Tottenham showing up unfashionably late to the party

The transfer window officially opens today but don’t expect Tottenham to make any substantial moves until the saga of finding a new manager finally ends. 

The unenviable streak of having no captain to steer the ship continues, and there’s no definitive end in sight. Fabio Paratici’s first gargantuan task is to source and land a new manager. He is already well behind the 8-ball, espousing the consequential responsibility with time well and truly pitted against him.

Talk about a baptism of fire.

Reliable reports suggest that Paratici has been working in an unofficial capacity, until his appointment is confirmed, behind the scenes to not only source a manager but to draw up a shortlist of potential transfer targets, a few of whom are expected to from his former club, The Old Lady. 

And while Paratici narrows the field and compiles his transfer target list, it’s unlikely Tottenham will make any significant moves until a new manager is in place. It would, for a number of reasons, be unorthodox, even extremely risky, to sign players prior to landing a manager.

No manager wants to join a club that has purchased players days or weeks before his arrival. It would show an amateurish level of imperceptive oversight. Having the influence to handpick one’s own cast and crew is a prerequisite for any decent manager. Entering a locker room full of recent signees who were brought on without prior consent would enrage most elite managers.