John Wenham: Lange appointment is ‘hollow’, Paratici will be ‘pulling the strings’ at Tottenham
Tottenham News is delighted to welcome John Wenham of Lilywhite Rose as our exclusive columnist. Each week, he’ll be giving his expert insight on the biggest talking points at Spurs…
John Wenham believes the appointment of Johan Lange is a “hollow” one, and expects Fabio Paratici to continue “pulling the strings” despite his ban.
On Monday 9 October, Spurs announced via their official website that they had appointed Lange as their new technical director, with the former Aston Villa chief replacing Paratici as the club’s key figure in recruitment.
Paratici had resigned from his role as Tottenham’s managing director of football last April. He is currently serving a 30-month ban from worldwide football activities due to his role in alleged false accounting at his former side, Juventus. Paratici and his former club have denied any wrongdoing, however, the 51-year-old lost his appeal against the ban in Italy.
Nonetheless, Wenham believes that Lange will struggle to have an impact at the club and Paratici will continue to maintain some involvement.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, Wenham said: “It just seems like a hollow appointment. Alright, we’ve got somebody in, but all the messages that we’re seeing from those fans in the know is that Paratici is going to remain as a consultant.
“That is exactly what I would do anyway because the work of Paratici has been phenomenal. We’ve seen the outcome and results of his hard work behind the scenes coming through this year, so I fully expect him to stay on.
“Therefore, I’m wondering what Lange is actually going to offer or what actual impact he is going to have.
“We’ll see how long he actually stays in the role and what happens, but for my money and my understanding, Paratici will still be the man pulling the strings.
“I am not sure if Lange has come in just so that Spurs can show they’re complying with the ban on Paratici. He might just be a yes man, and what he contributes is just a face to the role, I could really see that being the case.”
In other Tottenham news, one Spurs star will be assessed ahead of the visit of Fulham in the Premier League on Monday 23 October.