Actions Speak Louder Than Words
“It’s a busy time,” Cullen says with considerable understatement, “both in Tottenham and Enfield. Yes there have been some objections because it’s the nature of things that people prefer things to stay the way they are. But at the training ground we have brought in the best advisers in terms of bio-diversity and ecology and most of the feedback we get is that we are improving the landscape.”
As part of the socio-economic transformation programme, particularly dear to Cullen’s heart is a new school, the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham (LAET), which only recently opened and provides a top-class education curriculum for one of the capital’s most under-privileged areas.
The state-funded Sixth Form College for 16-19 year-olds, within arm’s length of the new stadium, is supported by ten leading independent schools in London and the south-east, enabling Tottenham’s brightest students to hopefully progress to university. “We, as a business partner, contribute financially to it and basically means bright local children don’t have to leave the area to get an absolutely top-class education,” Cullen adds.
Whilst Tottenham are keen to flag up the work that is going on to radically upgrade the environmental, social and commercial aspects of the stadium project, there is little doubt that Levy and his current manager have hit it off, perhaps more so than any of Pochettino’s predecessors. The knock-on effect is there for all to see, says Cullen. “When you have that level of trust, then it’s a very supportive environment.”
She rejects the theory that the club will not be able to pay for the stadium whilst at the same time being successful on the field. Or that it could all come crashing down unless Tottenham improve their wage structure. Rarely if ever, she argues, has the club lost a player because of wage demands.
“Daniel has a strong track record of rewarding players who have made a significant contribution. Plus we have one of best bonus structures. People tend to forget the all-round package element.”
