Daniel Levy promises 'different' Tottenham will not sell best players but big-money signings unlikely

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has reiterated that no big-name players will be sold behind manager Mauricio Pochettino's back as the club enter a "different" era in the transfer market.

No amount of denials from Spurs have deterred reports linking Harry Kane and Dele Alli with moves away from north London, with Real Madrid linked with both England internationals as recently as last November, according to Diario Gol [Sky Sports].

With the list of players to have left Tottenham in recent years including Gareth Bale, Luke Modric, Kyle Walker and Dimitar Berbatov, there is clear and obvious precedent which fans are justifiably concerned about.

But in a meeting between the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust and the club's board, Levy responded positively to questions regarding the club's much-reported wage cap and how they would retain players under that structure.

"DL felt that Mauricio Pochettino is the best manager in all the time he has been at Tottenham," the THST noted in their minutes of the meeting which took place last Tuesday [20 February]. "They see eye to eye in terms of strategy. No player would be sold that MP wanted to stay."

No player in the current Tottenham squad earns more than striker Harry Kane and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, whose contracts include £100,000-a-week pay packets [The Evening Standard]. Those wages are considered modest compared to the best paid players in the Premier League, with Manchester United's January signing Alexis Sanchez earning nearly five times that amount [The Mirror].

Levy also addressed any suggestion that Tottenham must compete with their rivals in the transfer market and make a succession of big-name signings. While Manchester City and United have dominated spending in the last 12 months, Pochettino's men have been relatively modest with just £121m spent on new recruits [Transfermarkt].

"DL noted the perception that Spurs needed to spend money on players," he added. "This wasn't borne out of fact. There are no guarantees. Big money signings are not always successful. MC made the point that that this was more widely recognised by fans and in the media."

The Tottenham hierarchy were also able to provide an update regarding the building of the club's new stadium, though there still remains no timeline regarding its completion.

Recent inclement weather has pushed back a possible finish date, meaning the club will ask the Premier League for the first couple of games of the 2018-19 season to be played away from home. But Levy insisted the delays have not dramatically impacted on the cost of the ground.