Paulo Fonseca has spoken about why he ended up failing to land the Tottenham job this summer despite an agreement seemingly being all but done at one point.
The north London outfit instead ended up appointing Nuno Espirito Santo, who hasn’t made the most convincing start so far this season despite previously showing some promise during his time in charge of Wolves.
Nuno appears to have made his Tottenham team a little too defensive and cautious, which isn’t really the style the club are known for, and it looks like it’s negatively affecting players like Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Fonseca says that Spurs chief Fabio Paratici was key to the deal falling through, as he was appointed and then decided he was against hiring Fonseca precisely because he wanted a more defensive coach.
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The Portuguese tactician did a fine job during his time at Roma, and might well have been more in tune with Tottenham’s philosophy, with a deal seemingly getting very close to being finalised, according to the man himself.
“The agreement was done,” Fonseca told the Telegraph. “We were planning the pre-season and Tottenham wanted an offensive coach. It wasn’t announced but we planned pre-season players.
“But things changed when the new managing director arrived and we didn’t agree with some ideas and he preferred another coach.
“I have some principles. I wanted to be coach of the great teams but I want the right project and a club where the people believe in my ideas, my way to play, and this didn’t happen with the managing director.
“It’s what the chairman and the sporting director (Steve Hitchen) asked for. To build a team who can play attractive and offensive football and I was ready for that. I cannot be a different way. All my teams will have these intentions. In Rome or Shakhtar in the Champions League against the biggest teams, I’m not sending out my teams to defend near their own box.”
Many Spurs fans will likely be unhappy to hear about Paratici’s role in this and his reasons in opting for Nuno over Fonseca, who really seems like he would have been the better choice.