Spurs close in on Trap

Giovanni Trapattoni: wanted by Spurs

14 April 2012

Tottenham want to announce Giovanni Trapattoni as their new first-team coach by the end of the month, even if he does not join them until after Euro 2004.

Negotiations continued yesterday with representatives of the Italy coach, now confirmed as Spurs' number one target to replace the sacked Glenn Hoddle.

There are still several stumbling blocks and it seems unlikely Trappatoni will ditch Italy to help Spurs' relegation fight despite the offer of a massive bonus of at least £1million to keep them up.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy would like to announce the identity of the new coach regardless of when he comes, to give the club a boost. Discussions have even taken place about players Trapattoni might want to bring in if he takes the job.

Milan- based agent Claudio Vigorelli confirmed to Standard Sport yesterday that he is brokering the deal despite denials today that he is representing the Italian coach. Vigorelli's assistant Gianluca Tizi said: "We have a very good relationship with Tottenham and the truth is they are interested in him."

One of the hitches is Trapattoni's request that he has full control over the buying and selling of first-team players. Levy wants to have a continental management structure with a first team coach and a director of football in David Pleat. But he wants to ensure this is workable in English football, and at Spurs, where it has so far failed.

Trapattoni is likely to get his way on this issue with Pleat, currently caretaker manager following Hoddle's dismissal, taking charge of the budget for younger and lower division players as the 64-year-old's knowledge of English football is limited.

Pleat has been successful in spotting young talent for the club and is currently trying to secure Nottingham Forest's highly rated 21-year-old midfielder Andy Reid. Pleat had a further meeting with Forest representatives on Monday to discuss the deal.

Meanwhile Freddie Kanoute hit out at the Spurs board after being given the all-clear to switch his national allegiance from France to Mali by FIFA yesterday.

Spurs are hoping Mali will allow Kanoute to play against Liverpool next week instead of joining up with the national squad's training camp for the African Nations Cup, which begins on January 24.

But the 26-year-old was fuming about the tactics used by the Spurs hierarchy to try and stop his dream of playing for his father's country. He even suggested that some his Spurs pals had tried to talk him out of going. Kanoute said: "My teammates-tried to keep me back because they don't know what the African Nations Cup can mean. They don't harbour any ill will against me. But they think it's some minor tournament of no importance - and that is a pity.

"I can understand clubs trying to keep hold of their players as much as they can but African nations must be respected. I went through official channels with Spurs but the directors didn't take it on board too much at the outset - they thought I was going to change my mind.

"But the nearer we got to the African Nations Cup, the more things turned into a bloody shambles at the club. They contacted FIFA and did everything they could to prevent me from going to the tournament. Had I been called up by France, Spurs' directors would have done everything to put me in the best frame of mind.

"But as I'm playing for Mali, they have tried to keep hold of me right up until the eve of their first match."

However Kanoute insisted he had no problems with caretaker boss David Pleat, even though the Spurs chief has been accused of being disrespectful to Mali through some of his comments. Kanoute added: "I did not have any disputes with David. But despite the stir my decision has caused, I've never had any regrets. I've mostly been bothered by our lowly place in the table."

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