Daniel Levy was trying to do the right thing. In the aftermath of Antonio Conte’s sacking towards the end of March, the Tottenham chairman wanted to put out a reassuring message for supporters. He got Fabio Paratici to do the honours, the managing director of football speaking in slightly stilted English and on a poorly shot iPhone video. It ticked a box.
Less than 24 hours later, the club were blindsided by Fifa’s decision to extend Paratici’s 30-month ban from Italian football for alleged false accounting to the rest of the world. The club knew a global punishment for Paratici relating to issues from his Juventus days was a possibility, that it was maybe in the post. It was just not meant to be delivered that day.
In the middle of March, Levy had given an interview to the debating society at Cambridge, his old university. He rarely speaks in public but this was an environment in which he felt comfortable and it was an attempt to release a few positive soundbites.
It was unclear why the footage was released only on Thursday but again, it was the prelude to more bad news about Paratici. In the evening, it emerged he had lost a final appeal in relation to his sentence in Italy, a verdict that made his position at Spurs untenable, areas of jurisdiction having shifted a little mysteriously, leading to his resignation on Friday morning.
For Levy, it is called sod’s law, his timings all wrong, external forces his enemy. He respects Paratici, he wanted to back him and there was technically a route to do so. Appeal to Fifa against the worldwide extension to Paratici’s ban (this had been done), then request that the punishment be suspended during the appeal. As a final throw of the dice, Paratici’s case could be taken to the court of arbitration for sport (Cas).
The Fifa appeals committee, though, almost never overturns an internal decision, plus the governing body can give no timeframe for the process. Furthermore, any appeal to Cas would be lengthy. There is the possibility that Paratici could end up clearing his name but Levy is in no position to wait. And that is before a potential criminal investigation into Paratici in Italy, beginning on 10 May, is considered. Paratici has denied any wrongdoing.
Paratici was a man out of time or perhaps one whose time was never really in at Spurs, beginning with his role in the chaotic search for a manager in the summer of 2021, which was when he joined.
Having pushed Paulo Fonseca and Rino Gattuso, Paratici was the driving force behind the move for Nuno Espírito Santo, the club eventually appointing him on 1 July – 72 days after sacking José Mourinho and five and a half weeks after Nuno had become a free agent after his departure from Wolves. Nuno did not work out.
The signings on Paratici’s Spurs watch were mixed. The hits were Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski and Cristian Romero – in that order. Conte always felt like an uncomfortable fit but it should be said that he felt like a coup when he was brought in to pick up the pieces after Nuno.
Against them – in no particular order – stand Bryan Gil, Emerson Royal, Djed Spence, Yves Bissouma and Richarlison. The January signing Pedro Porro has not started well, his embattled frame of mind caught in a social media post this week. “You never know how strong you are, until being strong is the only choice you have left,” Porro wrote.
Paratici departs as he arrived, with the club mired in the hunt for a permanent manager and fighting to convince Harry Kane he should stay. The big differences are that we are at a crucial point in the season, Spurs’s top-four hopes in the balance, and Levy also now needs a new sporting director, the leadership on the technical side reduced to rubble. The timing of Paratici’s demise could hardly have been worse.
It will be interesting to see how Paratici’s departure affects the new manager search. Will one of his suggestions, Luis Enrique, remain on the list? It feels as if there is uncertainty over other names. Rúben Amorim – whose release clause at Sporting will be €15m in the summer – is said to be preparing “full on” for next season at the Portuguese club.
Roberto De Zerbi is not expected to leave Brighton for Spurs. Mauricio Pochettino has received no serious proposal from Levy and, given the former Spurs manager is out of work, it is easy to conclude that he is not the No 1 choice. Moreover, it is easy for Pochettino to make that leap and feel slighted. For Burnley’s Vincent Kompany and Feyenoord’s Arne Slot it could be a big step up. Does Julian Nagelsmann fancy the job?
Kane’s future is arguably the biggest single worry. The striker was held to his contract in the summer of 2021 when Manchester City wanted him but it now has only one season to run after this. Kane has been tight-lipped about his intentions; Levy’s position is that he is not for sale.
Yet Kane’s situation, plainly, is far from being the only worry. As legitimate questions are asked about the due diligence Levy conducted before appointing Paratici, an uncomfortable spotlight has picked out the caretaker manager, Cristian Stellini. Conte’s former assistant has not changed much in terms of how he sets up the team at the start of games; performances have remained erratic.
One of the many strange things is that victory at Newcastle on Sunday would make the table look much better, possibly bringing hope. There is not too much of that at present, only frustration at the conspiracy of event after event.
