Tottenham make bold statement in Daniel Levy announcement amid shock decision

In the wake of Daniel Levy stepping down as Tottenham chairman, new non-executive chairman Peter Charrington has promised 'this is a new era of leadership' for the football club.

The shock news emerged on Thursday evening of Levy's departure from Spurs. The 63-year-old came to be in the position in 2001, making him the Premier League's longest-serving club chairman before the announcement.

Over a span of almost 25 years, Levy oversaw Spurs' rise to becoming a frequent Champions League club. They also won two trophies, the League Cup and Europa League.

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But two of his lasting achievements were off-field - the creation of both the club's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London and their Hotspur Way Training Ground.

This was recognised as part of the club's statement accompanying his exit, which read: "Tottenham Hotspur has been transformed over the last quarter of a century.

"It has played in European competitions in the last 18 of 20 seasons, becoming one of the world’s most recognised football clubs, consistently investing in its academy, players and facilities, including a new, world-class stadium and state of the art training centre.

"The club has also competed regularly at the highest level, enjoying a number of fantastic on-field successes, including the recent Europa League cup win."

Spurs have also outlined their succession plan as Levy steps down, citing the appointments of Vinai Venkatesham as chief executive officer, Thomas Frank as the men’s head coach and Martin Ho as women’s head coach in recent months.

Charrington has also joined the board and will step into the newly created role of non-executive chairman, it has been confirmed.

He had to say: "I am very honoured to become non-executive chairman of this extraordinary club and, on behalf of the board, I would like to thank Daniel and his family for their commitment and loyalty to the Club over so many years.

"This is a new era of leadership for the club, on and off the pitch.

"I do recognise there has been a lot of change in recent months as we put in place new foundations for the future. We are now fully focused on stability and empowering our talented people across the Club, led by Vinai and his executive team."

Spurs have clarified that as a result of this boardroom-level decision, there will be no alterations to the club's current ownership or shareholder structure.

Spurs' majority owners are the ENIC Group, which is controlled by the family trust of British billionaire Joe Lewis. Levy owns a minority stake of approximately 29.4 per cent of the group.

Under new head coach Frank, Spurs sit fourth in the Premier League with three matches played. His team won their opening two fixtures before losing for the first time before the international break.