Tottenham end Thomas Frank chaos as major departure announced

Robin Bairner

14 Jan 2026 14:54 GMT
3 min read

Thomas Frank, Tottenham, Spurs — © IMAGO

Tottenham have been plunged further into trouble as the North London club have announced the departure of controversial sporting director Fabio Paratici, strengthening the position of embattled manager Thomas Frank in the process.

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Paratici was in his second stint at the club, having initially resigned from the club in April 2023 when he was forced to serve a 30-month Fifa ban for financial irregularities during his stint with Juventus.

He returned to Spurs in October but has now left again, with Tottenham CEO Vinai Venkatesham stating that the 53-year-old wanted to return to his homeland.

A statement on the club’s official website reads: “We have agreed that Fabio will return to Italy following the conclusion of the January transfer window, in line with his wish to move back home.

“We thank Fabio for his contribution to the club and wish him well for the future. Our management structure is designed to be resilient to personnel changes, and it will be business as usual moving forward.”

Paratici has announced that he will be moving to Fiorentina, adding: “I have loved my time at the club, however this opportunity, together with the need to be based in my homeland, has led me to this decision.”

Frank backed by Tottenham board

The departure of Paratici is a major boost for manager Thomas Frank, who has come under pressure in recent weeks due to a poor sequence of results that have left Spurs 14th in the Premier League table.

The Athletic claims that the Italian was a major opponent of the Dane being appointed as manager in the summer, and it adds that he had been pushing for former Juventus boss Igor Tudor to replace him if he were sacked. Placed in a difficult position, the Spurs hierarchy decided to back their coach.

While Frank’s position as Tottenham manager seems to have been solidified somewhat by the forthcoming departure of the sporting director, it remains far from secure.

What does this mean for Spurs?

For Tottenham, meanwhile, it should simplify the hierarchy at the club. Paratici had been working as a joint sporting director alongside Johan Lange, officially taking charge of “players, the transfer window and the loans and pathways department”.

And he will continue to work until the end of this window to strengthen Spurs’ squad.

Conor Gallagher looks set to arrive to fill a key midfield position while Souza is set to arrive from Santos, but Tottenham fans will be hoping there’s more to come from Paratici before he finally leaves for Fiorentina.

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