Once again they moved to strengthen a key area. Tottenham Hotspur is looking to revise its sporting director line. The leading candidate is Sebastian Kehl (46).
The Sun of the U.K. reported on the 24th (Korean time) that Tottenham Hotspur is negotiating to appoint Kehl as joint sporting director. The club is currently scouting for a new figure to supplement the existing structure.
The reason is clear. The previous person in charge, Fabio Paratici, left in February for ACF Fiorentina, creating a vacancy. Tottenham quickly began work to select a successor, and Kehl emerged as the top candidate.
Kehl has been unemployed since leaving Borussia Dortmund last month. Even within Germany, Hamburger SV and VfL Wolfsburg showed interest, but for now a move to Tottenham is considered the closest option.
The club structure will remain. If Kehl joins, he will work alongside current joint sporting director Johan Lange. However, Lange has recently faced fan criticism over failed recruitment policies. That issue is also being pointed to as part of the reason Tottenham is in danger of relegation.
Evaluations of Kehl are mixed. He served as Director General at Dortmund for about four years and led them to the 2024 Champions League final. The signings of Nico Schlotterbeck and Sebouh Gyrassi are cited as success cases.
On the other hand, there are clear failures. The re-signing of Jadon Sancho, and the signings of Carney Chukwuemeka and Fabio Silva fell short of expectations.
There were also external controversies. Last summer, he clashed with Jude Bellingham's father, Mark Bellingham. When Bellingham's brother, Jobe, was substituted at half time in his Bundesliga debut, the family strongly protested and the conflict escalated. Eventually Dortmund took measures to restrict players' family access to the locker room.
Tottenham is at a point where change is needed. That is why they are even touching the front office. If Kehl's appointment is realized, significant changes in club operations are expected.
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