Aaron Lennon has revealed that former Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and ex-manager Mauricio Pochettino were at odds over his departure from the club in 2015. The now-retired winger, who spent a decade at Spurs, said Levy was against letting him go, but Pochettino wanted to reshape the squad.
Lennon, 39, made 364 appearances for Tottenham after joining from Leeds United in 2005, scoring 30 goals and providing 78 assists. He won the League Cup in 2008. However, after Pochettino arrived in 2014, Lennon fell out of favour and made only nine appearances in the 2014/15 season. He was loaned to Everton in January 2015 and later forced to train with the Under-21s before a permanent £4.5 million move in September 2015.
Speaking on the Off The Shelf Podcast, Lennon said: 'I was gutted. I knew it was coming because I wasn't playing much... I remember I sat with Daniel and I think he didn't want me to leave also, but even then we both knew it was right, I wasn't playing and needed to play.'
Lennon, capped 21 times by England, retired in 2022 after a season with Burnley. He will watch his former clubs Tottenham and Leeds face off in a crucial Premier League match on Monday night, with Spurs fighting for survival.
