Tottenham in ‘advanced talks’ to sign Man City senior staff member to key role | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur are set to sign Manchester City executive Carlos Raphael Moersen to take up the role of Director of Football, according to The Athletic.

Moersen has been with the City Football Group – the company that owns City along with several other clubs worldwide – for 10 years but is reported by David Ornstein to be in “advanced talks” for a switch to London.

In his current remit as Director of Football Transactions, Moersen plays a role in negotiating contracts with current and potential City players. He was also known to be the right-hand man of former City director of football Txiki Begiristain.

In total, the Spaniard has worked for CFG for over 10 years, starting with New York City FC in 2015. He moved to Manchester in 2017 and since arriving in the UK, has worked his way up the ladder. Since February 2024, he has worked as Director of Football Transactions.

Following Omar Berrada’s departure to Manchester United in July 2024, Moersen took over part of the former chief executive’s remit.

In the last 10 years, City have been the undeniably most successful club in England, winning six Premier League titles.

It also represents the latest senior staff change at Tottenham after an eventful 12 months which most notably saw long-time chairman Daniel Levy depart. Former Arsenal executive Vinai Venkatesham was appointed CEO in April 2024 while long-serving executive director Donna-Maria Cullen also stepped down in June.

In October, Spurs announced the return of Fabio Paratici as joint sporting director alongside Johan Lange. The Italian returned after serving a 30-month ban from football activity after being involved in financial malpractice with Juventus.

Should Moersen make the move, he will be joining a club in far more turmoil than his current employers as Spurs sit 11th in the Premier League table and have only once finished in the top four in the past six seasons.

As to which manager Moersen will be working with remains to be seen, with a lot of pressure on Thomas Frank and doubts as to whether he will remain in his post.

With reports suggesting he could face an imminent sack, Frank suggested he was confident he would not be dismissed as there was an understanding it takes time to implement new ideas.

“I can’t see why not. I think it’s pretty evident that if no one gets the time, no one can turn this around. This is not a quick fix.

“I do everything to control my emotions, which is a hurricane inside me, because, of course, it’s deeply frustrating that we are not doing better after three good performances.

“It is extremely important to be calm and measured and of course, have very, very direct and clear messages at the right time so they’re not in doubt of what I think, because I’m very honest about where we are as well.”