[The Athletic] Leonardo Gabbanini on leaving Spurs, working with Ange, and recruiting Van de Ven and Co – Adam Leventhal, Nov 2, 2023

tl;dr summary:

• Leonardo Gabbanini was Tottenham's chief scout who became interim sporting director after Fabio Paratici's departure due to a 30-month ban for illegal transfer practices at Juventus

• Gabbanini faced many challenges during his 14 months at Spurs, including Paratici's ban, Pochettino's departure, and uncertainty over Harry Kane's future

• With Paratici gone, Gabbanini worked directly with Levy and Postecoglou over the summer transfer window to sign players like Maddison, Porro, Van de Ven, Vicario, and Udogie

• Levy wanted "fresh air" after the toxicity of Conte's tenure and controversy around Paratici, so he hired Postecoglou based on Gabbanini's recommendation

• Gabbanini and Postecoglou bonded over their focus on understanding players as people, not just athletes

• After the summer transfers, Tottenham decided to hire more directors above Gabbanini, so he left feeling he took Spurs as far as he could in the interim sporting director role

• Gabbanini is proud of the club's current pathway and success after the challenging times during his tenure