Tottenham have been dealt a considerable blow in their search for a new sporting director, with Dougie Freedman, the ideal candidate, rejecting the position.
Spurs need a replacement for Fabio Paratici, who swiftly returned to Italy via Fiorentina after rejoining the club in an official capacity just months before.
Paratici's partnership with Johan Lange was brief and ultimately unsuccessful, with his decision to depart perhaps compromising our work in the January transfer window. As we've harshly learned, Tottenham didn't do anywhere near enough in the winter to alleviate an availability crisis, with the two additions, Conor Gallagher and João Souza, barely contributing thus far.
There's no understating the significance of our next sporting director hire, especially given Lange's apparent incompetence. Freedman, who has a special eye for talent, would've been a superb addition, but Miguel Delaney understands the former Crystal Palace director has turned down the role.
Concerns on the sporting director front after Freedman rejection
Freedman is currently earning a bucket load as the sporting director of second-tier Saudi club Al-Diriyah, and it'd surely take a mammoth proposal from Tottenham to tempt the 51-year-old.
No such offer has been forthcoming from the Lilywhites, but Lange and CEO Vinai Venkatesham, the supposed leaders of the search, are said to have alternatives. Unfortunately, the pivots from Freedman aren't particularly popular.
Shock horror!
Sebastian Kehl is reportedly on the club's radar after recently leaving Borussia Dortmund. Kehl spent eight years in a hierarchical role at Signal Iduna Park (four as sporting director) and was said to be instrumental in shifting the club's venerated transfer policy.
Dortmund's focus veered away from burgeoning starlets and more towards the finished article, much to the dismay of supporters. An identity crisis has enveloped BVB in recent years, with Kehl ultimately an unpopular director. His departure was met with widespread relief among the fanbase, which isn't a particularly glowing endorsement.
Chelsea's Paul Winstanley is also on the table, and Blues fans would seemingly be content if we took him off their hands. Winstanley has helped build a Chelsea squad that doesn't yet look close to competing for the most lucrative honours despite spending well over £1bn since Todd Boehly arrived at the helm.
Appointing someone with seemingly little grasp of optimal squad building would be fitting, mind, given how we've gone about masterfully crafted a potentially relegated outfit in recent windows.
The next erroneous decision is seemingly always around the corner with the two stooges leading the way.