Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is under pressure after another embarrassing defeat for his side but Daniel Levy, and not the Argentinian, has come in for some stinging criticism following the loss to Brighton.
Levy has helped improve Spurs' standing in European football and is a shrewd businessman whose played a key role in the club's move to a new and fantastic stadium.
But from a net spend standpoint, Levy has not afforded Pochettino the type of finances that could see Tottenham challenge for the Premier League title, according to BT Sport pundits Jermaine Jenas and Joe Cole.
Tottenham earned plenty of negative headlines in the week following a 7-2 hammering at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League and a return to the Premier League only served to add further embarrassment.
Neal Maupay's opener from a Hugo Lloris' error preceded two Aaron Connolly goals either side of the break which ensured a comfortable 3-0 win for the hosts.
But rather than rip into Pochettino solely post-match, former Tottenham midfielder Jenas and ex-Chelsea star Cole had some choice words for Levy.
"Personally I think the buck lies above Pochettino. What he has spoken about and what we have heard in his press conferences is that he has foreseen this happening," Jenas told BT Sport. "He said this squad needed refreshing and motivating. He has players with no contracts (beyond the summer)."
Asked if the blame lies on Levy, Jenas added: "I think that the blame lies with them all. Daniel has not been great with the support of his manager and the timing of the signings and the amount of signings coming into the club has not been great.
"The players are not applying themselves to the level that they should be. But Mauricio, if he has a look at himself, might say he can't take them any further."
Cole also told BT Sport: "Pochettino has climbed a mountain with this team. If I was him, I would have had enough of Daniel Levy not investing in the team. He needs to question whether the money is going to come in to allow them to really challenge Liverpool and Manchester City.
"Daniel Levy is great at finding bargains and selling them for big money and telling the fans that they are going to compete with Liverpool and Man City. Really it's one hand saying something to the fans but truly it's about the bottom line of the business.
"Tottenham are not going to compete with Liverpool and Man City buying players at the rate they are buying them. Pochettino is a good manager but I think it's upstairs where the problem lies."
