Leonardo Gabbanini on leaving Spurs, working with Ange, and recruiting Van de Ven and Co
theathletic.com
Tottenham's former chief scout discusses his time in north London, working for Daniel Levy, and helping with the club's squad rebuild

tl;dr summary:

  • Leonardo Gabbanini was Tottenham’s chief scout who became interim sporting director after Fabio Paratici’s departure due to a 30-month ban for illegal transfer practices at Juventus

  • Gabbanini faced many challenges during his 14 months at Spurs, including Paratici’s ban, Pochettino’s departure, and uncertainty over Harry Kane’s future

  • With Paratici gone, Gabbanini worked directly with Levy and Postecoglou over the summer transfer window to sign players like Maddison, Porro, Van de Ven, Vicario, and Udogie

  • Levy wanted “fresh air” after the toxicity of Conte’s tenure and controversy around Paratici, so he hired Postecoglou based on Gabbanini’s recommendation

  • Gabbanini and Postecoglou bonded over their focus on understanding players as people, not just athletes

  • After the summer transfers, Tottenham decided to hire more directors above Gabbanini, so he left feeling he took Spurs as far as he could in the interim sporting director role

  • Gabbanini is proud of the club’s current pathway and success after the challenging times during his tenure