Tottenham ‘identify Benfica director Rui Pedro Braz as possible replacement for Fabio Paratici’
- Tottenham are looking for possible successors for director Fabio Paratici
- Paratici is facing an extension to his 30-month tenure to cover the Premier League
- Benfica sporting director Rui Pedro Braz has reportedly been identified
Tottenham have reportedly identified Rui’s Pedro Braz from Benfica as a potential replacement for football chief executive Fabio Paratici, who could be left out of the role.
Paratici was one of a number of former Juventus officials banned by the Italian FA for allegedly inflating the club’s player ratings. Juventus deny any wrongdoing.
The Spurs boss has been banned from Italian football for 30 months for his involvement in the alleged breaches while he was with the Serie A team.
That ban currently only applies to sporting activities in Paratici’s home country of Italy, but could be extended if regulators request the penalty be extended to the Premier League as well.
Spurs have therefore been quick to scout for potential successors, with Pedro Braz being a leading figure in their search, according to The Mirror.
Juventus have denied all allegations against them but should they not win their appeal some of their sentences could be extended overseas as well.
Pedro Braz has emerged as a possible replacement after years of success as Benfica’s sporting director, where he helped attract relatively unknown top talent, before selling them on for hefty fees.
Under the 44-year-old, Benfica sold Darwin Nunez to Liverpool for £85m and broke the UK transfer record in January when Enzo Fernandez joined Chelsea for £107m.
Pedro Braz was previously linked to a director role at the Blues before they appointed Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, leaving the door open to Spurs should they part ways with Paratici.
Should he leave his role at Benfica, it will mean a new step abroad for Pedro Braz, previously a commentator and football analyst on Portuguese television.
In 2021 he moved to a permanent position with his current employer and has made rapid progress since then. Pedro Braz is an academic talent scout who uses his MBA in Sports Management to find solutions to problems that arise at the club.
There is no indication current Spurs director Paratici has committed any wrongdoing at the London club, but should his two-and-a-half-year ban transfer to the English top flight, he will have to step down from the role.
Pedro Braz would represent a significant coup should he make it to Spurs and would face the almighty task of repeating his success at Benfica in the Premier League.
Spurs are likely to see him as a solution to their transfer woes as the club is one of the most frugal of the top-flight Big Six.
Braz would help identify emerging talent and would no doubt use his catalog of contacts to support Tottenham in their search for new talent both in the boardroom and on the pitch.