Fabio Paratici makes big change behind the scenes to help him with Tottenham’s transfer window

Tottenham’s managing director of football Fabio Paratici will have to maintain an important British balance to Antonio Conte’s squad and that’s where his new man will come in.

Spurs are set to appoint Rangers chief scout Andy Scoulding later this summer in a newly-created role within Paratici’s structure. The 40-year-old London-born recruitment specialist will bring expertise of the British market back into Paratici’s decision-making to fill some of the void left by technical performance director Steve Hitchen’s resignation in February.

Hitchen is still serving his gardening leave period with Tottenham. He is well respected within the game and a number of clubs in the Premier League and abroad are expected to approach him when he becomes available. The 45-year-old is well regarded because of his knowledge of players, particularly those in the England and French leagues, as well as his ability in developing the football side of clubs. Paratici leaned on Hitchen, a friend for many years, in his early months at the club as the duo undertook an appraisal of every football department within Spurs and were handed an increased budget to improve them, including the scouting side of the club.

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However, with Hitchen’s departure so Paratici lost a key ally behind the scenes with a knowledge of British players, particularly useful as the club wrestles with the homegrown and foreign player limits each year.

Enter Scoulding. The Rangers man worked with Hitchen a decade ago at Liverpool, where he was chief analyst when the latter was head of international recruitment. Scoulding’s role at Tottenham will not be the same as Hitchen’s was. His predecessor had a wide ranging role after essentially becoming the director of football before Paratici’s arrival, and was overseeing the first team and youth teams, as well as having responsibility for scouting, performance and recruitment analysis and youth recruitment.

Once Paratici arrived, Hitchen still had plenty of input into the first team and was popular within the club, but his recruitment role began to shrink to more development squad and academy matters as the season progressed, leading to his resignation in February.

Scoulding will become Paratici’s eyes and ears in the British markets. In recent years, Tottenham have not pulled the trigger on signing some top young British talents, having once prided themselves on snapping up the best starlets around.

There has been the odd success, with big things expected of 17-year-old Alfie Devine, but it is telling that Ryan Sessegnon, Joe Hart, Jack Clarke and Joe Rodon are the only British players signed permanently for the first team in recent years and Hart has gone, Clarke has not broken into the first team and Rodon is expected to leave the club this summer in search of regular football.

Spurs need to improve their numbers and they need to have the confidence to push through deals for young British stars. Three years ago they had a bargain deal lined up for Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse but did not push it through. Today he is being touted as a £75m player.

The previous year, Tottenham simply had to push the button on a move for Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish. The deal was all but done with the player ready to move, but Spurs delayed and stalled and Villa got new financial backers in and he remained. Last summer he moved to Manchester City for £100m and won the Premier League title with them.

Spurs need to push harder for young British players and that is why they are looking to bring Djed Spence from Middlesbrough, following up on signing experienced England international goalkeeper Fraser Forster on a free transfer this summer.

It is an exciting time for Tottenham fans under Antonio Conte and Paratici but the head coach has called on the club to ensure the players signed for him are ready to adapt to the Premier League.

Scoulding will play his part in that because the most adaptable players for the English game are those already in it. There are plenty of talented young British players out there across the leagues and Tottenham need to get them through the doors before they hit that price rise and the “English premium” kicks in.

The Italian job at Tottenham Hotspur is something to look forward to but it just needs to make sure it still has an English grounding.