‘Important’: Fabrizio Romano says Julian Nagelsmann was only going to take the Spurs job if one thing happened

Add as preferred source on Google

Julian Nagelsmann will not be the new manager of Tottenham, and, as ever Fabrizio Romano has the scoop on what the real story is here.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano shared a quick update on Nagelsmann and Spurs, and he relayed that the club are indeed stopping discussions with the German.

However, while many reports have stated that it’s Spurs who have thrown the brakes on this move, this is far from a one-sided decision.

Indeed, according to Romano, Nagelsmann had his own reservations about Tottenham, claiming that the former Bayern Munich manager was only willing to take the Spurs job if the club appointed a new Sporting Director who would support his ideas and help him with the day-to-day running of the club.

Nagelsmann wanted a Sporting Director

Romano shared what he knows about Nagelsmann.

“Tottenham sources insist they will not advance in talks to appoint Julian Nagelsmann as the new manager. They had some conversations, never a direct meeting, but from what I understand now, Tottenham are prepared to stop discussions with Nagelsmann,” Romano said.

“On Julian Nagelsmann’s side it is important to understand that he was only going to consider the Spurs project if they appointed a new Sporting Director to support his ideas and his daily job. No agreement and no intention to continue discussions with Julian Nagelsmann.”

Tail wagging the dog

Nagelsmann’s demand for a Sporting Director to work alongside him at Spurs is rather peculiar. After all, it’s usually the Sporting Director that decides on a new manager, not the other way around.

Of course, this is a very German way of doing things and we understand that, but it does feel like a case of the tail wagging the dog when the manager is asking for a Sporting Director and not the other way around.

Spurs are used to having people in that position who make big decisions on coaches, but it sounds as though Nagelsmann wanted someone in place who was very much his equal rather than his superior, and that’s not the model Spurs have had in recent years.

It will be interesting to see what Tottenham do next in their search for both a new manager and a new Sporting Director.