Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the full-time return of Fabio Paratici as sporting director, sharing the role with Johan Lange as part of a new leadership structure for the club’s men’s football operations. The move follows the conclusion of Paratici’s 30-month suspension linked to his time at Juventus and comes with Spurs seeking to strengthen leadership, collaboration and long-term decision-making from first team to academy.
In announcing the changes, Spurs said Paratici and Lange will lead the men’s football strategy and drive an ambitious new chapter for the club, with a remit spanning player pathways, performance development, scouting and recruitment. The club added it will soon recruit a director of football operations to support the pair and manage key functions across the training centre.
Paratici, who previously served as Spurs’ managing director of football from 2021 to 2023 before stepping down when his ban was upheld, said he was delighted to be returning to a club he loves, noting he had been consulting with Lange, CEO Vinai Venkatesham and head coach Thomas Frank in recent months ahead of a formal comeback. He added that he looks forward to returning to London and joining the team full-time, and believes that working in partnership with Johan, they can build a special future for the club and its supporters.
Lange, promoted from technical director, said he believes Spurs are building something special, pointing to the combined expertise now in place. The club framed the dual sporting director model as a pragmatic response to the breadth of modern football operations and a foundation for sustained success.
Paratici’s return elevates an executive credited with aggressive squad overhauls in Italy and England, while also drawing renewed attention to the governance context that forced his 2023 exit. His 30-month ban, extended worldwide by FIFA, related to financial irregularities found by Italian authorities in cases involving Juventus. Paratici has denied wrongdoing but served the suspension to its conclusion. With the sanction now over, Spurs and Paratici are positioning the reunion as a clean start within a clearer organisational framework.
Strategically, Tottenham’s restructure concentrates decision-making between two senior football operators working alongside Venkatesham and Frank. In practical terms, the set-up should accelerate recruitment and pathway decisions, tighten links between first team and academy, and provide continuity across windows, key priorities for a club targeting sustained top four contention and deeper runs in European competition.
If executed as billed, the model offers Spurs both reach and redundancy. Dual leadership can widen scouting coverage and scenario planning while insulating the club against disruption should one executive be unavailable. The pending appointment of a football operations lead would further codify processes and compliance across medical, performance and administration areas under growing scrutiny across the sport.
