What Nuno’s appointment tells us about new dynamic at Tottenham

Many wondered, when Daniel Levy signed Fabio Paratici, whether the chairman would follow through with his promise to relinquish control of on-field decisions.

The appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo goes a long way in validating Levy’s commitment to take a more hands-off approach. When the possibility of Nuno taking over was first brought to light, Levy was dead set against the proposition.

The chairman believed wholeheartedly that Nuno’s philosophy is at odds with what he envisioned for Tottenham’s future. Levy was so steadfastly against Nuno’s appointment during the inchoate stages of the rumours that he made clear the Portuguese gaffer would not be in contention to take the helm.

His opinion of Nuno hasn’t changed since his evaluation of the Portuguese just over a month ago. And while Levy’s mind in regards to Nuno was made up, his new director of football had a completely opposing viewpoint.

Paratici, whose official post at the club started just six days ago, was appointed to take the lead on all football decisions, something many observers were particularly skeptical about.

Levy’s thirst for control is well documented. He has an infuriating propensity to stick his nose in and assume control on every club matter, no matter how insignificant. That trait of needing to micromanage has hampered Tottenham’s progress over the years. It has also acted as a major deterrent to a laundry list of candidates who at some point considered managing the club.

But maybe, just maybe, Levy has turned the corner. He promised to leave on-field decisions to his new seasoned director of football. Levy has thus far kept his end of the bargain.

The extensive list of managers to refuse the job has undoubtedly contributed in helping convince Levy to follow Paratici’s lead on Nuno. Nonetheless, seeing Levy allow Paratici the autonomy to unilaterally hire Nuno is a promising development at the club.

It’s still way too early to determine whether Levy will maintain his hands-off approach, but the initial signs are a strong indication of the chairman’s intentions. There is no point brining an astute mastermind like Paratici into the fold if you don’t allow him the autonomy to make the moves he, and only he, sees fit.

The hiring of Nuno is a watershed moment for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, one that supporters should be incredibly excited about. I can think of far worse scenarios than having a highly esteemed director of football, whose decisions were instrumental in leading Juventus to nine successive Scudettos, pull all of the strings at our beloved football club.

Now Levy just needs to keep his word and stay in the background, allowing Paratici the scope and freedom to do what he does best.

Levy will invariably hold Paratici accountable for his decisions, but I’ll take my chances on the new director of football’s decisions so long as the chairman continues to keep his end of the bargain and stays completely out of the Italian’s way.