'It's the Vinai show' - meet the former Arsenal chief who now runs Spurs

Daniel Levy was one of the best-known executives in football, his name synonymous with his reputation as a tough negotiator.

One of the big questions after his sudden departure as Spurs executive chairman on Thursday was 'how will Tottenham fill that void?'.

Well, it looks like we have our answer.

"It's the Vinai show now," said one well-placed source.

Vinai Venkatesham was appointed Tottenham chief executive in April, less than a year after leaving his role as Arsenal CEO. He had been at the Gunners in total for 14 years.

So what can those under Venkatesham in the Tottenham hierarchy expect from their chief executive?

And, more pertinently, what can supporters expect?

Venkatesham's legacy from a six-year stint as Arsenal chief is three-fold.

Firstly, he was at the forefront of Mikel Arteta's appointment as manager, turning up at the Spaniard's Manchester residence in the early hours of December 16, 2019, alongside fellow executive Huss Fahmy to seal the appointment of Unai Emery's replacement.

Edu, then technical director, was the main protagonist of Arsenal's pursuit of Arteta, having been originally persuaded to take a chance on the then Manchester City assistant coach by the club's loan and pathways manager Ben Knapper, who is now sporting director at Norwich.

Nevertheless, Venkatesham ultimately signed off on the appointment. It happened on his watch.

Arteta, as we know, has transformed the club's fortunes on the pitch; Arsenal - in part - have Venkatesham to thank for that.

Secondly, his commitment to ensuring the growth of Arsenal's women's team and his engagement with giving the sport a wider platform to flourish is viewed by many at Arsenal as one of his everlasting accomplishments.

The third part of his legacy is far less obvious, though no less important.

The British-Indian - following a promotion from managing director to chief executive - led Arsenal through the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic. Even for a club the size of Arsenal the impact of that period hit hard. Real people, with real life problems.

By all accounts Venkatesham's empathetic and kind-natured persona came as a major comfort to Arsenal employees from top to bottom of the club.

Tough decisions were made, but those who worked alongside him at the time say he did so with compassion and warmth - not traits necessarily universal in the football industry.

"An all-round top guy. No ego at all," said one of his former colleagues at the Emirates Stadium.

As a person, you couldn't say a bad word about him. Really nice guy.

Too nice for football? Not quite. Venkatesham was at the heart of the decision to dispense with Emery just 18 months after his appointment.

Now, only 17 months after leaving Arsenal, he is the most senior executive board member on the other side of north London.

It is unlikely that Venkatesham will rule Spurs with an iron fist. He is a firm believer in a culture of inclusivity.

He'll lead by example rather than being ultra vocal, sources say.

"He's a leader - but an understated one," said one of his colleagues at the Emirates.

When it comes to making football-related decisions it is very likely he will be guided by the expertise of head coach Thomas Frank and technical director Johan Lange.

At Arsenal, it is noted that he generally let Edu and Arteta shape the football operation in terms of performance.

That may sound a given. But ask managers up and down the country - it isn't.

He is viewed by those who worked alongside him at the Emirates as an efficient administrator, whose intelligence allows him to analyse and understand information quickly.

That strength allows him to make relevant contributions internally and, on a wider basis, it has allowed Venkatesham to expand his influence.

For example, he was a key member of the European Club Association, though he has now relinquished his position with the organisation.

It is said his amiable persona allows him to deal smoothly with characters who perhaps seem more assertive than his exterior suggests he is.

It will be interesting to hear if Venkatesham adopts an abrupter approach as he seeks to lay down a marker in the post-Levy era.

If first impressions are important, then those at the Emirates will tell you that Venkatesham makes a good one. In that sense, relationship building - internally and externally - is cited as one of Venkatesham's key strengths.

Levy - despite often facing the wrath of irate supporters who pinned the blame for Tottenham's flaws squarely on him - was liked behind the scenes at Spurs.

He was good to his staff. For instance, when Spurs would travel on pre-season tours, he would ensure the club's support staff were provided with the same privileges as the players.

But it was Levy's relationship with rival clubs that often left a sour taste; the now departed executive chairman's infamous fierce negotiation style left him unpopular in boardrooms across the country.

It will be interesting to see how Venkatesham's elevation, given his genteel and friendly personality, changes the dynamics between Tottenham and their rivals at boardroom level.

Will his "nice guy" identity be a strength or a weakness in a sport that is cut-throat?

How Venkatesham approaches transfer and contract negotiations will be at the heart of how successful Tottenham become in the post-Levy era.

At Arsenal, he was involved in the approval process for deals and played a role in discussions around offers to selling clubs and player contracts.

But it is said that he selects carefully which deals he actively gets involved in - such as if he has a pre-existing relationship with a counterpart at another club or with a representative of a player.

If there was an internal split in terms with regards to a certain deal, Venkatesham would often be called upon to make a decisive call.

With that in mind, the team Venkatesham builds around him will be key towards how Tottenham perform in the transfer market and player contract negotiation.

As we know, Levy was fully involved in most deals at Tottenham during his near 25-year reign; it will be interesting to see if Venkatesham is as active.

While Levy has been questioned for his commitment to improving Tottenham off the pitch, his success in building Spurs into a commercial superpower is not in doubt.

According to Forbes; Tottenham are worth $3.3bn - ranking inside the top 10 most valuable clubs in the world.

Tottenham's infrastructure has improved under Levy's tenure. The stadium and training ground are both world class facilities.

From that perspective, the club is set up for Venkatesham to succeed. Indeed, his track record at Arsenal for strengthening commercial revenues is part of his overall legacy at the Emirates.

During his four years as chief executive he oversaw a rise in revenue from £340m to £615m.

Those at the Emirates say Venkatesham saw significant value in branding Arsenal as a "cool" club - to appeal to the younger generation of global football fans.

A club steeped in the traditions of Highbury's marble halls gradually modernised during Venkatesham's 13-year tenure.

And, of course, the re-generation of the team thanks to relatable players such Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice have helped re-brand the club, to an extent, on a commercial level.

When Venkatesham left Arsenal in the summer of 2024, he did so knowing he might never return to top-level sport.

Happy to bide his time and assess his options, Venkatesham, it is understood, didn't feel an overpowering to urge to return to football.

Six months passed, Christmas went by and Venkatesham was still considering his next move, exploring opportunities away from football.

Then came the call. When Venkatesham was appointed Tottenham's new CEO in April, the news came as a shock to his former colleagues across north London.

He was part of the fabric at Arsenal. He and his family were regulars at the Emirates.

But the Lewis family - who effectively own Tottenham - was intent on restructuring at boardroom level following an external audit of the club which started in mid-winter.

We now know the decisive result of that review. But the identification and eventual appointment of Venkatesham, in retrospect, was a telling acquisition.

If the appointment of Peter Charrington as non-executive director in March started the process towards Levy's departure, then Venkatesham - a seasoned and experienced operator in running an elite Premier League football club - was arguably the clearest hint of what arrived on Thursday night.

With family figurehead Joe Lewis, 88, a largely peripheral figure, Venkatesham's relationship with the patriarch's children Vivienne and Charles - who will take lead roles in the ownership's connection with the general running of Tottenham - will now become key to the club's future.

Source: BBC
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