The Italian was seen at Bodø Airport awaiting a flight the day after the fixture between Bodø/Glimt and Club Brugge, which the away side won 1-0 courtesy of a goal from Hans Vanaken in the twentieth minute to consign the Norwegian side to their second defeat in as many matches in Group D.

Tottenham had been on the hunt for a new senior figure after Paratici stepped down towards the end of April after originally losing an appeal against a 30-month ban from football.

The North Londoners confirmed earlier this week that they have appointed Johan Lange as Tottenham’s new technical director, replacing Paratici as the club’s key figure in recruitment and will take up his new role at the start of November.

(Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

What does Fabio Paratici now do?

Despite his formal departure from Tottenham, Paratici continues to act as a consultant to the Premier League side and has been seen in attendance at more than one fixture this season (The Athletic).

Paratici’s presence in Norway was discussed during Viaplay’s weekly Premier League podcast by their presenters (10/10/23 – 04:55).

Gunnhild: – “As I said, the weekend started on Thursday for us with European football. We were in Bodø, where Glimt lost to Brugge, which wasn’t great. But when we were going back home on Friday, there was a man sitting right in front of us and I though “I know who this man is.” He was sitting in a meeting, but I smiled and nodded to him. But he…”

Tor Ole: – “Yeah, you did. I didn’t recognise him at all, but you’re much better at that stuff than me.”

Gunnhild: – “And who was it?”

Tor Ole: – “It was Paratici.”

Gunnhild: – “It was indeed.”

Tor Ole: – “Of all people…”

SpursWeb Opinion

Despite the controversy surrounding his time at Juventus, Paratici has proven that he has made a number of shrewd signings during his involvement at Tottenham which have helped to rebuild the playing squad.

Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero and Pape Matar Sarr have all proven their worth as being bargain signings for the club.

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In what has been a period of great upheaval at the club, Tottenham have welcomed an abundance of new faces through the door, both on and off the pitch.

New signings like Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, and James Maddison have proven to be welcome additions to the playing staff at Spurs and have helped the side remain unbeaten in the first eight games of this campaign.

And, of course, new manager Ange Postecoglou has been a driving force behind this positive start, bringing exciting football back to the club and putting smiles on the faces of the Spurs fans.

But, behind the scenes, it’s all change, too. Scott Munn has now started work as the club’s chief football officer, and Johan Lange is in as the new technical director.

GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images

Spurs have another appointment to make

While Lange is billed as the successor to Fabio Paratici, it seems he will end up getting some help in the form of a chief scout.

That’s according to a report from the Evening Standard, which claims Lange will “not be in charge of running the club’s entire football operations,” as his predecessor was. Instead, he will report to Munn, and have duties related only to “recruitment, analytics and talent ID.”

The recent departure of Leonardo Gabbanini leaves a gap in that department, and Spurs are expected to “appoint a new chief scout” to work under him.

When that happens, and who it will be, remains to be seen.

Spurs Web Opinion

I really like the look of this team we are putting together to make sure the whole operation runs smoothly from top to bottom. It seems the power and responsibility are being shared across various heads rather than one man having all the control, which feels like a smart move.

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Vicario has transitioned smoothly to the Premier League since his move for Empoli this summer and he looks like a massive bargain, particularly when one considers the fee that Man Utd paid for Andre Onana.

The 26-year-old has hardly put a foot wrong since his move to N17 and there are already some calls in Italy for him to be handed a chance to start for the Azzurri ahead of Gianluigi Donnarumma (Corriere dello Sport via Sport Witness).

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Guglielmo Vicario of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 16, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Paratici wanted Vicario at Tottenham for a while

Football.London’s Alasdair Gold has been reporting over the past few months that Paratici has continued working in a consultancy role for Spurs since vacating his position back in April.

If The Athletic’s latest update is to be believed, the 50-year-old might have played a key role in the club’s decision to sign Vicario.

The report claims that Paratici had ‘admired’ the goalkeeper for a while and had enquired about his availability when he was at Spurs.

Spurs Web Opinion

There is no doubt that Paratici and Leonardo Gabbanini would have driven the club’s interest in Vicario, given that they keep a close on the progression of various stars across Italian football.

Credit also has to go to Postecoglou for green-lighting the move for the 26-year-old over safer options such as David Raya.

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Paratici stepped down from his position as Tottenham’s managing director of football back in April after his ban was upheld by FIFA for his alleged involvement in Juventus‘ capital gains scandal.

Although Spurs have been linked with several sporting directors across Europe over the past few months (ASRomaLive.it), they are yet to officially confirm a replacement for the Italian. 

Football.London’s Alasdair Gold reported a few days ago that Paratici has been seen in attendance in all of Tottenham’s home matches so far this season.

The journalist explained that the 50-year-old has continued working for the club on a consultancy basis through the summer after his ban was partially removed.

(Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

Paratici is still consulting Tottenham Hotspur

This information has now been backed up by Eccelshare, who explains that while employing Paratici is perfectly legal, some at the club think that the optics do not look great.

The journalist adds that many at Tottenham are ‘uncomfortable’ with the arrangement between the club and the Italian.

Spurs Web Opinion

I suspect Tottenham will not be employing Paratici’s services going forward, with the club now seemingly prioritising bringing in a new director of football ahead of the January window.

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Paratici stepped down from his position as Tottenham’s managing director of football back in April after his ban was upheld by FIFA for his alleged involvement in Juventus‘ capital gains scandal.

Spurs have not replaced the Italian yet but reports over the last few weeks have indicated that the club are soon expected to do so, with hiring a new sporting director thought to be one of Scott Munn’s top priorities (The Athletic).

Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

Fabio Paratici still has ties with Tottenham it seems

It was Gold who revealed two months ago that Paratici was still working for Tottenham as a consultant and that the 50-year-old played a key role in the club’s signing of Alejo Veliz (Football.London).

The journalist has now revealed that Paratici was in attendance against Liverpool on Sunday, watching the Lilywhites overcome the Reds 2-1 in dramatic fashion.

Gold explained that it was the second home game in a row that the Italian had attended, having also been seen in the stands during the win over Sheffield United.

Spurs Web Opinion

Paratici would be extremely proud of the way that some of his signings, including Destiny Udogie, Pedro Porro, Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr, are now performing. His transfer decisions have been more than vindicated.

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When Tottenham had Antonio Conte at the helm, there was, rather naturally, an array of Italian talent behind the scenes at the club.

Conte brought assistant manager Cristian Stellini with him to to club, and later, Leonardo Gabbanini was hired to assist the manager with transfer activity. Set piece specialist, Gianni Vio, is another example of a compatriot joining the club during Conte’s reign.

All of this was brought together, of course, by the club’s former managing director of football, Fabio Paratici.

However, when Conte left the club rather unceremoniously in March of this year, the cracks began to show. Paratici then stepped down from his role in April, following his involvement in Juventus’ capital gains trial, and Stellini was sacked just four games into his caretaker tenure.

Gabbanini remained at the club throughout this summer, to assist new manager Ange Postecoglou in building his new squad, and did a fine job, too.

Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

Fabio Paratici set to part ways with Tottenham

In a report from The Telegraph today, it was revealed that Gabbanini has been relieved of his duties by Spurs, with the club looking to restructure following the appointment of chief football officer, Scott Munn.

The report also claims that Paratici, who had been serving as a consultant to Tottenham throughout the summer (Football.London), may actually be done with that role, too. Apparently, that “arrangement is also likely to now end” in the fallout of Gabbanini’s departure.

Spurs Web Opinion

We have a lot to be thankful for with regard to Paratici, namely the signings of Cristian Romero, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Dejan Kulusevski. But with new faces throughout the club, it makes perfect sense to close the door on every part of the past and move forward.

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Just two games into the 2023/24 Premiere League season, and the impact of two 20-year-old prodigies has been instrumental to Tottenham’s flourishing display of football.

Under Ange’s guidance, Spurs have implemented possession-orientated, free-flowing tactics that have allowed for bounds of creativity and freedom for players across the board.

As a result, the coach has garnered a positive, likeable admiration from players like Dejan Kulusevski and Yves Bissouma– who have both been quick to publicly praise the new manager (Evening Standard, Sky Sports).

But as the dust begins to settle around a tumultuous string of events at the club, a newfound confidence has been imposed by youngsters Pape Matar Sarr and Destiny Udogie who have taken ‘Ange-ball’ by storm.

Udogie and Sarr have been quick off the mark this season. Sarr scored his first Premier League goal in the home fixture against Manchester United, and Udogie has started both games.

The two twenty-year-olds have provided a breath of fresh air to all Spurs supporters; their hunger for success and confidence on the pitch has been a joy to watch, but where did they come from?

Rewind back to August of 2021. Ryan Mason was four months into his first spell as interim manager at Hotspur Way, but negotiations for world-class talent were well underway.

Enter Fabio Paratici, an ex-Italian pro that had joined the club in June, after an 11-year spell as chief footballing officer.

Quick to settle down, Fabio’s eye for talent and potential had jerked him into motion – Pape Matar Sarr, a Senegalese midfielder, had caught Paratici’s attention, as Sarr had begun to make his presence known at Ligue 1 side, FC Metz.

In his short spell at FC Metz, the Senegalese international had tallied up four goals in 26 games over the 20/21 season, predominantly playing the role of a defensive midfielder (TransferMarkt). On the 27^th of August 2021, Sarr signed for Spurs for a modest fee of £14.6 million (SkySports).

As part of the deal, Sarr was loaned back to FC Metz for the 21 -22 season. He made 33 appearances, tallying up four goal contributions (Transfer Markt), but the 22/23 season would be the start of his highly anticipated career at Spurs.

August 2022, Tottenham fans are full of optimism and hope going into the new season. Antonio Conte, now entering his ninth month in charge, has defied odds, securing Champions League football and a fourth-place finish, excitement builds for the new campaign.

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 19: Destiny Udogie of Tottenham Hotspur is substituted off during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 19, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Conte and his Italian outfit had worked wonders, and it looked like they were cooking up something special for the coming season, as Fabio Paratici signs a teenage Italian left back known as Destiny Udogie.

Destiny Udogie piqued Fabio’s interest after a sensational Serie A season. The 21/22 season saw Udogie shirt a total of 37 appearances, in which he netted five goals and assisted three (Transfer Markt).

Following his impressive performance over the season, Fabio signed Destiny for a fee of £15 million (SkySports). Similar to the deal with Pape Matar Sarr, Destiny was loaned back to Udinese for the 22/23 season. The left-sided player closed his account with 33 appearances and seven goal contributions (Transfer Markt).

Ange ball and the prodigies Destiny and Pape

Jump to current day, Ange Postecoglou is at the helm. His tactics are proving to be a joy to watch as Sarr and Udogie slot into the starting XI with relative ease.

Under Ange, Udogie finds himself sliding behind the holding midfielder along with Pedro Porro, the other fullback. This system is known as inverted fullbacks. It allows for more space down the flanks of the pitch, whilst it reinforces the central midfield.

In this position, Destiny can receive the ball, and penetrate the opposition, creating a space and a distraction to the opposition as he runs up the pitch. The tactics are high risk yet high reward, as it frees up the other midfielders.

Sarr on the other hand is finding his own responsibility amongst the likes of Yves Bissouma and James Maddison. Alternating between each other, the trio are the powerhouse of ‘Ange ball’.

As we saw in the Man United game, Sarr and Co. will sit on the outside of the box passing the ball into space, then by timing his run to perfection, he can sneak into spaces unnoticed as play evolves around him – when done well, he can deal a deadly blow to the opposition – as the Red Devils found out.

The pair’s unpredictability is certainly working in their favour. Destiny for one made his premiere league debut on the opening weekend, and Sarr, although we saw glimpses of him under Conte, he remains obscure to most oppositions.

As a result, the duo exudes excitement, the sky’s the limit for either one of their abilities, and with such offensive freedom it will be truly intriguing to see where Ange Postecoglou will take them and the rest of the team.

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The unknown is a scary place and that is why people try to alleviate their fears by setting goals, sometimes realistic and sometimes ludicrously overly positive. But why do people do it? Quite simply, it gives us a theoretical roadmap to a destination that we would like to arrive.

To say that Tottenham at the end of the previous season was in a state of flux would be a gross understatement. Words like shambles, mess and somewhat less linguistically acceptable – ‘s**t show’ were commonplace – and rightly so.

At the time of writing, there has been change aplenty at The Lane. A new manager through the door in Ange Postecoglou has brought back a feeling of warmth to the club.

(Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)

His demeanour, modesty and avuncular nature has begun to create a bridge back to the fans, who have felt alienated by ego-centric managers, tone-deaf decisions by the board, and of course physical divide previously caused by COVID. No disrespect to the man, but I am not sure any Spurs fan is thinking ‘What if?’ about Arnie Slot right now.

However, it cannot be overstated that these are merely the green shoots of recovery. There is a long way to go even to reach a state of equilibrium around the club. The squad is bloated and imbalanced; there is mass dissatisfaction towards those running the club, and results and performances need to be consistently better on the pitch.

Therefore, I have outlined five ways which, if met, Tottenham could argue it has been a good season.

1) Clarity and Transparency at the Top

This article is not going to address whether Daniel Levy should be at the club; that subject matter is worthy of a book at least. However, by May 2024, certain roles need to be clarified at the club because currently several individuals who could/ should be performing those roles are acting like poorly skilled undercover agents.

Firstly, our Chief Football Operator (CFO), the elusive Scott Munn, must officially start at the club and it needs to be made very clear what his responsibilities are.

The division of power between him and Daniel Levy must be crystal clear and, more importantly, adhered to. If Munn is to be effective, he needs to be given autonomy and allowed to run the football side of business – basically let him work to his job title.

Secondly, the Director of Football needs to be installed or at least a plan made clear. I have written before that my instinct is that, once his ban is over, Fabio Paratici will resume his position at the club. Initially, we held off letting him go for so long because it was clear those in positions of power were hopeful he would not have to go.

Currently, he is working in a ‘consultancy role’ for the club and was at the Brentford game this weekend (Football.London).

Let us be blunt about this – Tottenham are exploiting a loophole and he has been involved in the signings of Veliz and Vicario (Football.London), but they should acknowledge this and release a statement saying that ‘once his ban is over he will be reinstated’ – if this is indeed the case.

If Ange Postecoglu has no issue with working with ‘Don Fabio’, then I am sure the fan base won’t either. Indeed, if the triumvirate of Munn, Paratici and Postecoglu work together effectively and are left to run the football side – I think it solves a lot of problems at the club.

2. Ship out the Deadwood

I am not going to name names of players I think should be shipped. It does not need to be said. Ange himself has admitted the squad is too large (OneFootball).

This has been a problem at the club for too many years. Players with little to offer the club have either been kept on – due to some sense of loyalty; a hope that they would ‘turn it around’ or just a delusional belief in how much certain players are worth.

Tottenham fans have looked incredulously at Chelsea this summer, who have managed to flog a squad worth of players and made roughly £220m in the process (Transfermarkt). For those wildly gesticulating and asking how they escape FFP penalties – this helps explain it somewhat!

Too often Tottenham have allowed players to leave on loan when they obviously have no future – usually without obligation to buy clauses! The thinking is clear – they will show their worth on loan and then we can get a better fee. In principle this is sound, but has it ever worked?

Instead, and I have written previously about this before, Ange had to take a preseason tour with close to ten players that have zero chance of game minutes for Tottenham this season. There needs to be a line drawn in the sand now. If they do not have a future at the club – sell. Even if it means taking at hit.

Let’s be fair, we can take that hit based on how much we have received from the sale of an academy player last week. By next preseason, the squad should contain only players that have a future at the club, either immediately or in the long term.

3. The ‘Brand’ of Football

However opposition fans may scoff, there is a way of playing football at Tottenham Hotspur. It is about attacking and playing in a swashbuckling, sometimes cavalier manner that electrifies the fans.

Even the clubs lauded motto: To Dare is to Do, is all about taking risks to (potentially) achieve glory. Even though it went horribly wrong, Ossie Ardiles ‘got it’ when he played the Famous Five of Klinsmann, Sheringham, Barmby, Dumitrescu and Anderton. Admittedly, that all went horribly wrong – but Ossie dared to dream (his second dream, after getting to a final at Wembley).

More successfully, I saw attacking football under the likes of Jol, Redknapp and the current Chelsea manager. Players such as Berbatov, Bale, Modric and Dele flourished and exhilarated. After the depths of Mourinho’s bus parking; Conte’s ‘cling on until the second half’ and of course the instantly forgettable ‘Nunoball’ – I am ready to be wowed once more.

The signs are good and as Ange himself says, he will not be swayed from his principles. Let’s hope that when we have a rocky patch, as we inevitably will, the players continue to dare.

4. Give it a Shot in the Cups

For me, the ultimate nadir of last season (and there were multiple options) was the abject FA Cup defeat to Sheffield United (BBC Sport).

As a supporter of this famous football club, I have witnessed two trophy wins – The Allan Nielsen final of 1998/99 and the Jonathan Woodgate final of 2007/08. Unlike many, I am not one of those supporters that cherishes trophies above all else.

If I remember rightly, the Worthington Cup win of 1998/99 came in the typically mediocre season expected of 90s Tottenham teams (Wikipedia).

But let’s give it a go. That is all I ask. We have a good squad and should be aiming for quarter or semi-finals at least. Without Europe this year, we should attack on all fronts – in every sense. If we go out in a blaze of glory 5-3 away at Machester City – so be it.

Whimpering out against lower-level opposition, whilst fielding a second-string line-up, with barely an effort on goal is not acceptable.

5. Improve the Attack

It would be churlish of me to use the phrase ‘replace Kane’. It is just not possible, and by using that phrase it heaps instant, unnecessary pressure on any individual joining the club.

Yet the fact remains, 30 league goals have just walked out the door and they need to be scored. We need an instinctive finisher in the club because we are sorely lacking one. If it means waiting till January to make the right signing, then so be it, but we need to look at this season as being transitional (to a point).

By the beginning of next season, the personnel must be through the door and ready to fire all guns blazing at the onset of the 2024/25 season.

To conclude Tottenham’s success checklist

So, are these targets viable? I would argue they are within the realms of possibility and not impossible to attain. Fundamental changes and improvements need to happen for the club to address the fragmentation that has happened in recent years.

Tottenham are a massive club financially, but also in emotional terms. They are central to the lives of thousands and for that reason, it is essential that there is harmony, happiness and stability at the club.

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Paratici stepped down from his position as Tottenham’s managing director of football back in April after his ban was upheld by FIFA for his alleged involvement in Juventus‘ capital gains scandal.

(Photo by Vincent Mignott/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

However, Gold has explained that the Italian has now been given limited scope to work within the game after world football’s governing body lifted some elements of his ban.

The journalist reports that Paratici is thus working as a consultant for Tottenham and played a role in the club’s move for Veliz.

Gold adds that the 51-year-old also laid the groundwork for the transfer of Guglielmo Vicario ahead of his ban, having monitored the goalkeeper’s development at Empoli closely.

Fabio Paratici was at Brentford vs Tottenham

Paratici is also alleged to have scouted Brennan Johnson heavily, with the Nottingham Forest star now emerging as a summer target for Spurs.

Finally, Gold reveals that Tottenham’s former managing director was spotted at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday during the Lilywhites’ opening game of the season against Brentford.

Spurs Web Opinion

Perhaps Paratici’s involvement in a consultancy role is one of the reasons why Tottenham are not in a hurry to hire a new director of football. By the sounds of it, the Italian is still playing a valued role in the club’s recruitment decisions.

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The saying goes that no one is bigger than the club – but in to be brutally honest, over the last few years, Harry has got mighty close to being so.

However, as Graham Roberts said, “The crest on the front of the shirt will always be bigger than any name on the back” – and I for one adhere to this statement.

Thus, Kane will be replaced both as a player and as an icon. However, I would argue that Tottenham should not seek to replace Harry this summer and not enter the transfer market to buy another striker.

This may not be a popular sentiment, but, hear me out…

(Photo by Amphol Thongmueangluang/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Have we done our Due Diligence?

Going into the summer transfer window, not many at the club expected to be in this position. Everyone could see Manchester United sauntering in, attempting to dine off past glories and making grand overtures – stumping up plenty of quotes from former players but not much in terms of money.

Not many saw the possibility of a) Bayern Munich being so persistent in their chase and b) Harry Kane seemingly so open to the lure of the glitz and glamour of the Bundesliga.

Therefore, replacing him this summer did not seem to be forefront of the very long ‘to-do’ list. From a fan’s perspective, the transfer process at Tottenham seems haphazard at best and getting a deal like this done adequately appears to be a long shot.

Occasionally the club gets deals done quickly, like with James Maddison, but then again a stopped clock is still right twice a day.

It would make more sense for the infrastructure at the top of the club to be in place (see later on) and, hopefully, cohesively running, as we look for a new frontman.

Similarly, Ange’s tactics will evolve at Tottenham, just like they have at his other clubs. It might take him several months to work out what type of striker compliments the players in the team currently.

Which attributes will best serve the team? Diving headlong into signing Kolo Muani or the like off the back of a good season and impressive international tournament – Roman Pavluychenko anyone?

Although exciting, it would appear rushed and based on very little due diligence.

I understand completely that this view will not go down well with some fans, but I have seen this before with Tottenham and strikers, especially those who have never played Premier League football. I give you these names (in no particular order): Iversen, Rebrov, Postiga, Soldado and Jansen.

Admittedly, there is an element of risk with all transfers, but I would rather the club made a mistake after doing their homework thoroughly and with the right people in place.

No Director of Football and a CFO gone MIA

As I alluded to before, if we were to embark on a search for a striker right now, who would be orchestrating it?

The Scott Munn situation is bizarre, to say the least (FootballLondon) and as much as we expect he is working behind the scenes, it is not the same as being front and centre spearheading proceedings.

That said, it would not necessarily be Munn’s job to organise this search, that would be the role of the director of football. However, at the time of writing, not only is there not a Director of Football at the club, but progress on appointing one seems to have stalled, with the latest news being that Tiago Pinto had ruled himself out of the running (iNews).

This may be, in some part, down to the fact that Fabio Paratici is still working with the club in an ‘advisory role’ (FootballLondon). This is purely speculation on my part, but I wonder if, with the reduced terms of Paratici’s ban, Levy is going to use him in the ‘advisor role’ until he can slip back into his old position when his 30-month ban is complete.

No matter who takes these roles and when, I would rather they were in charge of ‘Operation Replace Kane’ in an official capacity so that ‘COYS Daniel’ has as little to do with the proceedings as possible.

We Have Enough Cover – Just

Ironically, despite being our best player, by some distance and more, Ange Postecoglou would have to amend the way his formation works to accommodate Harry in the line-up.

In his previous sides, the forward three press like demons in an attempt to win the ball back high up the pitch. Kane, for all his attributes, is not this player.

Arguably, Richarlison, with his work ethic and relentless running could complement the system. Although I do not think he has the calibre to be the long-term replacement, in the interim he could ‘do a job’ so to speak.

Most of us have been pleasantly surprised at how Manor Solomon has started life in a Spurs shirt and this could free up Son Heung-Min to play down the middle as an auxiliary forward – if needed.

The Goals Will Come From Other Areas

As impressive as Harry Kane’s numbers were last season – and they were staggering given the team he was playing in, it was concerning how much Tottenham relied on him for goals last season.

However, the hope would be based on history and what we have seen in preseason so far, is that goals will come from a plethora of sources this season, not just the central striker.

Even from the friendlies against West Ham and Lion City, we have seen attempts at goal from the likes of Bissouma, Sarr, Lo Celso and Maddison, along with our wingers and front man.

This is common with Postecoglou teams, indeed in his first year as Celtic manager, not one player scored over thirteen goals in the league but seven players scored over six goals (BBC).

Even last year, with Kyogo netting 35 times in all competitions, four other players also reaches double figures across the whole season (BBC).

Other Priorities – Centre Backs Anyone?

This point has been laboured into the ground by virtually everyone associated with Tottenham Hotspur. But having a Kane replacement is far less important than bringing in two quality centre-backs to sure up the defence.

For whoever is working on the transfers, please stop focusing attention on the likes of Kessie Sport (30/07/23 via Sport Witness) and just focus on the priority.

Without a doubt, if he goes, Kane will be a great loss. But the key word throughout pre-season has been ‘patience’ and giving time for Ange to build his team.

The club should extend this to signing Kane’s replacement and hopefully avoid having an expensive panic buy on our books, who we will be unable to get rid of for years to come.

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The premise of the book is that the main character, ‘K’, makes constant, fruitless attempts to reach the castle from the village but is always thwarted or unsuccessful in his attempts.

Most Tottenham fans right now can empathise with ‘K’, as our pursuit of a high-class centre-back over the last two summers feels very similar to his plight in reaching the castle. Link after link to high-quality defenders ending in failure and disappointment – leading to the overwhelming sense that the task will never be accomplished.

Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images

When Tottenham finished fourth at the end of the 2021/22 season, it was borderline miraculous. The team managed to win ten out of the last fourteen fixtures and Arsenal somehow contrived to fall off a precipice and, much to our mirth, hand us fourth place on a blue and white ribboned platter.

Despite this, it was clear who was the better team. Arsenal had some exciting players who were working in unison and had begun to acquire an identity and way of playing under Arteta.

We were winning games thanks to the individual brilliance of the Son, Kane, Kulusevski triumvirate and the insanely good form of Cristian Romero, which, let’s be honest, we have only seen flashes of since.

Some of those performances were dire for at least 60 minutes, but goal-filled salvos propelled us to wins, like that Sonny hat-trick against Aston Villa (a perfect microcosm for this period of time).

Every fan who understands football knew that fourth place was a ‘false positive’ – not that it stopped us from celebrating like crazy.

But we were desperate for the club to seize this piece of good fortune and capitalise on it. But how? The answer was simple. We needed an upgrade in the wing-back area and to bring in an elite level centre back – ideally two, while shipping out some players whose time was up.

Early in the window, Tottenham snapped up Ivan Perisic on a free and Yves Bissouma for a very reasonable price. Spurs were doing their business early for a change; this was Paratici working his magic and allowing us to behave like an elite club. Or so we hoped.

The call went out from the fan base ‘Announce Bastoni!’. The young Italian seemed like an ideal fit for the team and had worked with Conte before. However, the long and short of it was that we did not sign him; instead welcoming Clement Lenglet to the club… on loan. Hardly a ringing endorsement that he would solve our long-term centre-back issues.

The Spurs defence last season, including Lenglet along with Lloris, Dier, Davies and Romero proceeded to concede sixty-three Premier League goals and looked about as robust as a chocolate digestive dipped in tea for two seconds.

The deep-dive investigation into this calamity has been well reported and thus there is no need for me to go any further on the matter, other than to say a drastic overhaul was needed. We could not maintain the status quo.

As the oft-used Einstein quote goes: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result”. We could not go into the new season with the same personnel. Change needed to be made.

Thus, like ‘K’ trying to find the castle, we found ourselves in May of this year, 2023, in the same position as the previous year. Unfortunately for the club, this time was after the crushing disappointment of finishing eighth in the Premier League, the shambles of the Conte-Stellini-Mason debacle and no European football to offer.

Similar to the preseason of 2022/23, the early signs were positive. Ange Postecoglou was unveiled as manager and his aura and communication skills ensured goodwill towards him from the fan base, despite some pockets of scepticism. Early signings were also made in the shape of Vicario, Solomon and the excellent James Maddison.

Three good signings, but none of whom can fill the centre-back void. Anyone who watched Tottenham last year knows that at least two centre-backs were needed (sound familiar?), especially if we were going to attempt Ange Postecoglou’s attacking brand of football. Yet we have nothing. No centre backs through the door and we play Brentford in less than twenty days.

What is making it worse is the farcical situation right now concerning Edmond Tapsoba and Micky Van De Ven (featuring a little bit of Tosin Adarabioyo). Like most fans, I will freely admit that when the season finished, my knowledge of these two players was rudimentary at best.

Statistically, they look promising and in the interviews given by Bundesliga journalists and pundits, you can see why a big club like Spurs would be interested.

However, Tottenham seem to be in a farcical position where they are “pursuing both, with the thought to buy one” (Fabrizio Romano).

I am well aware that clubs have to have multiple options open at a time, to ensure that they are not left high and dry if something unforeseen happens, but this situation seems absurd.

Put aside the fact that every Spurs fan is in unison screaming ‘sign them both’ but it just seems as though the club is dithering and just does not know the right course to take. It reminds me of a moment a few years ago in my life when I applied for two different jobs in a rush.

I ended up in a situation where I was just waiting to see who phoned me up first to decide which job I would take. It was scrambled thinking and I fear we are seeing the same from the Spurs board.

With all respect to Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, we have the financial clout to prise either player from their club and personal terms do not appear to be a problem. However, It appears like the hierarchy (whoever they may be) are uncertain which player to push for and are almost waiting for the situation to resolve itself, so they do not have to make a decision.

Even if one, or both, were signed now, they will have had minimal preseason to settle into the team and bond with their new teammates. My recurring nightmare is that both are snapped up by our rivals and we are left resigning Clement Lenglet to complete the Kafkaesque nightmare.

How does that Tottenham story end? 

For those of you that are still interested in the ‘Castle’ narrative I am attempting to interweave into this article, Kafka died before he could complete the novel and thus the protagonist never reached his destination.

I sincerely hope that unlike ‘K’ our story has a happier ending and doesn’t involve the same familiar faces in the backline against Brentford.

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The Italian joined Tottenham as Managing Director of Football in 2021 and was instrumental in transfer activity at the club, particularly in bringing the likes of Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur to North London last January.

(Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

Paratici was wrapped up in the controversy surrounding Juventus‘ financial affairs and was subsequently handed a global ban from football earlier this year which would see him unable to take up a role in the game for 30 months.

However, a recent report from Il Messaggero, relayed by Lazio News 24, revealed Paratici had taken on a consultancy role at Italian side Sampdoria. The 50-year-old had also been offering advice to Lazio president Claudio Lotito recently.

Fabio Paratici is still offering advice to Tottenham

Now, it seems the Italian has taken advantage of the terms of his ban that allows him to advise clubs as a consultant once more, as it is revealed by Football.London that Paratici holds a similar role at Tottenham.

Despite the initial ban, FIFA subsequently reduced some of the terms of the restrictions, and allowed Paratici to “return to football activity at a reduced capacity.” It is this which allows him to act in a consultancy role for various clubs.

According to the latest report, Spurs are “still receiving advice” from Paratici. It is noted how all three of Tottenham’s summer transfer deals – Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro becoming permanent transfers, and Guglielmo Vicario’s imminent switch to North London – all “bear the touch of Paratici” in one way or another.

The loan deals of Kulusevski and Porro were both initiated during Paratici’s time at Tottenham, while Vicario is known to be a player Paratici had earmarked previously (Football.London).

On top of this, Paratici is believed to be “aiding the club’s summer plans to rebuild the squad” under new boss Ange Postecoglou.

However, while Paratici is still involved with Tottenham, there are signs that his previous work at the club is being “dismantled” to some degree.

With new chief football officer Scott Munn arriving at the club, and Greitar Steinsson – a man Paratici was involved in hiring – departing his role, it seems changes are taking place at Spurs.

Spurs Web Opinion

While this is all above board when it comes to the ruling of Paratici’s ban, it does feel a little odd that he is still involved with Spurs.

As long as his advice and activity are not breaking any rules, then there should be no problem, but we just have to be careful not to venture into any sticky situations as a result of his connection.

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Vicaria now appears to be edging closer to a move to Tottenham, with Fabrizio Romano revealing on Thursday that the North London club had agreed personal terms with the goalkeeper and are set to launch a €19m (£16.3m) offer for him.

In fact, Romano has since given the move his ‘here we go’ seal of approval.

Guglielmo Vicario to Tottenham, here we go! Agreement completed after official bid sent for the Italian goalkeeper to join Spurs on €19m deal. #THFC

Vicario joins after excellent season at Empoli — he will be in London in the next hours to sign contract until 2028. pic.twitter.com/Q5MznCQmxK

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 22, 2023

(Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

Gold has now also backed up the same claim, adding that there is now ‘growing confidence’ at Spurs that a deal for the 26-year-old will be sealed in the coming days.

Paratici admired Vicario while he was at Spurs

The journalist explains that Paratici, who resigned as Spurs’ managing director of football in April, had been an admirer of Vicario, along with chief scout Leonardo Gabbanini.

The 50-year-old is alleged to have checked on the availability of the Empoli number earlier this year.

Gold adds that the reason Tottenham had to move swiftly to snap up Vicario is that there was a widespread belief that Inter Milan would make a move for the goalkeeper if Andre Onana joins Manchester United or Chelsea this summer.

Spurs Web Opinion

The fact that Tottenham pushed ahead with a move for Vicario despite Paratici’s departure suggests that the goalkeeper’s case was pushed by Gabbanini.

Perhaps, Postecoglou was also an admirer of the Italian, which might have been why Spurs decided to pursue him over the likes of Giorgi Mamardashvili.

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Maurizio Sarri is looking to restructure his backroom staff at Lazio and had earmarked two potential targets among the Tottenham scouting set-up.

According to Il Messaggero, relayed by Tutto Juve, Lazio were keen to poach both Leonardo Gabbanini and Lorenzo Giani from Tottenham Hotspur.

The pair were initially brought to the North London club by Fabio Paratici during his tenure as Director of Football at Spurs.

Paratici has since left the club in a wave of controversy after he was found guilty of being involved in Juventus’ financial scandal. The Italian was banned from world football for 30 months as a result of the capital gains trial.

Despite this, he is seemingly still having an influence on the sport, and in particular when it comes to Tottenham Hotspur.

Paratici advised club against moving for Spurs man

According to the latest from Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, relayed by Lazio News 24, Paratici has told Lazio president Claudio Lotito not to make the move for Giani.

Apparently, Lotito has now “shelved the idea” of hiring the Spurs scout not long after the interest was first reported. It turns out Paratici had a conversation with Lotito that helped to change the latter’s mind on the hiring process.

Paratici is now a consultant at Sampdoria, in an unofficial capacity, and is also clearly giving out advice to others, too. It is not known what he told Lotito, but clearly the approach for Giani was not recommended.

Spurs Web Opinion

The situation surrounding Paratici is such a strange one. Surely, if he is banned from world football, he cannot be influencing the game at all, even as a consultant.

I would be curious to know why he recommended against approaching Giani, and whether it was on the basis of protecting Spurs from losing their scout.

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Fabio Paratici’s 18-month stint as Tottenham’s managing director of football came to an abrupt end back in April when he resigned from his position after losing an appeal in Italy against his 30-month ban from the game.

(Photo by Vincent Mignott/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Although Tottenham have hired a new manager in the form of Ange Postecoglou, they are yet to fill the vacancy left by the Italian’s departure.

Paratici is still working despite Tottenham exit

La Repubblica have now revealed that Paratici is giving his input to Radrizzani regarding who should occupy the senior roles at Sampdoria following the club’s relegation to Serie B.

The Italian businessman has agreed to sell his shares in Leeds United to 49ers Enterprises (The Athletic) and completed a takeover of the relegated Italian club recently (Daily Mail).

La Repubblica explain that Radrizzani is now in the process of deciding who to hire as the club’s manager and sporting director, and he met with Paratici on Monday to discuss the same.

Spurs Web Opinion

While Paratici cannot work anywhere in an official capacity due to his ban, I am sure that he will be keeping himself busy by working on various projects unofficially as it would be difficult for a workaholic like him to switch off from football completely.

In fact, the Italian will also likely be in constant touch with Daniel Levy, giving his input on the club’s various decisions.

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The Italian joined Tottenham as the club’s managing director of football in June 2021 having left his role as Juventus’ long-serving chief football officer after 11 years just weeks prior to his appointment.

In his 18 months at the north London club he had overseen 12 permanent signings, as well as a move for Dejan Kulusevski, who is on loan but with an option to buy him.

His time at Tottenham came to an abrupt end when he resigned from his position last month after losing an appeal in Italy against his 30-month ban from the game.

Paratici’s punishment for his role in alleged false accounting at his former employer, Juventus, was extended worldwide by Fifa on 29 March and had stepped away from his duties at Spurs pending the outcome of his appeal.

He had his ban partially reduced on appeal by FIFA, allowing him to continue to work in football in some capacity (The Athletic).

(Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

SpursWeb Opinion

It appears that Daniel Levy and the Spurs board are still seeking the ear of Paratici despite him no longer being involved in a day-to-day capacity at the club. 

Under the terms of the ban he is able to still perform low level duties outside of Italy and had already drawn up a managerial shortlist to replace Antonio Conte, with former Spain boss Luis Enrique said to have been high up on his list (The Athletic).

The reason why Tottenham did not go back in for Mauricio Pochettino is also likely to have been influenced by Paratici, who did not recommend the Argentine to Daniel Levy (Daily Mirror.).

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Tim Steidten made his name at Werder Bremen, where he went from a youth scout to head of scouting, then sporting director and director of football in the space of nine years.

Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

He joined Bayer Leverkusen as the head of scouting in 2019 and once again demonstrated an eye for finding gems and was then promoted to the role of sports coordinator last summer.

The 44-year-old left his role BayArena back in March and it was reported by Alasdair Gold on Football.London earlier this week that he is one of three leading contenders for the sporting director role at Spurs, alongside AS Roma director Tiago Pinto and another unnamed candidate.

Steidten has now admitted that he does not expect his next job to be in the Bundesliga and revealed that he has received offers from England.

The former Leverkusen man told DeichStube: “Germany and England are definitely the two leagues that interest me the most.

“There are already offers, including from the Premier League.

“Honestly, there’s not that many clubs in the Bundesliga that appeal to me and where I am needed right now.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Steeden’s expertise seems to lie specifically in player recruitment, which would make him a good fit for Spurs, given that we now have Scott Munn in place as the chief football officer to oversee the running of the academy and other aspects of the football club.

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The report reveals that Paratici, who joined as Spurs’ managing director of football in the summer of 2021, hatched a plan to sign Vlahovic in his first transfer window at the club.

Andrea Staccioli/Insidefoto/LightRocket via Getty Images

With Harry Kane being heavily linked with a move to Manchester City at the time, the Italian reportedly urged Daniel Levy to sign the Serbian whether or not the England captain left the club.

The 50-year-old’s plan was that Vlahovic would be Kane’s readymade replacement if he left or could even play alongside the 29-year-old if he stayed.

As it happened, Spurs chose against making a move for the centre-forward, who eventually joined Juventus from Fiorentina in a deal worth £66m in January of last year.

The 23-year-old has not lived up to expectations since his switch to Turin and The Telegraph add that he is expected to be on the market again this summer, with Aston Villa interested in bringing him to the Premier League.

Spurs Web Opinion

Despite Vlahovic failing to have the expected impact at Juve, there is no doubt about the striker’s quality.

He is a well-rounded modern-day centre-forward who could thrive in any system.

Spurs could certainly do a lot worse than pursuing the 23-year-old if Harry Kane does leave this summer.

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The Italian resigned from his post as Tottenham’s managing director of football last month after his appeal against a two-and-a-half-year ban was rejected by Italy’s highest sports court.

Paratici had initially stepped back from his role at Spurs on March 31 following his ban made worldwide by FIFA  having been handed a 30-month suspension from football in January after his former club Juventus, where he worked for 11 years, were found guilty by an Italian court of false accounting.

Steidten, a 43-year-old former defensive midfielder who was sporting director at Bayer Leverkusen but left by mutual consent in March and has previously been linked with Manchester United and Liverpool (Football Insider).

The Guardian reported last year that Steidten puts a heavy focus on data when it comes to finding players.

Understand former Bayer Leverkusen director Tim Steidten is one of the three top candidates to become Tottenham new sporting director. #THFC

Brentford’s Lee Dykes, high on list but would take important bid as the club considers him a top director.

No decision mate yet. pic.twitter.com/49o7YawFAL

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 15, 2023

(Photo by Vincent Mignott/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

SpursWeb Opinion

Tottenham need to move fast to get a new sporting director in place as it appears the appointment is currently holding up any prospect of a head coach arriving in N17.

Fabio Paratici‘s exit from Tottenham hardly came as a surprise to fans and realistically, they should have been much further down the line with their contingency plan for a replacement.

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It is said that Spurs want to hire their Fabio Paratici replacement before the end of the season, and Levy already has a shortlist of potential candidates for the North London job.

Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

There is a hurry to get the new director in because Levy wants them to contribute to the search for Tottenham’s new manager, following the sacking of Antonio Conte earlier this season.

Football Insider claim that Spurs have held talks with Lee Dykes, the current Brentford technical director, but discussions have stalled and the Lilywhites are now looking elsewhere.

Tottenham are also looking at Johannes Spors who works in the recruitment world for Genoa, Standard Liege, Red Star FC, Vasco da Gama and Melbourne.

However, if Spurs go for Spors, they will expect him to commit 100 per cent to them and only them.

Spurs Web Opinion:

It’s all a mess really. Spurs can’t make too much progress in any manager talks because Levy clearly wants a director in first. Tottenham often struggle to get deals done quickly, so having two important deals to make plus transfers feels like a disaster waiting to happen.

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