Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is ready to give manager Mauricio Pochettino increased backing in the transfer market as the club strives for silverware.
Fresh from reaching the Champions League final and moving into their stunning new home, Spurs are looking to accelerate improvements on the field as they enter a new era.
Their rise has been underlined by their extended sponsorship deal with AIA, which PA understands to be worth in excess of £40million per season until the end of 2026/27.
The new and improved agreement was announced in Shanghai, where Levy vowed to keep spending after completing their stadium and training ground projects.
“We have embarked in recent years on two major capital projects, which I think in the long term will be of great benefit to the club,” Levy said.
“We will now continue wherever we can to improve the team.
“Now it’s (time) to continue to find ways to not only improve the commercial aspects of the club but also the football and continue to be a success.”
Spurs’ sponsorship deal with AIA is thought to be third biggest deal in the Premier League after Manchester City and United.
Asked if being on similar terms brings pressure to signings, Levy said: “If I’m honest, we don’t feel the pressure. Our view is wherever we can, we will improve the team.
“We have embarked in recent years on two very major capital projects, which I think in the long term will be of great benefit to the club. We will continue wherever we can to improve the team.”
✍️ We are delighted to announce the signing of Tanguy Ndombele from Olympique Lyonnais.
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 2, 2019
🇫🇷 The France international central midfielder has signed a contract with the Club until 2025.#WelcomeTanguy ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/5GhqGi1q5g
Tanguy Ndombele has arrived from Lyon this summer in a club-record deal, while Paulo Dybala and Giovani Lo Celso are reported targets for a club that have become a top-six force.
“I actually thought we were a top-four club for the last four years?” Levy said.
“But obviously as part of our strategy we want a leading global brand and AIA is a brand we’re very proud to be associated with.”
Levy confirmed that naming rights for Spurs’ stadium have nothing to do with the AIA deal, while there is unlikely be a knock-on effect if they failed to secure Champions League qualification.
“No, obviously the commercial aspects of the deal are sensitive and confidential,” he said.
“All I would say is that when you are in the Premier League it is a very competitive league and AIA know there are no guarantees of finishing in the top four, we very much hope we will, however that is no impact of the deal.”
Levy added: “I’d like to think we’re going in a very positive direction and we will continue to do our very best to continue to grow, not just in Asia but throughout the world.
“As I said before, we’ve now met the priority of building the stadium and our training facilities and now it’s to continue to find ways to not only improve the commercial aspects of the club but also the football and continue to be a success.”
