Previous Spurs manager Jol departed White Hart Lane back in 2007 following a three-year spell working with Levy, who recently exited the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after almost 25 years.
The 69-year-old was initially employed by the club in an assistant capacity, but soon progressed to become the main boss and then enjoyed a three-season relationship alongside the former Spurs chairman.
During a recent conversation with Football.London, the Dutch coach provided his brutally frank assessment of the now-former Spurs executive, as well as some insight into their working dynamic.
Daniel Levy declined opportunity to secure Luis Suarez for Tottenham Hotspur
“At times I feel that this man perhaps cannot be truly liked, as he holds himself back. Over the last 18 years or thereabouts since then, he doesn’t call, not even if a player in Holland is available or something similar; he never seeks advice.”
“Daniel is a sincere individual, trust me, he’s a sincere individual. He is very cultured. He would never intentionally cause problems, which is why he felt he needed people around him. He leaned upon a tight-knit group.”
“He’s not much of a communicator and lacks comprehensive football knowledge; Daniel’s strength lies in business and, in truth, that’s absolutely correct.”
Levy openly admits to supporting Spurs and boasts extensive experience within football, maintaining close control of the club’s accounts throughout his time there.
The entrepreneur ensured Tottenham held the lowest wages-to-turnover ratio in the Premier League in recent seasons and was pivotal in the team’s move to the highly-regarded Tottenham Hotspur Stadium; however, his way of operating often put him at odds with the supporters.
“He’s commercially superb,” stated Jol. “Though in 80% of cases, his scouting department were poor. That’s my opinion because people continuously chide him for not investing, but in reality, they’ve spent about £700 million over the past four to five years.”
“Looking at the players they have brought in, there were multiple poor fits. That’s what I told Daniel: ‘Why don’t you just pick up the phone?’ I knew Toby Alderweireld well. Also, I gave [Christian] Eriksen his first-ever match.”
Some fans may interpret Jol’s comment here as condemning Levy’s stint at the club, after the retired manager shared Spurs missed out on acquiring Luis Suarez ahead of Liverpool, when the Reds sealed the agreement for the Uruguayan in 2011.
“I was familiar with Luis Suarez’s ability. I asked ‘Why didn’t you acquire Suarez?’ He then explained: ‘Because my staff suggested that he was an almost identical player to Van der Vaart’.”
“Really? Suarez is an out-and-out forward. With me, he would start wide on the right, but I recognised Suarez was not a natural winger; I used Marko Pantelic as a central striker, so I would use Suarez as a wide forward, much like [Mohamed] Salah today.”
“Suarez is an icon. The fee was £25 million, but [Daniel] wouldn’t consider it.”
Jol coached Suarez during the 2009-10 season, lifting the KNVB Cup with the Amsterdam side.
