Fiorentina have approached Tottenham Hotspur’s co-sporting director Fabio Paratici about a surprise return to Italy, just over two months after his reappointment at the Premier League club.
Fiorentina are yet to approach Spurs directly about Paratici, according to sources briefed on the situation, but the Serie A club have made the 53-year-old an offer to run their football operation.
Paratici only officially resumed working for Spurs in October following the end of his 30-month ban from football activity, taking up a role alongside Johan Lange as co-sporting director. He was formerly Tottenham’s managing director of football from June 2021, having been appointed by former Executive Chairman Daniel Levy.
Paratici was one of 11 former Juventus executives banned from Italian football after being accused of financial malpractice, and this suspension was extended worldwide by FIFA in March 2023. The ban related to the inflation of transfer fees for accounting purposes during his time at Juventus.
The Italian officially resigned from his role at Tottenham in April 2023 following the rejection of his appeal against his worldwide ban, which was partially reduced, enabling him to work in football in a reduced capacity. During the interim period, he worked on a consultancy basis for Spurs, advising Levy and the club on transfers.
Earlier this year, Paratici held talks with AC Milan before they appointed Igli Tare as sporting director in May.
Fiorentina’s former sporting director Daniele Prade left by mutual agreement in November following a poor start to the season and they are yet to replace him. They are currently rock bottom of Serie A, winless in 15 games and eight points shy of 17th place.
Paratici’s return was the most recent high-profile development in a year of change at Tottenham, with Vinai Venkatesham appointed as CEO in April and Thomas Frank replacing Ange Postecoglou as head coach in the summer. The same month, long-serving Executive Director Donna-Maria Cullen stepped down from her position on the board, and in September, Levy was removed as Spurs chairman after 24 years at the helm of the club.
Paratici spent 11 years as Juventus’ sporting director prior to his first spell at Spurs, overseeing one of the most successful periods in the Italian club’s history, winning nine Serie A titles and reaching the Champions League final twice.
Analysis
The news that Fiorentina have approached Fabio Paratici about a big new job in Serie A is not something that many people saw coming less than two weeks before the opening of the transfer window.
Paratici only officially returned to Tottenham in October, announced as one of the club’s two Sporting Directors, working alongside Johan Lange.
He had previously been a consultant for Spurs since he was forced to resign as managing director of football in April 2023 following his ban from football.
But the plan was that Paratici would use his unrivalled network and his transfer market nous in January (and beyond) to help bring a higher quality of player to Spurs. Just like he did with Cristian Romero, Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski during his first spell at the club.
Clearly this is going to be an important window for Spurs, the first of the post-Daniel Levy era.
Thomas Frank’s team have struggled to convince so far this season – they are currently 13th in the Premier League table – and look in need of improvements in the window. Especially in central midfield and in the front line.
Now everyone has to wait and see what happens with this Fiorentina approach for Paratici. And whether one of their two Sporting Directors will be around for it or not.