Tottenham have put their hunt for a new sporting director on hold until after the summer transfer window closes, as all efforts are now directed toward strengthening Roberto De Zerbi’s squad.
The club brought in Fabio Paratici last October to operate alongside Johan Lange in a shared sporting director setup, but the Italian departed in February, returning to Italy due to personal reasons.
While plans were in place to appoint another sporting director this summer, CEO Vinai Venkatesham has now confirmed that this is no longer a pressing concern.
Recruitment duties for the current window are being led by Lange, head coach De Zerbi, and Rafi Moersen, who recently took on the role of director of football operations. Addressing the sporting director search, Venkatesham shared in notes from a Fan Advisory Board meeting: “We trust our current team, but if the right person comes along who can add value and strengthen us, we’ll act at the right moment—and that moment isn’t this summer window.
“No one has been in the process and rejected us. A lot of names have appeared in the media, but we haven’t even spoken to most of them.”
In the same meeting notes, Venkatesham described the past season as “unacceptable and not something we can repeat,” adding that “our goal is to challenge for top honours and deliver the kind of football our fans want to see.”
He also offered a strong defence of Lange, who has faced significant criticism from supporters after Tottenham finished 17th in both of his full seasons at the helm.
“Transfers aren’t decided simply because ‘the club’ wants a player, or because ‘Roberto’ does,” Venkatesham explained. “Johan and his group work closely with Roberto to shape and execute a shared strategy.
“Roberto came on board because he believes in what we can achieve together as a unit. He didn’t ask for a retention bonus, has never demanded full control over decisions, and remained fully committed even in the event of relegation.
“Johan was key in bringing him in. Roberto was always our top target, and we’re very pleased with the impact he’s made so far.”
Tottenham transfer latest: Ambitious £185m double midfield move in sight
Although there’s still work to be done to regain the full trust of the fanbase, Tottenham’s leadership have made a proactive start to the summer, wrapping up deals for Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, and Jan Paul van Hecke for a combined £52m.
Now, the focus shifts to midfield, with big-money moves for Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes both being strongly mooted. In positive news for supporters, Fabrizio Romano confirmed on Wednesday morning that Spurs are pursuing both players simultaneously, rather than choosing between them.
“Tottenham are in the race for Fernandes too, and they’re also advancing separately on Sandro Tonali—he remains very much in the picture.
“So Spurs are actively working on both deals, as are Manchester United.”
Romano adds that West Ham have kicked off the bidding for Fernandes at £85m, while the BBC suggests Tonali’s price could rise to around £100m after Newcastle turned down an £80m opening offer from Tottenham.
That would push Spurs’ spending on the two midfielders to £185m, bringing the summer total to nearly £250m—and the club are still hoping to sign a new centre-forward as well.
