Former Tottenham Hotspur managing director, Fabio Paratici, has reportedly pushed one manager to chairman Daniel Levy, and the tactician in question has now officially left his club.
Ange Postecoglou still expected to leave Tottenham this summer
Spurs are gearing up for their most important clash of the 2024/2025 season on Wednesday, with Ange Postecoglou's side taking on fellow Premier League underachievers Man United in a blockbuster Europa League with everything on the line.
The victor will seal a place in next season's Champions League draw, and for the north Londoners, it also represents an unmissable chance to clinch their first piece of major silverware in nearly two decades.
After a torrid domestic campaign of record-breaking lows, where Tottenham have even lost their highest number of Premier League games in a single season, and currently sit a lowly 17th in the table, Europa League glory could hand supporters something to smile about at long last.
Postecoglou could even save some face and make good on his early-season statement that he 'always' wins trophies during his second season in charge.
However, regardless of what happens in the Bilbao final, the consensus is that Postecoglou is likely to leave Spurs at the end of the season.
Tottenham have been linked with a host of managers to replace the 59-year-old ahead of 2025/2026, with Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth), Marco Silva (Fulham), Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace), Thomas Frank (Brentford), Scott Parker (Burnley), Jürgen Klopp (Head of Global, Red Bull), Niko Kovač (Borussia Dortmund) and Edin Terzić (free agent) all mentioned by reports as potential successors to Postecoglou within the last month.
Ex-Sky presenter Richard Keys also recently claimed that Tottenham held talks with former Barcelona boss Xavi, so there appears to be a number of options under consideration by Levy.
There is another readily-available option following a significant development this week - ex-Ajax boss Francesco Farioli.
The highly-rated young tactician, who guided Ajax back to the Champions League, also suffered heartbreak at the end of the Eredivisie season - having blown a seismic nine-point lead to surrender the Dutch title to PSV Eindhoven.
Francesco Farioli exit confirmed after Fabio Paratici tells Tottenham to hire him
Reports in the English media recently claimed that Paratici recommended Farioli to Levy and Tottenham, with the club now handed a chance to appoint the 36-year-old.
In an official statement published on Monday, it has been confirmed that Farioli has decided to leave Ajax. The Italian informed officials of his desire to leave, just one year after taking charge, and Spurs have the chance to move for him without having to negotiate with Ajax.
Farioli is very popular within Premier League circles, and some media sources even suggest that he's shot to the top of their managerial shortlist. Dutch media have also branded Farioli as an "amazing" tactician, and the general Ajax reaction to his exit has been one of disappointment.
"I find this incredibly disappointing. Francesco and his staff have been a great help to us," said Ajax director Alex Kroes.
"It’s been an intense season filled with many memorable moments, and we achieved our goal: qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Francesco also played a key role in enhancing the high-performance culture at Ajax, for which we are extremely grateful. This summer was already set to be a challenging transfer window, and it has now become even more so. It is up to us to ensure that a strong new coaching team is in place when pre-season preparations begin on 26 June."