- May 22, 2005
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Less thinking more drinking buddyI really hope I regret writing this in a few days time, but I'm going to call it how I see it.
This is starting to resemble a Shakespearean tragedy. Daniel Levy, much maligned, finally does what every one tells him to do and steps back from the footballing decisions. Heralded by his mole, Romario, in rides the great Paratici.
As it happens, Paratici has a relationship with Conte, probably the greatest manager alive, and somehow, miraculously, he persuades Conte to join. This was, and will always be, Paratici's greatest coup and also the core of this tragedy. Because if Conte doesn't work out, it will be down to Paratici himself.
And the problem is, I very much suspect that Paratici is completely the wrong man for the job. Everything he has done so far, aside from Conte, would at least hint at that.
Let's be clear, the summer shenanigans with the managerial roundabout had Paratici written all over it. And Mendes...
Gattuso, Nuno?!?!? Really!! Now what (or who) is the common link there? Well it sure as hell ain't the good old Spurs DNA
In the summer Adama Traore becomes the latest client of Mendes and around this time, coincidently, he also becomes Nuno's prime target. You know, the player we simply have to buy to show we are supporting our 117th choice manager. Traore is the sort of player who is incredibly exciting to anyone who doesn't watch him. He is a freak of nature, can swat aside any opposition, and would be an absolute world beater if he could play football.
Paratici is very keen to allocate over 40 million of our summer budget on Mendes' newest client, but Levy, at this stage likely starting to get that twitchy feeling of just who the hell have I let into my kitchen, steps in to pull the plug on that particular deal. We are furious, obviously.
It's no problem though - for Mendes at least - because as luck would have it, Traore just happens to also be the one player our next manager needs to show that we are backing him. This is because Conte has a problem in that none of his right wing backs can cross the ball. So naturally Traore will be the perfect acquistion, because although he really can't cross a ball, he played RWB once (although he was certainly second choice to our current RWB who we can't get rid off fast enough. Another Mendes client actually, funnily enough....)
Unfortunately for Paratici, Mendes learns he can actually make more money by selling Traore to Barcelona who aren't allowed to register him. So he pulls the rug from underneath Paratici at the last moment. What are friends for and all that. But actually don't worry Fab, I'll make it up to you, reassures our super agent, by brokering a better deal with Luis Diaz "you know nothing gets done in Portugal without me...."
Nothing in Paratici's past suggests that he is anything more than a wheeler dealer, IMO, he's Harry Rednapp in a suit, just with a larger phone bill and a smaller car window. That can work if you are sitting at the top of the food chain, like Juventus. At Spurs we are going to need a bit more savvy and a bit less Mendes.
In my opinion Conte is not calling the shots on incomings, he doesn't have time. He is an absolute workaholic who is giving every second to getting the best out of his players. He will have said who needs to go and therefore who needs to be replaced, and I am sure he will be sounded out on particular prospects, but it is not his job to scout. He will expect that the players he gets are up to the task and he will go cataclysmic if the club lets him down on rebuilding the squad.
so Paratici is the key link and right now the weakest link. It's time for him to start realising that this isn't going to be easy, it will take proper scouting processes and networks, it will not work out well if he keeps relying on the likes of Mendes and the players he happens to know personally - you can only pull out the odd Romero - and it will not work out well if he doesn't learn all this pretty damn quick.
As I say, that's how I see it, and I REALLY hope to have egg on my face come Tuesday