OPINION
Daniel Levy is not a man to sit back, do nothing and expect Tottenham to continue to punch way above their financial weight.
Working with a budget that is way below Liverpool and Arsenal, never mind the Premier League really big hitters Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea, the Spurs chairman is always looking for the next angle, or ways of improving the team.
His latest brainwave, reported in the Italian media on Thursday, involves the transfer market, but is not a January purchase who can be coached by Mauricio Pochettino into a first team sensation.
Instead, Calcio Mercato report that Tottenham have made an approach for Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici.
It is said that Levy has been an admirer of the Old Lady’s recruitment chief for years and is willing to hand him the “keys to the market” to oversee their transfers.
It is little wonder that Spurs are keen on Paratici filling their vacant director of football role. He has been an integral figure in Juventus’ dominance of Serie A, which has yielded seven consecutive Scudetto titles and regular places in the Champions League knockout stages, including last year’s final when they lost to Real Madrid.
Paratici has helped his club secure dozens of cheap and stunningly good value signings such as Paul Pogba, Sami Khedira and Andrea Pirlo in recent years as he has proved a canny operator in the transfer market in an era in which the Premier League and Spanish clubs have been able to pay the highest salaries.
Levy has raided Italy in the past for a recruitment expert, taking Franco Baldini from Roma in a move that did not prove dividends as the Gareth Bale money was, with the exception of Christian Eriksen, mostly frittered away on mediocre performers.
Spurs re-organised their recruitment and scouting network last year following the exit of Paul Mitchell, but they are still without a director of football to help Levy seal the deals and work the corridors of power that can invigorate the team.
Spurs want to appoint Paratici, 45, as their new director of football, and, unsurprisingly, Juve do not want him to go.
Their initial approach has been rebuffed and the word from Juventus president Giuseppe Marotta is that he will not allow Paratici to leave either this month or in the summer, while the Italian is also happy to remain at the Serie A giants.
But, don’t expect Levy to give up that easily.
A canny and experienced negotiator, who has pulled off a fair few stunning deals of his own over the years, he knows the game-changing value that an A-list director of football can provide.
Spurs would be unstoppable if they had the best recruitment man in the business on their team.