Fabio Paratici aims 'serious' dig at Tottenham owners in Fiorentina unveiling

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Evening Standard

·5 February 2026

Fabio Paratici aims 'serious' dig at Tottenham owners in Fiorentina unveiling

Ex-sporting director thanked Spurs for allowing him to leave

Fabio Paratici has said that Fiorentina “have a serious set of owners” after he was unveiled as the club’s sporting director.

Paratici officially left Tottenham, where he was co-sporting director with Johan Lange, at the end of the January transfer window to join Fiorentina.

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Paratici’s departure came shortly after he had been formally brought back to Spurs after serving a 30-month FIFA ban for financial irregularities, and was seen by many as a surprise, with the announcement coming midway through the January window.

During his unveiling at Viola Park, Paratici thanked Spurs for allowing him to join Fiorentina and return to Italy, but appeared to take a dig at his former employers by describing Fiorentina’s owners as “serious”.

“In my case, Fiorentina have a serious set of owners, a very serious set of owners who are of great value,” Partatici said.

Fabio Paratici suggested Spurs’ owners are not ‘serious’

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“I’d like to thank Tottenham, my former club, for the opportunity they granted me to join Fiorentina, return to Italy and the opportunity to spend five wonderful years in the Premier League,” Paratici added.

“It was an incredible experience. They made me feel at home and stood by me in tough times so I feel obliged to thank Tottenham.”

Spurs announced Paratici’s departure midway through January after weeks of speculation around his future, but said the 53-year-old would stay in north London to help see out the transfer window.

Paratici had worked alongside Lange to devise a plan for the January window, bringing in Conor Gallagher and Brazilian left-back Souza, but supporters were left frustrated after Spurs failed to bring in any new signings on Deadline Day.