Journalist Rahman Osman has claimed that the uncertain future of Fabio Paratici could be key in the Tottenham Hotspur search for a new manager.
What's the latest on Spurs and their search for a manager?
It seems almost certain that Antonio Conte will leave Spurs in the summer at the very latest, and according to reports, he could even be fired this week.
With that in mind, the club will inevitably be considering options to come in and replace the Italian with the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel tipped as favourites right now.
However, it remains to be seen if either man would be keen to take on the Spurs project, and Osman has warned that sporting director Paratici could be banned from doing his job, which would naturally have big repercussions.
While speaking on The Chris Wheatley Show, he explained: “The next Spurs boss will be really interesting in so many ways… Paratici's – who is the director of football – long-term future the club is up in the air; he's been banned in Italian football, he's appealing it.
"If he loses that appeal, it might extend to the whole of Europe. So you can't have a director of football [who has] been banned from dealing with football in Italy and maybe potentially the entire of Europe.
"So that will be a gamechanger at the club."
Is Paratici banned from working at Spurs?
As Osman mentioned, Paratici is currently on a 30-month ban from Italian football relating to an investigation of false accounting at Juventus, where he worked before coming to north London.
This ban could extend worldwide and so the Italian would no longer be able to keep his job with Spurs – though remains there for now.
No doubt, when any new manager is approached to take over from Conte, they will want to know who they will be working with behind the scenes.
Indeed, the head coach's relationship with a sporting director can be key to success if the two can see eye to eye on key issues such as incoming transfers.
However, if Daniel Levy can't even confirm whether or not Paratici will be in the job, the likes of Pochettino and Tuchel may feel wary of committing to the Premier League club.
All in all, it sounds as though Tottenham will want clarity on the sporting director's future as soon as possible. If not, it could potentially cost them their first choice manager option.
