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[스포티비뉴스=이성필 기자] Tottenham Hotspur Chairman Daniel Levy seems willing to sell all his players if he can make a profit.
Tottenham is showing the moves of a thoroughly commercial club. To recoup the cost of building Tottenham Hotspur, they are working hard on all kinds of external projects, such as hosting National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) games.
There is no problem with the management’s plan in realizing the use of the multi-purpose stadium. Rather than simply being used as a soccer-specific stadium, increasing the number of operating days to facilitate the circulation of funds could lead to more rentals.
However, when it comes to team management, maintaining the framework of power should take priority over commercial logic, but things are moving in that direction.
A representative example is Son Heung-min’s contract renewal. Harry Kane, who was already a symbol of Tottenham, experienced difficulties during his transfer to Bayern Munich. There is a famous anecdote in which Chairman Levy was offended by Kane’s unsportsmanlike behavior, such as stopping while trying to board a private plane to Munich.
It is unpleasant to treat a player who has devoted a long time to the club like an old shoe. Captain Son Heung-min, who brings all kinds of benefits, including No. 1 in Tottenham uniform sales, could be in the same situation.
British popular newspaper ‘Mirror’ said, ‘Tottenham seems to be at the forefront of commercial clubs. “It is unfortunate for the individual that Son Heung-min’s contract renewal and option exercise are only rumored and nothing has been confirmed,” he said, predicting that nothing will be achieved with Chairman Levy’s attitude of only running a calculator.
In particular, an alternative to Son Heung-min has still not been found. There has been talk in various media that the team is preparing to secure a wing striker in his teens or early 20s, but no resources have been found that show anything more than the current Son Heung-min.
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Having players suffer from measles due to transfer issues in advance of the season is not very helpful for their performance. In addition to Son Heung-min, rumors have begun to emerge that Real Madrid is interested in vice-captains Christian Romero and Pedro Foro.
Coincidentally, Romero blocked Real’s interest and did not hide his intention to raise his wages and protect him, but the case of Poro is different. There would be no problem if Real signed Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool, but if not, the situation would be different. You need to consider how much money you will sell it for.
It is difficult to deny that player transfer fees are an important part of running a club, but the treatment of captain Son Heung-min, who apologizes to the fans by saying “I’m sorry” when he loses a game, is quite harsh. Coach Enze Postecoglou is also unable to easily resolve the chaotic atmosphere in the team, and shows no sense of structure as he becomes the center of criticism from fans and consumes their emotions.
The media said, ‘Chairman Levy’s business strategy seems to be devoid of emotions. “I only see numbers that have been thoroughly calculated,” he said, diagnosing that Tottenham has the potential to be a club obsessed with making money regardless of performance. This means that it is okay to be far from winning as long as the right star players and qualifications for European club competitions are secured.
Tottenham may be in even more trouble if the option exercise is not confirmed or the renewal of the contract is not stamped before the winter transfer window opens in January next year. Whether Chairman Levy’s strategy of thoroughly utilizing controversies for management is correct depends on the fans’ sentiments.
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