Tottenham chairman Levy to give Pochettino increased backing in silverware bid
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is ready to give manager Mauricio Pochettino increased backing in the transfer market as the club strives for silverware.
Fresh from reaching the Champions League final and moving into their stunning new home, Spurs are looking to accelerate improvements on the field as they enter a new era.
Their rise has been underlined by their extended sponsorship deal with AIA, which PA understands to be worth in excess of £40million per season until the end of 2026/27.
We are delighted to announce an agreement with @AIAGroup_Press, one of the world’s leading life insurers, to extend their long-standing Official Partnership until the end of the 2026/2027 season.— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 25, 2019
The new and improved agreement was announced in Shanghai, where Levy vowed to keep spending after completing their stadium and training ground projects.
“We have embarked in recent years on two major capital projects, which I think in the long term will be of great benefit to the club,” Levy said.
“We will now continue wherever we can to improve the team.
“Now it’s (time) to continue to find ways to not only improve the commercial aspects of the club but also the football and continue to be a success.”
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Spurs’ sponsorship deal with AIA is thought to be third biggest deal in the Premier League after Manchester City and United.
Asked if being on similar terms brings pressure to signings, Levy said: “If I’m honest, we don’t feel the pressure. Our view is wherever we can, we will improve the team.
“We have embarked in recent years on two very major capital projects, which I think in the long term will be of great benefit to the club. We will continue wherever we can to improve the team.”
Tanguy Ndombele has arrived from Lyon this summer in a club-record deal, while Paulo Dybala and Giovani Lo Celso are reported targets for a club that have become a top-six force.
“I actually thought we were a top-four club for the last four years?” Levy said.
“But obviously as part of our strategy we want a leading global brand and AIA is a brand we’re very proud to be associated with.”
Levy confirmed that naming rights for Spurs’ stadium have nothing to do with the AIA deal, while there is unlikely be a knock-on effect if they failed to secure Champions League qualification.
“No, obviously the commercial aspects of the deal are sensitive and confidential,” he said.
Caption this…#PL@SpursOfficialpic.twitter.com/1zT1kpigNn— Premier League (@premierleague) July 24, 2019
“All I would say is that when you are in the Premier League it is a very competitive league and AIA know there are no guarantees of finishing in the top four, we very much hope we will, however that is no impact of the deal.”
Levy added: “I’d like to think we’re going in a very positive direction and we will continue to do our very best to continue to grow, not just in Asia but throughout the world.
“As I said before, we’ve now met the priority of building the stadium and our training facilities and now it’s to continue to find ways to not only improve the commercial aspects of the club but also the football and continue to be a success.”
FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.
‘Maybe I’ll be signed by Wrexham, who knows? English football would suit me – if an offer came, I wouldn’t think twice, I’d go immediately’ Euro 2024 cult hero reveals his UK dream
‘Managing Leeds? It was an option that appeared, but it wasn’t the right timing. I decided it wasn’t a good idea to leave the club I was at mid-season’: Premier League boss admits to turning down opportunity to replace Jesse Marsch in 2023