Joe Lewis stays in the shadows as Spurs seek a team fit for Conte
_
Rupert Neate
_____________________
Bahamas-based tycoon is rarely seen at Tottenham, leaving fans puzzled as to why he does not invest more in team struggling to compete with the Premier League’s richest clubs.
Antonio Conte, the new Tottenham manager, has promised Spurs fans they “deserve to have a competitive team with a will to fight" and said he would “do everything to [earn] their support". While the fans welcome Conte’s desire to improve the club’s standing – they sit ninth in the Premier League and have not won a major honour since 2007-08 – many believe what the team really needs an injection of cash from their billionaire owner, Joe Lewis.
“We’re owned by this guy with a huge yacht who lives in the Bahamas, who appears more interested in making money out of us than investing in and supporting quality football," says Jack Haw, a Spurs fan outside the glistening Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that sits on the site of the historic White Hart Lane ground, which was demolished on Lewis’s orders.
The 84-year-old Lewis – the 457th-richest person in the world with a £4.8bn fortune, according to the Bloomberg billionaires index – first bought a 27% stake in Spurs from Alan Sugar in 1991 for £22m.
Since then Lewis has increased his stake to 70.6% of Tottenham’s Bahamas-based parent company Enic, formerly English National Investment Company. The remaining 29.4% is owned by the family of the Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, who tends to take the flack when things turn sour, as they did with Nuno Espírito Santo, who was sacked as manager after 17 games.
Enic, which is registered 4,000 miles away from N17 at a Nassau lawyers’ office that specialises in creating offshore tax structures and cropped up regularly in the Panama papers financial secrets leak, owns 85.6% of Tottenham Hotspur Limited. The remaining shares are owned by small private shareholders who refused to sell out, many of them understood to be longstanding Spurs fans.
The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust is demanding a meeting with Lewis and Levy, saying the poor start to the season has “led many to question the focus of THFC’s board, what its objectives are and how it measures progress".
“While individual decisions on players and tactics are not within the Trust’s remit, it is our job to question wider strategy when performance on the pitch falls short," the trust says. “The club has decided it does not want to address the questions many fans are asking. It has declined to speak to the board of its official supporters’ trust."
Lewis is rarely seen at the north London club, preferring to spend most of his time aboard his £98m superyacht Aviva. It is his third such yacht, each bigger and glitzier than the last, and all given the same name. Based mostly at his wife’s vast house in the ultra-exclusive Lyford Cay compound on New Providence island in the Bahamas (where there is no income tax, inheritance tax or wealth tax), Lewis travels the world aboard Aviva.
He sailed it up the Thames in 2018, docking for a week beside Tower Bridge, when a passerby noticed something familiar through the portholes: Francis Bacon’s “Triptych 1974 - 1977" hanging on a lower deck.
The paintings, which Lewis bought for £26m in 2008 and which are now worth multiples of that, had been until months earlier loaned to Tate Britain’s Bacon retrospective. They are just a small part of Lewis’s art collection, which includes pieces by Picasso, Matisse, Freud, Klimt, Degas and Moore. On his company website, Lewis’s collection is described as “one of the largest private art collections in the world".
It is from the Aviva – which is also equipped with banks of computers for currency trading, a full-size indoor tennis court and a series of leather bound editions of the official history of Tottenham - that Lewis plotted the breakaway European Super League (ESL) with other billionaire club owners.
The JP Morgan-devised ESL plan collapsed less than 48 hours after it was announced in April following protests from fans at the six breakaway Premier League clubs. At Tottenham’s ground fans were seen with banners reading “I want my Tottenham back" and “ENIC Out - Sold a Soul You Didn’t Own".
Harry Redknapp, a former Spurs manager, sought to reassure fans that Lewis would start spending on players after bringing in the former Chelsea manager Conte. “I can see them spending. I don’t think he [Conte] would have come if he hadn’t been able to improve the team," Redknapp told TalkSPORT. “It was probably one of the arrangements for his coming.
“It’s not a poor club. Joe Lewis, people don’t realise how rich the Tottenham owner is, he’s up there with one of the richest men in the world. They can afford to bring in players and I think they sure will."
Guardian article on Joe Lewis
posted on 15/11/21
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 15 minutes ago
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 11 minutes ago
Lewis out.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For what reasons?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Where do we start?
Why wouldn`t you want rid of him and replaced with somebody with the intention to build a successful football team rather than build the value of his investment through property development etc.
He has been here 20 years and the football operation has achieved fack all on the pitch in that time.
posted on 15/11/21
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 15 minutes ago
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 11 minutes ago
Lewis out.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For what reasons?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Where do we start?
Why wouldn`t you want rid of him and replaced with somebody with the intention to build a successful football team rather than build the value of his investment through property development etc.
He has been here 20 years and the football operation has achieved fack all on the pitch in that time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
By which you mean, pump his millions/billions in.
People seem to miss the point that if you make a club financially successful then they will stand a greater chance of being successful on the pitch....some have achieved this by making the club successful on the pitch with their own money to drive financial success but this is largely the exception.
Joe Lewis acts in no different way to the Liverpool owners. Criticism of Levy i can understand because he is more about the day to day running and decision making and it is those choices that have held us back.
As an owner Lewis is pretty passive but that is hardly a reason to kick him out?
Mind you, you've always made your desire for a sugar daddy pretty clear and I have always voiced my criticism of that as an ambition.
posted on 15/11/21
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 39 minutes ago
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 5 minutes ago
No I don’t think that would be happening. I am aware of the vast sums of money they have been pumped into our stadium and training ground and it changes nothing for me.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Nah, of course you wouldnt
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I wouldn’t, if you’d read any of my comments on similar situations you’d know I’ve been consistent. However continue to be libellous and see where it goes
posted on 15/11/21
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 33 seconds ago
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 15 minutes ago
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 11 minutes ago
Lewis out.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For what reasons?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Where do we start?
Why wouldn`t you want rid of him and replaced with somebody with the intention to build a successful football team rather than build the value of his investment through property development etc.
He has been here 20 years and the football operation has achieved fack all on the pitch in that time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
By which you mean, pump his millions/billions in.
People seem to miss the point that if you make a club financially successful then they will stand a greater chance of being successful on the pitch....some have achieved this by making the club successful on the pitch with their own money to drive financial success but this is largely the exception.
Joe Lewis acts in no different way to the Liverpool owners. Criticism of Levy i can understand because he is more about the day to day running and decision making and it is those choices that have held us back.
As an owner Lewis is pretty passive but that is hardly a reason to kick him out?
Mind you, you've always made your desire for a sugar daddy pretty clear and I have always voiced my criticism of that as an ambition.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENIC have made us more financially successful and the level of success on the pitch has remained the same, fack all.
If they had any intention to build a successful football operation, they would outbid rival clubs for players and pay the asking price for top talent rather than walking away over a few quid.
posted on 15/11/21
Agree with Devonshire on all this. He could be murdering journalists, for example, and you lot would turn the other cheek as long as he turned us into champions.
It's easy to be morally outraged by someone when it runs parallel with the way they've treated the club you love. Plough his billions into Spurs, you'd all love him. We all probably would against out better judgement.
Anyway, he's possibly got a few offshore accounts to pay the lowest rate of tax. The owners of Newcastle are responsible for an almost genocidal treatment of gay people or anyone that questions the regime, yet thousands of miles away on a street corner in Gateshead, a teenager holds aloft a Saudi Arabian flag with little regard for what that really means. If Newcastle fans aren't bothered, a little bit of penny pinching by Lewis isn't gonna touch the sides.
posted on 15/11/21
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 1 hour, 51 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 33 seconds ago
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 15 minutes ago
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 11 minutes ago
Lewis out.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For what reasons?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Where do we start?
Why wouldn`t you want rid of him and replaced with somebody with the intention to build a successful football team rather than build the value of his investment through property development etc.
He has been here 20 years and the football operation has achieved fack all on the pitch in that time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
By which you mean, pump his millions/billions in.
People seem to miss the point that if you make a club financially successful then they will stand a greater chance of being successful on the pitch....some have achieved this by making the club successful on the pitch with their own money to drive financial success but this is largely the exception.
Joe Lewis acts in no different way to the Liverpool owners. Criticism of Levy i can understand because he is more about the day to day running and decision making and it is those choices that have held us back.
As an owner Lewis is pretty passive but that is hardly a reason to kick him out?
Mind you, you've always made your desire for a sugar daddy pretty clear and I have always voiced my criticism of that as an ambition.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENIC have made us more financially successful and the level of success on the pitch has remained the same, fack all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So you think that knocking around mid-table and below when ENIC took over and European football for 15 years and a UCL final represents no progress.
Sure we should have won more stuff but that goes beyond whatever influence Lewis has on the football site (next to none). You dont end top 6, top 4, top 2 and not have quality players good enough to win a domestic cup. Perhaps we do not have enough of them to challenge on more than one front but more likely reflects the advantage the elite teams have. Look at Chelsea & Utds squad and their wage bills. If we spent another £100-£150m on wages we'd have a bigger and better squad but we'd also be broke....which is basically what happened to LFC when FSG bought them out, wages out of control & unaffordable.
posted on 16/11/21
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 12 hours, 5 minutes ago
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 1 hour, 51 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 33 seconds ago
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 15 minutes ago
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 11 minutes ago
Lewis out.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For what reasons?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Where do we start?
Why wouldn`t you want rid of him and replaced with somebody with the intention to build a successful football team rather than build the value of his investment through property development etc.
He has been here 20 years and the football operation has achieved fack all on the pitch in that time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
By which you mean, pump his millions/billions in.
People seem to miss the point that if you make a club financially successful then they will stand a greater chance of being successful on the pitch....some have achieved this by making the club successful on the pitch with their own money to drive financial success but this is largely the exception.
Joe Lewis acts in no different way to the Liverpool owners. Criticism of Levy i can understand because he is more about the day to day running and decision making and it is those choices that have held us back.
As an owner Lewis is pretty passive but that is hardly a reason to kick him out?
Mind you, you've always made your desire for a sugar daddy pretty clear and I have always voiced my criticism of that as an ambition.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENIC have made us more financially successful and the level of success on the pitch has remained the same, fack all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So you think that knocking around mid-table and below when ENIC took over and European football for 15 years and a UCL final represents no progress.
Sure we should have won more stuff but that goes beyond whatever influence Lewis has on the football site (next to none). You dont end top 6, top 4, top 2 and not have quality players good enough to win a domestic cup. Perhaps we do not have enough of them to challenge on more than one front but more likely reflects the advantage the elite teams have. Look at Chelsea & Utds squad and their wage bills. If we spent another £100-£150m on wages we'd have a bigger and better squad but we'd also be broke....which is basically what happened to LFC when FSG bought them out, wages out of control & unaffordable.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Should have won more stuff?
What have we won?
And when was the last time we were top 2?
posted on 16/11/21
Comment Deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 16/11/21
comment by Ace (U22467)
posted 53 minutes ago
comment by JustCallMeTed (U21528)
posted 4 hours, 42 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 12 hours, 5 minutes ago
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 1 hour, 51 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 33 seconds ago
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 15 minutes ago
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 11 minutes ago
Lewis out.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For what reasons?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Where do we start?
Why wouldn`t you want rid of him and replaced with somebody with the intention to build a successful football team rather than build the value of his investment through property development etc.
He has been here 20 years and the football operation has achieved fack all on the pitch in that time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
By which you mean, pump his millions/billions in.
People seem to miss the point that if you make a club financially successful then they will stand a greater chance of being successful on the pitch....some have achieved this by making the club successful on the pitch with their own money to drive financial success but this is largely the exception.
Joe Lewis acts in no different way to the Liverpool owners. Criticism of Levy i can understand because he is more about the day to day running and decision making and it is those choices that have held us back.
As an owner Lewis is pretty passive but that is hardly a reason to kick him out?
Mind you, you've always made your desire for a sugar daddy pretty clear and I have always voiced my criticism of that as an ambition.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENIC have made us more financially successful and the level of success on the pitch has remained the same, fack all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So you think that knocking around mid-table and below when ENIC took over and European football for 15 years and a UCL final represents no progress.
Sure we should have won more stuff but that goes beyond whatever influence Lewis has on the football site (next to none). You dont end top 6, top 4, top 2 and not have quality players good enough to win a domestic cup. Perhaps we do not have enough of them to challenge on more than one front but more likely reflects the advantage the elite teams have. Look at Chelsea & Utds squad and their wage bills. If we spent another £100-£150m on wages we'd have a bigger and better squad but we'd also be broke....which is basically what happened to LFC when FSG bought them out, wages out of control & unaffordable.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Should have won more stuff?
What have we won?
And when was the last time we were top 2?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2017.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh that`s great, like anybody remembers the runners up. Silverware and medals are all that matters, not net spends, wage bills and balance sheets.
We have the lowest percentage of turnover to spend on wages in the PL at around 35%, some clubs are spending more than 80% of turnover on wages and have not gone bust. ENIC, Lewis and Levy could quite easily spend more if they wanted. But they don`t, they would rather divert money away into property development.
posted on 16/11/21
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 49 minutes ago
comment by Ace (U22467)
posted 53 minutes ago
comment by JustCallMeTed (U21528)
posted 4 hours, 42 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 12 hours, 5 minutes ago
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 1 hour, 51 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 33 seconds ago
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by Devonshirespur (U6316)
posted 15 minutes ago
comment by ● Billy The Yidd ● 2020* 2021* ENIC OUT! (U3924)
posted 11 minutes ago
Lewis out.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For what reasons?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Where do we start?
Why wouldn`t you want rid of him and replaced with somebody with the intention to build a successful football team rather than build the value of his investment through property development etc.
He has been here 20 years and the football operation has achieved fack all on the pitch in that time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
By which you mean, pump his millions/billions in.
People seem to miss the point that if you make a club financially successful then they will stand a greater chance of being successful on the pitch....some have achieved this by making the club successful on the pitch with their own money to drive financial success but this is largely the exception.
Joe Lewis acts in no different way to the Liverpool owners. Criticism of Levy i can understand because he is more about the day to day running and decision making and it is those choices that have held us back.
As an owner Lewis is pretty passive but that is hardly a reason to kick him out?
Mind you, you've always made your desire for a sugar daddy pretty clear and I have always voiced my criticism of that as an ambition.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENIC have made us more financially successful and the level of success on the pitch has remained the same, fack all.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So you think that knocking around mid-table and below when ENIC took over and European football for 15 years and a UCL final represents no progress.
Sure we should have won more stuff but that goes beyond whatever influence Lewis has on the football site (next to none). You dont end top 6, top 4, top 2 and not have quality players good enough to win a domestic cup. Perhaps we do not have enough of them to challenge on more than one front but more likely reflects the advantage the elite teams have. Look at Chelsea & Utds squad and their wage bills. If we spent another £100-£150m on wages we'd have a bigger and better squad but we'd also be broke....which is basically what happened to LFC when FSG bought them out, wages out of control & unaffordable.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Should have won more stuff?
What have we won?
And when was the last time we were top 2?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2017.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh that`s great, like anybody remembers the runners up. Silverware and medals are all that matters, not net spends, wage bills and balance sheets.
We have the lowest percentage of turnover to spend on wages in the PL at around 35%, some clubs are spending more than 80% of turnover on wages and have not gone bust. ENIC, Lewis and Levy could quite easily spend more if they wanted. But they don`t, they would rather divert money away into property development.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
That's right Billy! You tell the twaaaats that think ENIC is doing us well!