Tottenham to appoint Manchester City chief as new director of football operations | OneFootball

Manchester City are set to lose one of their leading officials to Premier League rivals Tottenham, it has been revealed this week.

Behind the scenes at the Etihad Stadium, City have undergone significant change over the last 18 months, with senior figures either departing or seeing responsibilities reshaped. While focus on the pitch has remained firmly on rebuilding elite performances, off-field hierarchy has also been evolving as City Football Group (CFG) continues to refine its global operation.

Those developments have not gone unnoticed, as City’s long-standing success has made their executive structure an attractive model for rivals seeking to modernise recruitment, operations, and long-term squad planning.

As such, senior CFG figures are increasingly viewed as prime targets for clubs aiming to accelerate their own rebuilds. Tottenham, in particular, have been assessing their football operations department as they look to strengthen decision-making across recruitment, contracts, and squad logistics.

And now, according to the information of The Athletic, City Football Group executive Carlos Raphael Moersen is now in advanced talks to take up the role of director of football operations at Tottenham Hotspur, with a deal expected to be finalised soon.

Moersen, widely known internally as ‘Rafi’, has spent close to a decade working across CFG clubs and is currently responsible for overseeing football transactions across the organisation.

His remit has included negotiating player contracts, managing transfers, and supporting Manchester City’s senior football leadership, with the Etihad Stadium side operating as the flagship club within the CFG model.

Following the departure of Omar Berrada to Manchester United in 2024, Moersen’s influence increased further, as responsibilities were redistributed across the global football and commercial arms, becoming a key figure supporting former sporting director Txiki Begiristain before the latter’s exit earlier this year, after which Hugo Viana stepped into the role.

For Tottenham, the appointment would represent a significant statement of intent, bringing in an executive with first-hand experience of elite squad building and long-term football strategy. For City, it marks another example of their influence extending beyond the pitch.