Daniel Levy hits back at West Brom over Saido Berahino saga and defends Tottenham's ambition

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Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has spoken out in defence of the club's transfer activity after a failed bid for Saido Berahino on deadline day.

Spurs signed five players during the 12-week summer window, bringing Kevin Wimmer, Kieran Trippier, Toby Alderweireld, Clinton N'Jie and Son Heung-min to White Hart Lane for a combined fee of more than £50million.

But their failure to land Berahino ahead of Tuesday's deadline drew criticism after four Spurs bids and a transfer request from the player were all knocked back by resilient West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace.

Speaking after the window shut, Peace criticised Levy for continuing to pursue Berahino despite 'making West Brom's position clear' in their initial conversation earlier in August. The Baggies chief went on to accuse Tottenham of 'unsettling antics' and suggested Spurs grossly undervalued Berahino with a final bid reported to be worth an initial £5million and including a handful of add-ons and clauses worth up to £20million. 

But Levy has hit back at the claims with a statement of his own on Tottenham's club website, defending Spurs' ambition while indirectly questioning West Brom's decision to let the transfer saga play out in the public sphere. 

"We have never, as a Club, spoken about another team’s players and I am not about to do so now. However, I do want to make a few general points regarding transfers," said Levy.

"Firstly, there is hardly a transfer concluded across Europe which doesn’t include staged payments. This is particularly so when significant amounts such as £20m-£30m are involved - players don’t come cheaply these days."

"Secondly, we do not make anything personal. None of the proposals, discussions or negotiations we undertake involve any personal elements or ego - everything we do is in the interest of what is best for our Club."

"Thirdly, we never make anything public, particularly in the best interests of the players involved. Making aspects such as transfer requests public is wholly disrespectful to a player."

"Our pragmatic player trading has been important in the way we have run the business of the Club and in getting us to the position where we have now been able to start work on a new stadium - the one thing that has the ability to take this Club to the next level of competitiveness. I make no apologies for being ambitious for our Club and looking to deliver future success for our fans."

ArticleDaniel Levy hits back at West Brom over Saido Berahino sagaTottenhamDaniel Levy hits back at West Brom over Saido Berahino saga and defends Tottenham's ambitionWantaway striker Saido Berahino given extra time off after West Brom block Tottenham moveArsenal and Tottenham fans demand answers over clubs’ transfer strategies Patrick Barclay: Levy’s tactics backfire - and there's still plenty of dead wood at Tottenham PublishedImageMedium width1Wednesday, September 2, 2015 - 19:55Ambition: Daniel Levy says everything he does is in the interests of TottenhamOn