A Tottenham Hotspur fan favourite has indicated that he wants to move into an executive role and work towards being a sporting director, which could be of interest to the North London club.
Spurs are reportedly on the lookout for a new sporting director to work with the likes of Vinai Venkatesham, Johan Lange and Roberto De Zerbi.
In fact, over recent weeks, it has been widely reported that Tottenham are turning to Piero Ausilio, who departed Inter Milan at the end of the summer transfer window.
In fact, some journalists have claimed that talks between Spurs and Ausilio are at an advanced stage and the deal to bring the Italian to the North London club could be finalised before the January window.
Tottenham legend Toby Alderweireld is serious about an executive role in football
It was reported in the summer that Toby Alderweireld and Ben Davies were being considered for executive roles at Tottenham, as the club looked at bringing some former players back in key roles.
Alderweireld himself indicated that he would be open to a long-term role at Spurs where he can give back, although he made it clear that he does not want to go into coaching.
The Belgian defender has now expressed serious interest in becoming Antwerp’s sporting director as the club looks for a replacement for Marc Overmars, who departed last week.
When asked if he wants the role, the former Tottenham man told Belgium’s Het Laatste Nieuws Voetbalpodcast (as relayed by Sport Witness): “Everything in its own time. I also don’t have the arrogance to say that I could simply replace Marc. Marc is definitely irreplaceable. But it is something I’d like to put my heart into one day. Let’s put it that way.”
Should Spurs groom the likes of Ben Davies and Toby Alderweireld in executive roles?
Tottenham, being one of the richest clubs in world football, are certainly not going to appoint inexperienced executives in top roles.
However, we have seen several clubs around Europe identify the talent of club legends and give them a pathway to rise through the ranks at the club.
Sebastian Kehl, who was reportedly a target for Tottenham recently, did that at Borussia Dortmund, while Edwin van der Sar and Paulo Maldini have done the same at Ajax and AC Milan, respectively.
Perhaps that is a model that Tottenham may look at, if they feel that the likes of Davies and Alderweireld have key insights and could grow internally.
- READ MORE: Tottenham’s interest in Piero Ausilio dates back to Daniel Levy, but De Zerbi could be the key