“A rookie” – Former Tottenham chief scout on Ange Postecoglou, takes credit for Europa League progress

Leonardo Gabbanini was Tottenham Hotspur’s chief scout between 2022 and 2023.

He departed in the middle of the 2022/23 season during Antonio Conte’s second season at the club, having also worked closely with ex-sporting director Fabio Paratici.

Gabbanini has been without a job since and he has now spoken to FirenzeViola about Tottenham’s march to the Europa League final.

He believes Ange Postecoglou lacked experience and also appeared to take credit for sparking Spurs’ ‘journey’ back in 2022 and for hiring Conte as manager.

He told the outlet: “The final is the completion of an unfinished journey in the sense that it began two years ago, which coincided with my departure but in which we chose the coach.

“First there was Conte who maximised the results but then the owners decided to take a coach who would make people play and have fun and we chose him and a team was created for him but in the Premier League he was a rookie.”

Speaking further about Postecoglou, Gabbanini also criticised Tottenham for not signing the right players for the Australian’s system.

“Very good young players were taken. Then last year they started well but then they took players who were not suited to his game. This year there is a coach with a game idea who has reached this final. But it is a final among the dissatisfied ones involving Premier League clubs.”

It is fair to say that while Spurs deserve to reach the Europa League final considering their performances in the competition, their quality isn’t matched by how they are faring in the Premier League.

Postecoglou is a completely different manager when compared to Conte and Tottenham have clearly stepped away from the Italian’s ways.