The issue for us is whether Walker is coming to City or not. Levy's reputation and ability are of peripheral significance. Much of what has been done at Spurs is unquestionably impressive but Levy is not some poker player who sits there always with a royal flush in his hand and bankrupts and humiliates his opponent. In this case he has a strong hand but so do City.
City want Walker. At the moment we don't have a right back at all. Walker has four years left on his contract. Levy is fully aware of all this. What City may know is that Alves is on his way to City, that Walker wants to come, that City will pay him far more than Spurs and that Spurs are financing their new stadium through loans, which have to be repaid. The other thing that might help City is that if Spurs don't sell him to us this window they won't get a second chance and Walker's transfer value may be cut in half - for a player who seems to get on badly with the coach, may not get off the bench too often and wants out.
It seems that everything points to a deal to satisfy bothe parties, not a Levy diktat.