A joint-sporting director model is one Tottenham Hotspur have previously embarked on, if only briefly, and it seems as if the club are keen to help out Johan Lange following the departure of Fabio Paratici earlier this year.
Paratici worked alongside the rather unpopular Lange for a short while, then returned to Italy earlier this year. He's back in Serie A with Fiorentina, taking Radu Dragusin off our hands—one final act of solidarity. La Viola parted ways with manager Fabio Grosso after three defeats to begin their season, but Franco Mastantuono's hat-trick against Venezia offered a brighter glimpse into their short-term future.
Despite their ambitious summer window, Fiorentina, who flirted with relegation last term, are not yet in a position to compete towards Serie A's summit. That's where Inter Milan reside, and the Nerazzurri have suddenly become incredibly relevant to the Lilywhites.
While the Scudetto has been shared around this decade, Inter have been the steadiest and ultimately most successful club. In the absence of Premier League-like cash, they've required great astuteness in the transfer market to retain their lofty on-pitch standards, which has helped them to two Champions League finals since 2023.
The San Siro is home to an array of canny operators upstairs, and Spurs are rumoured to be after one of the masterminds of Inter's re-emergence as Italy's most potent force.
Spurs sources conflict Italian reports of Piero Ausilio negotitations
Piero Ausilio is available after spending 28 years with Inter. He served as the club's sporting director from 2010, and took on a more encompassing role in 2014. Ausilio held that post until September 2026 after failing to reach an agreement with the Nerazzurri over a new contract.
To suggest Ausilio is Inter through and through would be an understatement, and it was initially believed that the 54-year-old would enjoy some time away from the sport after his time at Inter reached its conclusion.
However, Matteo Moretto (via The Spurs Express on X) reports that Ausilio is ready for his next role almost right away, and says that negotiations with Tottenham are "very advanced". He could take the position as Spurs' co-sporting director in time for the January transfer window.
Gazzetta dello Sport adds that an agreement is close between the two parties, although The Sun's Tom Barclay has contradicted these reports from Italy. His Spurs sources have refuted such claims.
After embarking on an expensive but rather uncreative summer window, the addition of Ausilio would surely be welcomed by supporters. A Premier League exclusive transfer policy simply isn't viable in the long run, given the expense, and Ausilio's expertise would allow the club to dip their toes into alternative markets with greater confidence.
While Ausilio can't be garner all the credit for Inter's wise work in the market over the past decade, he's undoubtedly played a huge role in building and re-building the Nerazzurri squad to ensure it can compete alongside Europe's elite. He's one of the very best around.
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