Tottenham line up major appointment as Sebastian Kehl emerges as top target | OneFootball

Sebastian Kehl has emerged as the top candidate to take over a newly vacant director role at Tottenham, according to reports from Sky Sports.

The North London club is looking to restructure its football operations following a turbulent period that has seen them drop into a shocking relegation battle.

The Spurs hierarchy reportedly wants the 46-year-old German executive to join the club this summer to spearhead a massive squad rebuild alongside current technical director Johan Lange.

Under the proposed plan, Lange would refocus on the technical director role, allowing Kehl to take on the sporting director responsibilities and work closely with the first team.

Sebastian Kehl could become Tottenham’s next sporting director

The move comes at a critical juncture for Tottenham. With only five matchdays remaining in the season, Spurs currently occupy 18th place with just 31 points, two points adrift of safety.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding their Premier League status, the board is pushing ahead with long-term planning to fill the void left by Fabio Paratici’s recent departure.

As per Sky Sports, Kehl is the ‘top target’ for the vacant role, with Spurs keen on him to rebuild the team together alongside Johan Lange.

While current head coach Roberto De Zerbi is fighting to keep the club in the top flight, the appointment of Kehl is seen as a necessary step to stabilise a recruitment strategy that has faced heavy criticism during the current campaign.

Kehl’s success at Dortmund and key signings

Kehl arrives with an impressive reputation from his time at Borussia Dortmund, where he transitioned from legendary club captain to sporting director in 2022.

During his tenure at the Signal Iduna Park, he was credited with maintaining Dortmund’s status as one of Europe’s premier talent factories while pushing Bayern Munich to the wire in the 2022-23 Bundesliga title race.

His track record in the transfer market is a primary attraction for Spurs. Kehl was instrumental in securing high-profile talents and managing significant exits. Notable signings during his time in the Dortmund hierarchy including the likes of Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Sule and Karim Adeyemi.

While Kehl recently departed Dortmund by mutual consent, his ability to build competitive squads on sustainable budgets is exactly what Tottenham requires as they face a potential relegation along with an expected summer of high-profile departures, including stars like Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero.