Levy may be right in insisting that there was no formal approach. With a first-class degree from Cambridge University, Levy is clearly a clever man but he has not always shown himself to be a good deal-maker. He originally wanted to buy Tottenham from Sugar in the autumn of 1998. As he was negotiating, it emerged that Sky were bidding for Manchester United, Sugar asked for more money and it was March 2001 before Levy was able to buy Tottenham.