Juventus have confirmed the departure of Fabio Paratici amid claims that the sporting director has admirers at Tottenham Hotspur, as reported by the club’s official website.
Coincidence? Or is there something more intriguing at play here?
Tuttosport claimed on Wednesday morning that Spurs are hot on the trail of a 48-year-old who has collected trophy after trophy in Turin, his 2010 arrival coinciding with a period of of unprecedented domestic dominance.
A few hours later, Paratici was gone, his exit announced in the wake of Juventus’s worst domestic campaign in a decade.
“They were wonderful years, of professional growth and strong emotions,” Paratici told the club’s website.
“Juventus gave me the opportunity to carry out my business in full freedom. For this, I would like to thank all the club, my staff, employees, collaborators, players, coaches, shareholders, and, in particular, the President, Andrea Agnelli.
“An important chapter of my career closes. (I am) waiting for new challenges.”
Paving the way for Antonio Conte?
Could that ‘new challenge’ see Paratici take up a sporting director role at a Tottenham side crying out for direction and leadership after an unmitigated disaster of a season, on and off the pitch?
Just to add another beard-stroking subplot to an already interesting scenario, Paratici has close ties to two of the managers who have been heavily linked with the vacant Spurs job in recent weeks.
Paratici won three Serie A titles alongside Antonio Conte between 2012 and 2014, with the club’s domination continuing under the one-man winning-machine that is Masimilliano Allegri.
News of Paratici’s departure has certainly been met with a rather mixed response from the Juventus supporters too.
The wisdom of paying club-record fees for an ageing Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo has come under question as cash-strapped Juventus fall ever further from the European elite, while the likes of Dejan Kulusevski, Weston McKennie and Arthur fell short of expectations during difficult debut seasons at the Allianz Stadium.
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