Transfer window wrap - a special Q&A with Fabio Paratici
Thu 02 September 2021, 19:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
The summer transfer window closed at 11pm on Tuesday evening. In this special Q&A, Fabio Paratici, our Managing Director, Football, talks about our business in the window, the balance of the squad, Nuno Espirito Santo - and his passion for football...
The transfer window closed on Tuesday. How would you assess our business?
Fabio: "The window was hard for everybody. So, the pandemic affected a lot this kind of market. We had an objective, a target, to renew the team. Young players, young talent with big potential and their hope is to win something with Tottenham - to win something with this great team.
"We have here a lot of players who, in my opinion, are big players that in the last two seasons have not been at their level of performance. So, our target, when me, Nuno and Steve (Hitchin, Technical Performance Director) met, was to reinvigorate the team, give more discipline, give more work in terms of physical work, more organisation, and Nuno did this kind of job very well."
He’s reinvigorated the squad and given the players an energy, hasn’t he!
Fabio: "He’s doing a great job rebuilding the team, rebuilding the environment. It’s so important to be committed and focussed on this, because it’s so important for the players' feeling."
What pleases you most about the make up of this squad?
Fabio: "It’s not just one player, I think the style and the spirit that this squad showed every game, every team, the spirit is to fight together, to speak to each other, to help together to be a unit to arrive to the target. This my feeling when I look at the games and look at training. It's changed, the spirit."
Apart from Pierluigi Gollini, none of the new players have played in England. Do they need time to adapt, Fabio?
Fabio: "You have to give them time to adapt. It’s not just about the football, it’s about the life, the lifestyle, food, training, language, you have to give some time to adapt. So, we have to be patient and at the same time, we must give everything to support them in being more relaxed."
What are your thoughts on Pape Matar Sarr?
Fanbio: "I think Pape is one of the most talented in Europe. Our job is not to look just at tomorrow, but maybe also past tomorrow or next year. This is our job, and I think we made a great signing. In all of Europe they speak about this, a lot of teams were interested, a lot of teams were there to sign (him), so we made a very good signing. He needs experience, he needs to play games, to stay in one team and play regularly - a great investment for the Club, and a great vision for the future."
If you look at the squad now and the squad when you arrived back in July, how would you compare the two?
Fabio: "We have natural changes. We started on day one saying we have to rebuild, not build, because this team played in the Champions League Final two years ago, not 10 years ago, and eight of the 11 are the same in the starting XI. So, from our point of view, we have to reinvigorate these players and give the style of football and the spirit to the group, to be better than the last two seasons.
"We’re not signing just for signing. This is the most difficult thing you have in the market, because in the market you are emotional. Also, you have the games in the last 15 days. It’s difficult, don’t be emotional, there are lot of opportunities, and you can take these opportunities, but you have to be logical. Our ideas were like this on day one - we arrive, not emotional, very straight, we buy young players; high-level players; international players, and we’re happy that’s what we did."
Finally Fabio, talking about passion, we’re enjoying you at the matches!
Fabio: "I live my life every day with this energy. I like to feel every day what people are transmitting to me, I want to transmit at the same time to our people my energy, my positivity. If the coach, me, Steve, Daniel, are there every day and we show our passion to arrive at the target, I think the players and the people in the dressing room think and understand we are there for one reason, to build something good and to be better than in the past. This is our target. My passion is my passion, so I’m happy to do it like this. I want to show this."
Thanks Fabio...
Fabio: "Thank you and let me thank everyone at the Club, because I arrived two months and a half ago and it was a great experience for me, a big change for my life, but I have to thank everyone because everyone has supported me, fans, people in the Club, the president, players, everyone. They helped me a lot. I want to help other people, so I need this kind of help and I really appreciate it, from my heart, I thank everyone for their support."
