Former Spurs Striker Reveals Details of 'Nasty' Clash With Daniel Levy Which Saw Him Leave the Club

Former Tottenham striker Peter Crouch has lifted the lid on his 2011 exit from the club, explaining on his podcast that chairman Daniel Levy didn't want to keep him, and the tactics that were apparently used to force his eventual move to Stoke.

Crouch, who scored 24 goals in 93 games for the north London club, said Emmanuel Adebayor's arrival was a big factor on Spurs decision to get rid, and things got heated between himself and Levy when discussing his future.

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Speaking on his new podcast, Crouch said: “It was just off the back of playing in the Champions League. I’d done well, I was happy there, we were settled, I didn’t want to leave. I had two years left on my contract with Tottenham.

"But Daniel Levi called me and said, ‘We’re bringing Adebayor in’. He didn’t want to keep us both. We had lots of similar strikers at the club, so basically it was one or the other.

“I actually spoke to Daniel Levi personally and said, ‘Look, I’m happy here’. It got a bit nasty. It got to the stage where I’m saying, ‘Look, I’m staying. I’ll see you in the morning. I’m not going’.

“Remember, I was 30 and they wanted £16m for me and Wilson Palacios. It wasn’t cheap. But he said, ‘If you don’t go you won’t get a squad number here next season’. He was just making it difficult for me to the point where I had to leave.”

Crouch became famed for his gangly 6'5 frame throughout his playing career, and became one of the most consistent players in the Premier League, totalling 88 goals and registering 50 assists in 316 appearances in the competition - most recently appearing for Stoke City.

His international career was similarly fruitful, scoring 22 goals in 42 games for England.