Kieran Trippier has revealed his true feelings towards Daniel Levy in a recent interview and feels the Tottenham Hotspur chairman is to blame for the club's downfall in recent seasons.
Speaking to The Athletic, Trippier has criticised Levy for the sale of Moussa Dembele to Chinese Super League side Guangzhou City in January 2019, believing it was a crucial factor in Spurs not winning a trophy that season.
The right back has recently completed a move to Newcastle United from Spanish side Atletico Madrid, but felt he was treated unfairly ahead of his transfer to the La Liga outfit from the north London club in July 2019.
Trippier is ‘annoyed’ at Levy for supposedly offering him to other clubs behind his back ahead of his departure, despite a drop in form during the final few months of his tenure.
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Moussa Dembele was a pivotal part of Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs side, but with his contract running out at the end of the 2018-19 season, Levy decided to cash in on him six months before.
Trippier called the decision 'baffling’, due to the impact that Dembele had on the team.
He told The Athletic: "For me, the big one was selling Moussa Dembele that January. I think I can speak on behalf of the players who were there.
"In the dressing room, he was an unbelievable person and all the lads loved him, but on the pitch he was the kind of player who would make a couple of per cent difference. That's what wins you things.
"It baffled me that they would sell him. I know he was going to be a free (transfer) in the summer, but with the things we were challenging for, I would have kept him there and then let him go. He was the difference between winning a trophy or not."
And it was also his own departure from the club that led to Trippier slamming Levy further.
The right back sealed a £20m move to La Liga side Atletico Madrid at the end of his final season.
Trippier admitted it "just wasn't happening" for him at Tottenham anymore, despite him being a regular choice under Mauricio Pochettino.
He then explained how the Champions League final defeat to Liverpool felt like the right moment to bring the curtain down on his Spurs career, conceding he needed to venture to a new club abroad to "clear my head a bit."
But he continues to hold a grudge over Levy for the events leading up to his exit.
"What annoyed me… as you know, people in football speak and there are always rumours, but I know 100 per cent for a fact – and this is what I was most angry about – that two months before the end of the season, Daniel was offering me to other clubs," Trippier claimed.
"I knew for certain that was happening, so I knew my time there must be up. I was playing for my team-mates and the supporters, but I also knew I wasn't wanted."
