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DPL International Break - Daniel Levy Special
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Join your Global Sports Podcast Network team for your daily briefing on all things premier league – News, transfers, analysis and opinion – you’ll find it here on Daily Premier League part of the Global Sports Podcast Network podcast channel
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Transcript
Introduction to GSPN Friday EPL Show
00:00:05
Speaker
Your daily soccer podcast with the Global Sports Podcast Network. Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the GSPN Friday EPL show, your weekend starter for all things Premier League. My name's Kate. It is Friday, September the 5th. And while we're still stuck in the international break with no domestic fixtures, boring,
Daniel Levy Steps Down at Spurs
00:00:26
Speaker
I know, isn't it? ah The Premier League has still delivered massive headlines. The biggest one, arguably, Daniel Levy stepping down at Spurs after nearly 25 years at the helm.
00:00:38
Speaker
That's a generational power shift, my friends. We're going to dive deep into what that means for Spurs' identity, their strategy and their fans. We're also going to break down Liverpool's record-breaking summer, Alexandra Eriksson.
00:00:52
Speaker
alexandra Alexander Isak and Florian Wurtz, now part of the Salah system. And of course, a dedicated lead section, you know, where the big story isn't results on the pitch, but a fan base basically that's absolutely raging, quite rightly in my opinion, about a flat transfer window and later a quick transfer buzz roundup to close things out.
Current Premier League Standings
00:01:16
Speaker
Let's go.
00:01:20
Speaker
So normally this is a bit where we'd grade my fixture forecast. But with the break on, let's just reset the league table as it stands after match week three, shall we? Liverpool, top of the league, maximum points, looking pretty sharp, if I may say so.
00:01:38
Speaker
ah and then, of course, we've got Chelsea right behind them in second. And then Arsenal in third. Spurs, second. sitting quite comfortably in fourth and now entering the post-Levy era. What's that going to bring?
00:01:54
Speaker
ah Down the table, Man United in ninth on four points. ah No top four narrative just yet. Just a challenge of kind of climbing back into the European conversation. Are they going to do it? And of course, Leeds on the same points tally. Tucked safely, safely, safely ah mid-table for now. As long as it stays that way, I'll be quite happy.
00:02:16
Speaker
That's a lay of the land as we head through the international break.
Daniel Levy's Legacy at Spurs
00:02:23
Speaker
So Daniel Levy has stepped down as executive chairman of Spurs after nearly 25 years. The longest serving Premier League chairman is gone from the day-to-day role, though he's still going to remain as an owner ah via ENIC. Is it ENIC or ENIC?
00:02:40
Speaker
Tell me, I want to know. ah i need i need schooling in that, right? ah Spurs confirmed that Peter Carrington, he's going to become non-executive chairman with Vinay Venkatesham.
00:02:52
Speaker
Did I spell that? Did I pronounce that right? ah Yes, that's Arsenal's former CEO, by the way. He's going to step in as chief exec and Thomas Frank already in as head coach since the summer.
00:03:05
Speaker
Now, Levy's legacy, right? It's a bit of a split, isn't it? Straight down the middle. On the one hand, a world-class stadium, a state-of-the-art training ground, global commercial growth and Spurs transformed into pretty much, I think it's fair to say, a financial heavyweight.
00:03:22
Speaker
On the other hand, though, right, you've got one League Cup trophy in 2008, last season's Europa League win in Bilbao and two decades of nearly moments, right?
00:03:34
Speaker
ah in the Premier League and Champions League. For all the cash, the silverware tally is looking pretty grim, isn't it?
Future of Spurs Post-Levy
00:03:42
Speaker
For fans, of course, it's complicated. Some are going remember Levy as the architect who put Spurs on the map commercially.
00:03:48
Speaker
Others will never forgive him for the endless managerial changes and transfer windows where ambition, i think it's fair to say, seemed pretty half-hearted Jamie O'Hara, the ex-Spurs midfielder, said this week that 90 to 95% of fans will be glad to see him go.
00:04:06
Speaker
And that's kind of the vibe I've got from speaking to fellow, not fellow Spurs fans, but, you know, Spurs fans, basically. So what actually changes, right, with him going? Well, first of all, the decision making, because, you know, Levy was the definition of hands-on. Transfers, contracts, everything.
00:04:23
Speaker
um And now Spurs are going to kind of move to a more modern split. You know, owners oversee... ah The CEO executes and the head coach coaches.
00:04:35
Speaker
Venter Keysham's Arsenal background means he kind of knows both the commercial side and the footballing side. And Thomas Frank's tactical clarity and development pedigree And Spurs are kind of betting on joined up thinking instead of one man pulling the the strings, which is what it has been ah so far.
00:04:54
Speaker
ah Second, recruitment. All right. This summer was already a step in, ah well, towards cohesion, but basically. We've got Xavi Simons and Kudus coming in. Young, dynamic, versatile talent.
00:05:08
Speaker
Not kind of scattergun buys, but players with resale value and clear tactical fits. um That kind of feels like the template moving forward. A bit more coherence, right?
00:05:20
Speaker
And, you know, third, expectations. The Levy era has basically left Spurs with infrastructure infrastructure to rival anyone. That stadium is...
00:05:31
Speaker
State-of-the-art, isn't it? I mean, as a Leeds fan, when you look at Ellen Rowe by comparison, well, you can't compare. um But a fan base hungry for football to match the stadium. That's all they want.
00:05:42
Speaker
You know, if Frank delivers a stable midfield, an identity in possession and top six consistency, well, the Levy-Out chorus is going to fade,
Liverpool's Strategic Transfers
00:05:53
Speaker
is it? If not, Spurs risk another cycle of false dawns, which I hope they don't have, to be honest.
00:06:00
Speaker
Bottom line for me, Levy's exit is hugely symbolic, but, you know, um the real test is whether this new structure turns a slick organisational chart into points, prizes and pride.
00:06:18
Speaker
So what about Liverpool then, right? Liverpool didn't just spend big, they rewrote their attack. First came Florian Verts from Leverkusen for around £116 million.
00:06:29
Speaker
Then Alexander Isak arrived from Newcastle, we all knew he would, didn't we, for £125 million. quid That is a British record. Together, that is nearly quarter of a billion on two players.
00:06:44
Speaker
And get this, about 446 million across the summer, right? So let's look at what they bring. Isak, of course, technical finishing, link up play, clever movement off the left channel.
00:06:58
Speaker
Verts is a creator, right? Verts a half-space dribbler and kind of a master of the final pass and Salah's gravity, of course. And you've kind of suddenly got this triangle where any of these three can create or finish.
00:07:13
Speaker
It's so exciting. And what about those who left? The departures. Well, Luis Diaz went to Bayern, Darwin Nunez to Al-Hilal. Liverpool lose chaos,
00:07:24
Speaker
Right. But they kind of gain control. You know, fewer coin flip moments, I'd say, a more structured chance creation. The ceiling is a side that can dictate tempo in big matches instead of needing a frantic comeback, basically.
00:07:41
Speaker
But, you know, chemistry takes time, as we all know. Isak's saga meant a disrupted pre-season. Wurtz is new to this league, isn't he? And Salah is still obviously the heartbeat of the team.
00:07:52
Speaker
If the early weeks feel a bit clunky, patience is going to be the key. So don't get too ah despondent. Two subplots, as I see it.
00:08:03
Speaker
Money, right? Liverpool broke records, but they did it without breaching PSR, a sign that they're building sustainability, basically. And culture, you know, when a fan account on X framed the verse ISAC arrival as the biggest upgrade ever over Diaz and Nunez, Salah publicly shot it down. He reminded everybody basically to respect past players while welcoming in the new ones.
00:08:30
Speaker
That is leadership. And that is exactly the tone that Arn Slott will want in the dressing room. On the pitch, Isak's pressing intelligence should let Liverpool's midfield sit a yard or two higher, you know, while Wurtz needs a ball winner basically covering his licence to kind of roam around.
Financial Strategy and Cultural Respect at Liverpool
00:08:50
Speaker
Done right, this window fixes Liverpool's Achilles heel. Consistency and control in tight games, although they are still a bit dodgy at the back, I've noticed. um But anyway, done wrong, it ring it risks months of tactical tinkering, right? Which could basically be their undoing, dare I say that? I don't see it myself, but anyway.
00:09:12
Speaker
ah But make no mistake, this is a title race play. Are they going to do it for a second time? Are they? Who knows?
Leeds' Disappointing Transfer Window
00:09:23
Speaker
Okay, we can't go any further without talking about the one and the only Leeds United. um forget tactics for a second, right? The story here, guys, is rage.
00:09:34
Speaker
Rage and fury. Right. Leeds spent just over one hundred and three million quid this summer. Sounds decent, doesn't it? Until you realize that newly promoted Sunderland dropped to about one hundred and forty one million outspending Leeds by nearly forty million.
00:09:52
Speaker
That stings, especially when you think that Daniel Farker was promised quality once we got back into the Premier League. What did they get for their money?
00:10:04
Speaker
Jack Harrison back again after a loan at Everton. I mean, it pains me to so even say this. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who fans are already branding another Everton cast-off. They are Everton's cast-offs, right?
00:10:20
Speaker
One Furious supporter on X posted, I noted this week. So this is the ambition, recycling Goodison's injury list. And that person was right, all right?
00:10:32
Speaker
It's nightmare. Leeds will be lucky to stay up this season um off the back of that awful um transfer window. You know, deadline day didn't calm it either. The club's socials were bombarded with replies like pathetic, same old Leeds, no ambition.
00:10:49
Speaker
Another fan summed it up perfectly. Leeds definitely underwhelming so far in the transfer window step in. It up, but they didn't. It was pathetic.
00:11:00
Speaker
It was woeful. It was embarrassing. Meanwhile, Sunderland are signing players in the 20 to 30 million quid bracket and leads look basically like they're bargain hunting at the car boot.
00:11:12
Speaker
You know, that's why the mood's so so sour. It's not about the four points on the board. It's about the ambition. It's about the ambition. You know, fans feel the board are trying to survive on the cheap, you know, while um rivals are gearing up for war.
00:11:30
Speaker
And, you know, that should be the mindset when you enter the Premier League, a league that we're supposed to be in. You gear up for war. You know, you don't shop around in the bargain basement.
00:11:42
Speaker
You know, it's the equivalent of going to Poundland for your biscuits as opposed to going to Marks Spencers. Right. Even if you went to Marks and Spencers and you looked in the whoops section, it's still better than going to Poundland.
00:11:57
Speaker
Right. Well, you know what I'm trying to say. um ah But anyway, ah that basically the gap between support to hunger And boardroom calculation ah is the real battle for Leeds this season, because unless and that's they have the supporters behind them, which which of course they always will do, but if the supporters kind of think that the the board and the owners have no ambition, the ambition that we were promised and we actually thought they did have, well, you know, they're going to lose, they're going to lose room pretty quickly.
00:12:30
Speaker
Anyway, that's my Leeds rant for another week.
Major Premier League Summer Transfers Review
00:12:36
Speaker
Alrighty, let's have a quick look at the rest of the big summer movers then. Go over them, the summer transfer buzz. We've got Liverpool smashing records for Verts and Isak.
00:12:45
Speaker
We've got Man City signing Donnarumma from PSG. I love that guy. What a goalkeeper. What a, um like a boon that is for them, right? I remember watching him and play for Italy in the World Cup. I think it was the one before last. He was superb. Not really sure how he's got on at PSG. Can't comment on that, but it sounds like a good signing to me.
00:13:06
Speaker
Spurs added Xavi Simons and Mohamed Koudas in their new Frank-led post-Daniel Levy rebuild slash era. Arsenal, of course, landed Victor Xocherees from Sporting.
00:13:19
Speaker
Man United brought in Brian Mboumo, Mboumo, Mboumo, however you say it, from Brentford. um But they're sweating injuries, they are. yeah Diogo Delac pulled out the Portugal duty with a muscle discomfort.
00:13:32
Speaker
And I think Mason Mount and a couple of couple of the others have got a few other niggles. So we'll see how that plays out in coming weeks. And yes, Luis Diaz is at Bayern. Darwin Nunes is at Al-Hilal. Confirmed exits that freed Liverpool to reshape.
00:13:49
Speaker
And that's about it, right? No fixtures this weekend, but plenty to chew on Daniel Levy out at Spurs, Liverpool loading up with Isak and Wurtz, and Leeds fans tearing strips off the board after a flat summer window.
00:14:02
Speaker
Next Friday, i'm going to be back with fixture forecasts for a full Premier League slate, and we'll see if Leeds have found any goals, or confined any goals, should I say, after that.
00:14:13
Speaker
Awful nil-nil draw at Elland Road against Newcastle. What a dreadful, boring, awful match that was. And let's see if Spurs look any different post-Levy and how those record liver put ri that are Liverpool signings are betting in.
00:14:29
Speaker
Listen, until until then, enjoy the internationals. Take a breath and get ready for the league to roar back.
00:14:40
Speaker
Your daily soccer podcast. the Global Sports Podcast Network.