Tottenham Turns to Inter’s Piero Ausilio After Costly Collapse
Former Inter executive could take charge of Tottenham’s transfer strategy before January
LONDON — Tottenham Hotspur is in advanced negotiations to appoint former Inter Milan executive Piero Ausilio as its new sporting director, according to Italian media outlet *Gazzetta Italia*. An agreement is expected ahead of the January transfer window.
Tottenham currently sits 17th in the Premier League standings, just above the relegation zone. The club has gone four domestic league matches without a win, with its only victory during that stretch coming in the League Cup.
The proposed appointment follows one of the largest single-period spending commitments in European football. Tottenham paid €108 million ($117 million) for midfielder Sandro Tonali, making him the most expensive Italian player in football history.
Ausilio, 52, recently ended a 28-year career at Inter Milan. He joined the club’s youth sector in 1998 and rose through its administrative ranks before becoming sporting director in 2014.
Tottenham also signed midfielder Mateus Fernandes for €99 million and winger Savinho for €88 million. The club added center-back Jan Paul van Hecke for €60 million and defender Tosin Adarabioyo for €12 million, while forward Omar Marmoush and winger Mykhailo Mudryk arrived on loan.
Free-agent additions included Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson, and goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka. The scale of the recruitment has placed increased scrutiny on executive decision-making and recruitment coherence as Tottenham attempts to address the gap between its financial investment and on-pitch performance.
During his executive tenure in Milan, Ausilio managed Inter’s squad under strict financial fair play constraints. His teams won Serie A titles in 2020–21 and 2023–24, two Coppa Italia trophies, three Italian Super Cups, and reached the 2023 UEFA Champions League final.
If finalized, Ausilio will take immediate control of Tottenham’s transfer strategy and work directly alongside head coach Roberto De Zerbi. De Zerbi’s managerial career includes spells at Sassuolo, Shakhtar Donetsk, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Marseille, and he was hired to establish a distinct tactical style.
The Tottenham squad already contains a prominent Italian and Serie A-trained core. It includes Tonali, defender Destiny Udogie, winger Dejan Kulusevski, and midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, with Kulusevski and Bentancur acquired during the tenure of former managing director of football Fabio Paratici.
Should an agreement be finalized before the January transfer window opens, Ausilio will be responsible for restructuring the senior squad and evaluating high-cost assets. He will also have to align future transfer targets with De Zerbi’s tactical requirements as Tottenham seeks to climb out of the bottom tier of the Premier League table.
