The Athletic have revealed that Tottenham were close to confirming Paulo Fonseca as their next head coach before Fabio Paratici changed his mind.
Nuno Espirito Santo was eventually confirmed as the next Spurs boss last week after a long search which saw the North Londoners speak to several candidates including Fonseca.
The Athletic have now explained that the North London club held advanced talks with the former Roma boss, with a deal even being verbally agreed on June 11 for the 48-year-old to sign a two-year contract with the option of a third.
However, with only the final details set to be discussed, Paratici reportedly arranged another meeting with Fonseca in Como on June 14 and 15 to talk about ideas for the squad and the transfer window.
It is explained that the Italian not only had disagreements with Fonesca over transfer policy but he also found him to have no clear plan for backroom staff.
When Fonseca left to go on holiday after the meeting, it is alleged that Paratici had decided to look elsewhere.
Spurs Web Opinion
A lot of Spurs fans have understandably been critical of Daniel Levy for the prolonged managerial search. However, I do have some sympathy for the Spurs chairman. Trying to get Pochettino back was the right thing to do, even if our chances were slim.
Once it became clear that the Argentine was not going to return, he moved quickly to appoint a director of football in Paratici and handed him the reins. Conte, Fonseca, Gattuso and Nuno all seem to have been Paratici’s choices and so Levy is not entirely responsible for the delay in the appointment.
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