Tottenham Hotspur could look to bring in Benfica talent spotter Rui Pedro Braz as a replacement for Fabio Paratici, should the Italian’s ban impact his duties in north London, according to the Mirror.
Paratici is set for a 30-month-ban as part of his alleged involvement in Juventus’ transfer dealings during his time there (Gianluca Di Marzio). His indictment currently only affects his participation in footballing matters in Italy, however, it also includes a request for an extension to cover UEFA and FIFA activities.
There have also been allegations that he offered to pay over the odds to sign Cristian Romero from Atalanta to help solve a problem for Juventus (Daily Mail).
Juventus were docked 15 league points last month at the resolution of a long-running investigation into false accounting at the club. Paratici, who joined Spurs in 2021, was among a number of former and current Juventus executives to receive lengthy bans, after a hearing at the federal court of appeal.
Paratici spent 11 years at Juve as Head of Technical Affairs and Sporting Director, before leaving following the conclusion of the 2020/21 season.
While the Tottenham board appear to be standing by Paratici at this time, there are rumblings that they may be preparing for the worst-case scenario and looking for potential replacements in case the Italian becomes unable to fulfill his duties at the Premier League side.
The Mirror claim that Spurs could look to turn their attention to Benfica’s general director Pedro Braz to fill any void left by Paratici with the 44-year-old having built an impressive track record at the Portuguese giants.
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The report details how “Pedro Braz has helped make Benfica one of the most productive clubs in the world at identifying and selling talent.” It is believed he was wanted by Chelsea, until they hired Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley recently.
The Benfica man “has a masters in communication and leadership and an MBA in sports management.” It is worth noting that Benfica “have generated over £1 billion in transfer fees since the turn of the century,” however, Pedro Braz is only responsible for some of that figure since his appointment in 2021.
Spurs Web Opinion
This would be a very shrewd appointment if it comes to pass. Obviously, we would rather Paratici be able to continue his role, but there’s no harm in setting up a contingency plan in case that situation develops, and I can think of no better choice than the Benfica director.
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