yet to live up to that price tag for the club.
How much Richarlison's market value has plummeted at Spurs
Levy made one of his biggest errors as the club’s chairman when he sanctioned that mammoth transfer for the Brazil international, because the striker’s market value has plummeted in the last three years.
Richarlison, who was once described as a “goalmouth monster” by Ange Postecoglou, has been a frustrating figure in North London, as he has produced moments of quality, like the bicycle kick goal against Burnley this season.
However, those moments have been too few and far between, as the £60m signing has only scored 22 goals in 94 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt.
The former Everton and Watford marksman scored one goal in his first Premier League season with the club and four in the 2024/25 campaign, with 11 goals in his second term, which illustrates his inconsistency in front of goal.
July 2022
£60m move to Spurs
December 2022
£48m
June 2023
£42m
September 2023
£35m
December 2023
£30m
May 2024
£33m
December 2024
£26m
March 2025
£22m
May 2025 – present
£17m
As you can see in the table above, Richarlison’s market value has been heavily impacted by his inconsistency on the pitch, as his value has dropped by a staggering £43m from £60m to £17m at the time of writing.
The Brazilian attacker could point to injuries, as he has missed 58 games through injury in the last three seasons, but the return of one goal in 27 Premier League games in his first year at the club was simply not good enough.
Spurs should expect more from Richarlison for the money Levy shelled out to bring him to the club, which is why he should currently be considered one of the ex-chairman’s biggest blunders.
As it stands, the £60m deal that was put together to sign the Brazil international from Everton looks to have been a huge overpay by Levy, given that he is currently valued at just £17m.