(Reuters) -Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino said he was shocked by the news of the Premier League club's executive chairman, Daniel Levy, stepping down after nearly 25 years in the role.
Levy, known for his tough negotiating style, has often been a source of frustration for fans who blame him for failing to pay the wages that would deliver players capable of delivering Spurs' first English top-flight title since 1961.
But the 62-year-old Englishman was also responsible for transforming the North London club with a new stadium and a state-of-the-art training ground.
Under Levy's leadership, Spurs claimed their first major trophy since 2008 by beating Manchester United to win last season's Europa League, earning a spot in the Champions League for the seventh time during his tenure.
Levy became chairman in February 2001 after ENIC acquired a majority stake in the club.
"I am a little bit in shock, because he was my former president. I don't know what happened there," United States manager Pochettino told reporters ahead of Saturday's friendly match against South Korea in New Jersey.
"Of course, I sent a text to him, and I sent a text to different people that were very close to him, and still no answer.
"I don't have more information and only what I want to say (is) I wish him the best in his life, family, time. And yes, I was in shock like many (people) that really know him."
Pochettino was in charge of Spurs from 2014 to 2019, transforming them into perennial top-four Premier League contenders while guiding them to the Champions League for the first time, where they finished runners-up to Liverpool.
He was fired five months later, but the 53-year-old Argentine has previously said he remained on good terms with Levy.
"We can't forget our relationship now. Then was a very important period in our careers and for the club also," Pochettino added.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
