Ange Postecoglou has revealed that he exchanges messages and phone calls with Fabio Paratici from time to time but admitted that he is not one to have regular dialogue with the Italian or with too many other people at the club.
Despite resigning from his position as Tottenham’s managing director of football back in April of last year following his ban by FIFA (part of which was later revoked), Paratici has continued to work as a consultant for the North London side.
In fact, various outlets have revealed over recent months that the 50-year-old has played a vital role in the clubs’ recruitment decisions during last summer’s transfer window as well as this month, working closely with Tottenham’s technical director Johan Lange (The Athletic).
Postecoglou has phone calls with Fabio Paratici
Postecoglou has now shed light on his interactions with Paratici, admitting that he has been impressed by the Italian’s eye for talent.
When asked if he is in regular contact with Tottenham’s former managing director about potential transfer targets, the Australian told Football.London: “I don’t have a lot of dialogue with too many people. That’s how I structure my working life, I keep these things to a minimum.
“Obviously I know Fabio and every now and then we’ll exchange messages or calls. He’s a smart guy and you can see that he’s got a great eye for talent but within the workings of the club and what I do, I don’t have that kind of engagement.
“Not just with Fabio but with most people. It’s more about what the priority is right now, this week, and my focus is on the football and the football department.”
Tottenham have undergone big structural changes off the field over the last six months and Postecoglou insisted that there is more work to be done for the club to get where they want to be.
The 58-year-old said: “I think there’s a good foundation but do I think we’re where we want to be off the field? No. Not from a football perspective anyway. I just think it’s the nature of a rebuild in my experience. They don’t happen in six months – the way you work, the staffing, the environment.
“We’ve made inroads but I definitely don’t think it’s ingrained or established in here yet. It can’t be after six months and I’d be a fool if I thought it was. You look at Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal, and it didn’t happen for them in the first six months so there’s no waving of a wand here.
“I know that that’s not where it needs to be yet but we do have some things that are definitely there. [In terms of] facilities, resources, absolutely we’re well-placed, but when you’ve got all those things you’ve got to take advantage of it.
“You’ve got to use it well because the measure is not how well-placed you are, it’s how you execute. I still think with all those things we’re still in the building phase. We’re not in the phase of catapulting ourselves to where we want to be.”
Spurs Web Opinion
It is quite clear that Paratici still has quite a bit of power at Tottenham and is more than just a consultant for the club, which is perhaps not surprising, given the Italian’s relationship with Daniel Levy.