Tottenham are a mess. There are no two ways of saying it. After a derailing season on the pitch, their off-pitch chase for a new manager is turning into a circus again. Julian Nagelsmann has been ruled out and old flame Mauricio Pochettino is set to join big rivals Chelsea. Calls are getting louder for the resignation of Daniel Levy and current Sporting Director Fabio Paratici is embroiled in a scandal. Thus, the news of Tiago Pinto being targeted by Spurs for the Sporting Director position is coming as a mirage in the ocean.
The next Sporting Director of Spurs, if he comes, will have some job on his hands. Tiago Pinto, fortunately, looks well-poised to handle the task considering his vast and glittering experience.
So, who is Tiago Pinto? What can Spurs fans expect from him? We provide the answers-
Who is Tiago Pinto?
Tiago Pinto rose to prominence as the force behind SL Benfica’s remarkable profit-turning in the transfer market while maintaining success on the pitch.
He was the club’s General Manager/Sporting Director (henceforth referred to as the GM), from 2017 to 2020. Before this, he managed Benfica’s multisport divisions.
Under Pinto, Benfica strengthened their scouting network, regularly poaching the best talents from the highly-competitive market of Brazil and Argentina. Furthermore, the academy pipeline was strengthened, with the likes of Joao Felix emerging under his watch.
SL Benfica regularly won the Portuguese title during his time while going through major turnover of players due to big sharks circling their best talents.
This talent identification and management ensured AS Roma hired him as their GM in November 2020.
Tiago Pinto was Dan Friedkin’s first major signing since the latter became the club chairman and owner in August 2020. It was a sign of trust in Pinto’s abilities by Friedkin, as he handed him the keys to the empire just three months after becoming chairman.
Tiago Pinto has led a large-scale turnover of the squad during his nearly three years in charge. Undervalued gems like Tammy Abraham and Zeki Celik have made an impact on the team. He has also managed to secure signings of lucrative free agents like Paolo Dybala who would normally be regarded as a coup for AS Roma.
The managerial appointment of Jose Mourinho was another masterstroke by Tiago Pinto. The Portuguese was at his lowest after an underwhelming spell at Spurs. What has followed at AS Roma has been a beautiful story where the club has won a European trophy, and Mourinho has restored his reputation to the extent that PSG are considering him.
What should Spurs fans expect from Tiago Pinto?
The current Spurs side is entering a crucial stage in their development. The Pochettino era is way behind the rear mirror and moving forward has been difficult.
A hard reset is needed to refresh the squad. Even off the field, changes are afoot, with Scott Munn arriving as the new Chief Football Officer.
Therefore, an appointment like Tiago Pinto makes a lot of sense.
Pinto has great experience overseeing huge turnovers in playing personnel. Furthermore, he has shown the ability to make the most of the resources at his disposal, while strengthening the academy. For a money-focused club like Spurs, sometimes almost to a fault, Tiago Pinto is a dream appointment.
He is known for nurturing a positive and healthy working environment at his clubs. Jose Mourinho, a famously combative manager throughout his career, has always sung praises of Pinto, despite not getting some of his signings during his tenure.
A result-driven high-performance culture has been at the forefront of Tiago Pinto’s working philosophy at both the clubs he has worked at so far. With Spurs’ more loosened purse strings, it is enticing to think about what Pinto could achieve. No matter who the new manager is, the sporting vision is set by the GM at all modern clubs. If Spurs get Tiago Pinto, they will have one of the world’s best overseeing that department.