As we know, all summer long, Levy maintained his stance that Modric would not be sold at any price. Redknapp initially sided with his chairman but towards the end of the window began to imply that he believed Modric should be sold, citing his unhappiness and the 3 or 4 'top top' players he could bring in with the money the transfer would raise. Rumours began to circulate that Levy was becoming increasingly frustrated with Redknapp's constant sound-bites to the press, often shrugging and claiming ignorance of what was happening above his head, usually through the window of his car as he drove in and out of Spurs Lodge. Redknapp seemed frustrated with what appeared to be tight-fistedness on the part of the chairman, claiming that Spurs had to sell before they could buy and couldn't compete with the money spent by teams like City and Liverpool on transfer fees and wages.
The difference between Levy and Redknapp is more than just stubbornness and a difference of opinion over our wantaway Croat. It is a classic clash of short vs long term thinking.
Daniel Levy is in it for the long haul. His continued obsession with flogging the dead horse that is the Olympic Stadium and the maybe-not-quite-dead horse that is the NLDP shows that his primary goal is sustainable financial power and security that will allow Spurs to compete at the top for years to come. This is why he won't sanction the breaking of the strict wage structure at the club in an effort to crack the top 4 again at the risk of our financial future, a la Leeds United. Sanctioning a move of £5.5 million and a wage of probably no less than £45,000 for a 30-year old in Scott Parker was a break from the norm, most likely seen as an unfortunate necessity following our midfield's mauling at the hands of United and City. Levy has been burnt before, blowing £15 million and 3 years worth of £50,000 a week on David Bentley for no return. He won't allow this sort of spending again unless he's absolutely sure of the player and the judgement of the manager. It's pretty clear to me that Levy doesn't trust Harry's judgement. Selling Modric, even for £40 million on deadline day, would simply demonstrate to our rivals that with enough persistence, our best players will always be available. Furthermore, it demonstrates to our best players that signing a new deal, even for 5 or 6 years, means nothing at all, because with enough kicking and screaming you can leave anyway a few months later. Having an unhappy player on the books and having our pre-season preparations disrupted may be damaging in the short-term, but Levy has acted in what he believes are our best interests long term.
Redknapp on the other hand is displaying classic short term thinking. He knows (or maybe hopes) that with Fabio Capello resigning next summer, he won't be at Spurs beyond the end of the season. Keeping Modric as a signal for the future that Spurs are not a selling club doesn't benefit Harry at all because he won't be around long enough for it to be relevant to him. All he gets out of the deal is a disgruntled player on his hands. Let's have a look at some of Harry's transfer targets this season, whether successful or not. Friedel, Parker, Bellamy, Cole. All players designed for the here and now, all 30+ with no resale value whatsoever. Harry doesn't care that they'll be past it in a few years time (if they aren't already) because he'll be long gone by then. Self-preservation has always been Harry's number 1 goal. He'll have a crack at the top 4 this season, but won't lose any sleep if he doesn't get it. His column in the Sun, constant chats to Sky Sports and on Talksport and fantasy football adverts with Jeff Stelling keep the press and public onside so that if he fails, he'll shrug, blame the financial clout of City and Liverpool and sod off with the public's positive opinion of him still intact.
In my opinion, Levy is a man with a plan and with Spurs' best interests at heart. Redknapp is a man who his preparing to cover his own arse and is eyeing up the exit.
In Levy we trust.
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