Thomas Frank insists Fabio Paratici remains fully active in his role as co sporting director and is working ‘very, very hard’ to make signings for Tottenham.
This despite reports from Italy that Paratici is about to become Fiorentina’s head of football with a four-and-a-half-year contract agreed and ready to sign.
To thicken the plot, Fiorentina completed the signing of Manor Solomon on Friday on loan from Spurs until the end of the season with an option to buy in the summer.
Solomon spent the first half of the season on loan in Spain at Villarreal, who released a short statement on Friday to say Spurs had exercised a release clause and recalled the Israel international winger.
All of which begs the question of who Paratici is working for in this transfer window. ‘Good question, maybe you know,’ joked Frank when this was put to him at a press conference on Friday.
More seriously, he added: ‘Fabio is Tottenham sporting director. I spoke to him twice yesterday. He is working very hard for Tottenham. I just know when I speak to Fabio, who I spoke to twice yesterday, and Johan, who I spoke to this morning, the two of them are working very, very hard.’
Thomas Frank insists Fabio Paratici remains fully active in his role as co sporting director
Reports in Italy have claimed that Paratici is about to become Fiorentina’s head of football – with the Italian on the brink of signing a four-and-a-half-year contract at the Serie A club
Spurs expect Fiorentina to pay compensation to release Paratici from the contract he signed in October when they welcomed him back into an official role after his 30-month worldwide ban from football for financial irregularities while in various roles at Juventus had expired.
The 53-year-old Italian informed Spurs chief executive Vinai Venkatesham of Fiorentina’s interest before Christmas and the Serie A club had planned to have him in office on Monday. Spurs refute this. They expect him to be with them next week.
It does not help Frank, with his team languishing in midtable in the Premier League and searching for solutions in a January market which has started with a flurry of outgoings and no hint of incomings despite positive noises from the owners the Lewis family and the new board in its first transfer market since chairman Daniel Levy left that they will provide financial backing to improve the squad.
In the opening days of the market, Brennan Johnson has completed a £35million move to Crystal Palace and Kota Takai, a 21-year-old Japan international defender, has joined Borussia Monchengladbach on loan for the rest of the season.
Spurs meanwhile are preparing to face Sunderland on Sunday with a shortage of attacking options because Johnson has gone, Xavi Simons is banned, and Lucas Bergvall is an injury doubt adding to other long-term absentees in forward positions.
Frank though insists he will not sign new players for the sake of it.
‘We are there in the market and we will do everything we can to improve the squad,’ said Frank. ‘If we can do something that will really improve us we should go very hard for that. If it’s not possible to add the right player for the short, medium and long term, are you strong enough to say, okay, we stick with what we have got?
‘We have lists of players and we have priority numbers one, two, three, four, five, six in every position. Is number six good enough for us to get to where we want to be in the future? Probably not. But it’s a fine balance.
Crystal Palace signed Brennan Johnson from Tottenham in a £35million move on Thursday
‘Sometimes you need to take some steps forward before we can get the perfect solution. So, every decision we make needs to be for long-term success but aware of how impactful it can be now, as well.
‘So, that could end with no signings, but of course we hope we have some. I know Johan, Fabio and Vinai are working day and night to do everything, together with the recruitment team. The family is backing us with everything, but the best clubs take good, sensible decisions.’
