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Sebastian Kehl will not become Tottenham Hotspur‘s new sporting director after talks saw him fail to agree on the north London club’s ‘strategic direction’.
Johan Lange has remained the sole sporting director at the north London club since Fabio Paratici’s departure for Fiorentina.
When Thomas Frank left Spurs in February following a disappointing run of results, former Tottenham star Ramon Vega argued that both Lange and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham should also depart.
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The Lilywhites narrowly avoided relegation and, in the aftermath, another former Spurs star in Jamie O’Hara called for the Dane to be relieved of his duties.
It has already been established that Tottenham are seeking to strengthen their executive structure by appointing another sporting director to work alongside Lange.
Kehl later became a prominent candidate, though there were signs that he was somewhat hesitant about the idea of sharing the sporting director role.
Despite those reservations, the German remained firmly in the frame and Spurs were prepared to await clarity over his future.
| Key Role | Person |
|---|---|
| Sporting director | Johan Lange |
| Head of recruitment | Rob Mackenzie |
| Chief scout | Alex Fraser |
Kehl headed to London recently to hold face to face talks with Tottenham about joining as their sporting director.
However, according to German daily Bild, there was no agreement between Spurs and Kehl, with the sporting director not agreeing on the ‘strategic direction’ of the club.
The development may be a worrying one for Spurs fans, as they look for the club to turn the page on two successive seasons of struggle.
Kehl most recently served as Borussia Dortmund’s sporting director, a position he held for four years before departing in March.
He is already holding discussions with ‘other top international clubs’ and could soon resurface elsewhere in a senior executive role.
Spurs, meanwhile, have wasted little time pressing ahead with their summer rebuild, securing Andrew Robertson on a free transfer and moving closer to completing a deal for fellow free agent Marcos Senesi.
Roberto De Zerbi’s transfer strategy has already drawn praise from Tottenham legend Graham Roberts, who has spoken positively about the Italian’s approach in the market.
Ben Davies has also put pen to paper on a one-year contract extension, handing Spurs an additional boost ahead of the new campaign.
Meanwhile, Paratici, now working with Fiorentina, is attempting to negotiate a ‘discount’ with Tottenham in a bid to keep Manor Solomon at the Italian club.
