Tottenham Hotspur have stepped up their pursuit of a new sporting director to join Johan Lange in a two-person model.
Tottenham Hotspur’s two-sporting director model was broken up following Fabio Paratici’s departure a few months ago. The former Spurs director left North London to join Italian side Fiorentina just a few months after his official Tottenham return.
That now leaves Johan Lange as the sole sporting director at the club, but it might not stay that way for long.
Tottenham sporting director search strategy explained
According to The Athletic, Tottenham are said to be looking to return to their two-sporting director model in the near future.
As a result, Spurs have enlisted the help of Excel, formerly Nolan Partners, a headhunting agency that specialises in placing candidates in sports executive roles.
It is claimed that the agency is currently in the process of reaching out to candidates who fit the profile of the job, compiling a longlist of options to present to Spurs.
The report claims that Tottenham are looking to appoint someone capable of working within a structure, not necessarily as the sole football decision-maker, but perhaps more as a No 2 in the system, arguably closer to a technical director role.
Spurs face structural and timing challenges in director hunt
No names have been confirmed as yet, although we reported this week that Paul Winstanley and Dougie Freedman have been linked with the Tottenham sporting director role.
The former Crystal Palace sporting director boasts the kind of experience that could appeal to Spurs, but he is currently with Al Diriyah in Saudi Arabia, having joined the club last year.
However, while Tottenham are keen on securing a sporting director, they do have to deal with a few challenges. One such challenge is the fact that many potential candidates will be in roles at rival clubs.
If they have to serve a notice period or gardening leave, Spurs may not get their chosen candidate in place until the summer.
The other challenge will be identifying the right person to operate within the specific structures that now exist at the club.