The Athletic: Paratici persists in Postecoglou project

Who has two thumbs, is Italian, loves a little bit of transfer fee manipulation, and apparently has more lives than a cat? Fabio Paratici, according to the latest from Charlie Eccleshare for The Athletic (Paywall).

The long form piece is an interesting read, taking an in-depth look at Paratici's tumultuous time at Spurs; but the real nugget of interest in the piece is the fact that Don Fabio is STILL WORKING FOR TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR, including making an appearance at the match against Liverpool.

How, you say?

Well, while he is no longer Tottenham's Director of Football (nor would he be legally permitted to), he has been operating in a nebulous "consultant" role, helping Spurs with their summer transfer rebuild in a manner that doesn't violate the terms of his international football ban. It would have been helpful too, as after Paratici's enforced departure the transfer business hierarchy was a bit of a shambles, with Daniel Levy having a mixed history in that space; a chief scout with strained relationships and ties to the old regime in Leonardo Gabbanini; and new Chief Football Officer Scott Munn unable to start until the close of the summer window. With all that in mind, the Don's input was potentially invaluable to keeping the operation from falling over.

It's honestly incredible that Paratici is still working for Spurs. Even setting aside the whole "30 month ban for transfer fraud", Tici has somehow survived the Gattuso fiasco, hiring Nuno Espirito Santo, AND the absolute derailment of the Conte project. It almost feels like he could murder somebody and still be involved in the running of the club from prison (Dinamo Zagreb, anybody)?

But criminal history and managerial missteps aside, Don Fabio is a pretty good person to have on the end of the phone when it comes to player recruitment. He's made some quite astute signings over the last few years for Spurs, and one could even argue the backbone of the Postecoglou project finds its genesis in Paratici's purchases, with the Italian bringing in the likes of Cristian Romero, Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udogie, Yves Bissouma, and Pedro Porro.

With all that in mind: as long as he's not doing anything illegal (touch wood), or the one setting the club vision and hiring managers, why not have Don Fabio involved?