Thread by @SpursWebSeb

Looking at what that £150m injection means for Tottenham, where we stand with ENIC + Levy, and what comes next... A THREAD

So, just in case any Tottenham fans have been living under a rock this past week, ENIC have invested an extra £150m directly into the club via increased shares. Daniel Levy also released a statement about the investment, seemingly hinting it would be used for on-field success...

ENIC and Joe Lewis have actually been very clever with this turn of events. The money is not technically his. ENIC took out a £150m loan, then Tottenham released £150m worth of shares, ENIC used the loan to buy them, thus injecting the cash into Spurs.

In doing so (and look away now any ENIC-out supporters), they increased their ownership of Tottenham by 1.9% - taking them from 85.6% to 87.5%. So the majority shareholders are now... even more majority shareholders...

Tottenham were de-listed from the Stock Exchange back in 2012 and actually haven't received any fundraising like this since 2004. At this time, Levy and ENIC released shares and raised £15m, spending it on the likes of Jermain Defoe... which certainly seems like a good omen.

Only this time, ENIC have gone ten times bigger (plus inflation) by pumping £150m into Tottenham. Spurs have always been a self-sufficient club, operating as a financial business and spending within their means... which means there is certainly a point to this deviation.

In the official statement, Daniel Levy said: “The delivery of a world-class home was always a key building block in driving diversified revenues to enable us to invest in the teams and support our ambitions to be consistently competing at the highest levels of European football.

He added: "Additional capital from ENIC will now enable further investment in the Club at an important time.’’

Which certainly sounds like - "Here, Antonio... have some money."

Meanwhile, Jonathan Turner, Independent Non-Executive Director, Tottenham Hotspur said: “We are pleased to welcome this investment which demonstrates the unequivocal support and commitment of our majority shareholder, ENIC.

He added: "It is a timely injection of funds to ensure we can continue to grow the Club we all love and underlines the Board’s continued ambitions for success.”

Ever since ENIC and Levy took over in the year 2000 from Alan Sugar, it has always been about increasing the value of the club, leaving a lasting legacy in the local area, and bringing long-term success - with an emphasis on long-term rather than short-term trophy promises.

As Spurs fans know, it has now been a long old time since the last piece of silverware was lifted in 2008 and the Tottenham ownership has come under fire from that for pretty much the past decade - rightly so, many will argue.

The bulk of Daniel Levy's master plan has always revolved around the new training ground and new stadium, two things that would take a lot of time and a lot of money. However, both are finally now complete, open, and doing their bit to increase value both on and off the pitch.

So we very much find ourselves entering the next phase of the plan. Using the money generated from these improvements to drive on-pitch success which will, in turn, increase the value of the club even further. And make no mistake about it, that's what they are doing.

Of course, Daniel Levy and Joe Lewis are Spurs fans. Levy certainly loves the club and wants to see success. But the primary objective as a business owner and chairman is to create and maintain a profitable company.

They will have seen Chelsea sold for over £4 billion as a real precedent, especially considering as Tottenham are rumoured to be up for sale, albeit quietly. Both Chelsea and Spurs are London clubs with huge fanbases in the UK and across the world.

Spurs have better facilities and Chelsea have better on-field success. So I whole-heartedly believe this £150m is about consolidating a position in the top four (Champions League football is a big selling point), and bringing silverware to N17.

Joe Lewis is 85-years-old and I don't think Tottenham are too many years away from a sale. If they can inject a bit of cash to turn the club into trophy winners and regulars in Europe with state-of-the-art facilities... that is going to be a big old sale.

This is good for ENIC and good for Spurs, at the end of the day. Conte needs convincing, the squad needs investment, and the ownership want to see some on-pitch success to drive off-field value. Everybody wins!

I have always tried to understand where Daniel Levy is coming from throughout his tenure. The chairman of a football club is an impossible job at times. But I wholeheartedly believe you can simultaneously want the club to be financially sound, while also wanting success and glory

And I think that is where Levy finds himself - stuck between wanting to do his job to the best of his ability, which is serving as a custodian for Tottenham and increasing value, and wanting to deliver something amazing for fans.

By the way, Levy has taken Tottenham from a £22m company in 2000 when ENIC purchased from Levy to something over £2 billion in modern day. Even if you claim to hate the man, that is one hell of a return over 22 years.

Of course, he has made huge mistakes along the way. The Super League. The furlough scheme. Failing to spend a single penny in 2018/19. Poor recruitment even when money was actually spent. However, it feels like Spurs are reaching a new stage in their development.

Levy has handed over footballing control to a footballing mind in Paratici. He has hired a big name manager in Conte and appears to be giving him the reigns (and the bank account details). And ENIC have finally injected some cash to drive faster improvements.

There is a long way to go, and even if money is spent, it has to be spent well. But it feels very much like Spurs fans endured the 20-years of Levy setting up his dominos... and we may now finally get to see the show. That's what I hope anyway. What do you think? #COYS