Levy dream rocked by Frank exchange

In the same way as Arsenal have built a club in Arsene Wenger's image, Spurs were trying to do the same with Arnesen. As one informed observer put it: "He was put up on a pedestal."

That faith, it appeared, was starting to be repaid with Arnesen at least winningthe argument, if not anything tangible on the field. Spurs' formula for long-term success was to buy up the best young talent across Europe and let the highly-rated coach mould them into a team of stars.

Paul Robinson, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe were the prime examples of players bought in for bargain prices who would help take the club to another level.

Arnesen's vision was never about last season, he assured the fans, it was always about two or three years in the future. The idea was met with unanimous approval by Spurs folk on the assumption that Arnesen would of course be around to finish the job. As recently as last month, he said: " Qualifying for Europe isn't vital because when the season started we were very realistic. All I promised was that we would make progress.

"At the end of the season we'll sit down and discuss what we've done and what we can do better next time."

Given how well-treated he was by the club, members of the Spurs hierarchy are shocked and appalled.

There are even suggestions that the club will enforce the remaining two years on his contract and make him serve out 'gardening leave'. This, however, is likely to be a negotiating tactic in their compensation battle. Publicly, Jol - called back from holiday in Spain to deal with the crisis - has issued a rallying call to fans, but privately, he is said to feel let down.

Jol turned down the chance to manage Ajax earlier this year because he bought into the Tottenham project and he believes Arnesen should also have resisted alternatives at this stage.

The repercussions are likely to be more long-term than short-term for Spurs. This summer's transfer targets have already been identified and Levy will be charged with doing the deals.

Their failure to make the UEFA Cup via the Fair Play League means preseason plans won't have to be revised.

Once the 'tapping up' and compensation rows are resolved, Levy will start the search for a replacement. However, with no obvious candidate, this could prove problematic, partly due to the presence of Jol, whose position is now greatly strengthened.

The club will need a director of football who works well with Jol, but the whole point of Levy's system is that Spurs' top football man is there to provide continuity regardless of the identity of the head coach.

There will also be a hearts and minds battle to be won with the more ambitious Spurs players who will need convincing that the grand plan is not about to unravel.

In short, Frank the Rat's departure has left Spurs chasing their tails.