Tottenham Hotspur’s new Director of Football Operations has made a huge impact in the summer transfer window.
Back in January, Tottenham Hotspur announced the appointment of Carlos Raphael Moersen as the new Director of Football Operations. Moersen, known as Rafi, joined from City Football Group, where he spent more than a decade working in a variety of roles.
The American’s arrival came just a day after the North London club announced the departure of Fabio Paratici, who was acting as the co-sporting director alongside Johan Lange. Moersen became a part of the massive restructuring process at White Hart Lane, as Spurs look to build a modern, high-performance football structure to drive sustainable success.
Moersen has been leading Tottenham’s football administration, player care and liaison, as well as training ground operations, whilst joining the organisation’s executive leadership team. It was later revealed by reputed journalist that his responsibilities at Tottenham also include player recruitment. There were fears within the fanbase when the club put the hiring of a new sporting director on the back burner after failing to land their top target Sebastian Kehl in June, but Moersen has done a commendable job as far as player recruitment is concerned.
Journo reveals Rafi Moersen has won admirers internally at Tottenham
Spurs have already completed six signings, two of which have been marquee deals. The club’s hierarchy have smashed the transfer record twice in a week. In the middle of the park, we have added Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, signing in a combined £187m deal from Newcastle and West Ham respectively.
Moersen has been leading the recruitment in the absence of a sporting director. Now, The Athletic reporter Jay Harris has revealed that the American has already become a popular figure at Spurs, with many officials ‘raving’ about his impact.
“The people and sources I’ve spoken to about Rafi Moersen over the past couple of weeks- every single one of them is raving about him,” Jay Harris said on The Last Word On Spurs podcast.
Eli Junior Kroupi wanted at Tottenham
Having made significant changes to their defence and midfield, the emphasis in the next few weeks will certainly be on the forward line and how Spurs can improve in the goalscoring department. One player who has been linked in the last couple of weeks is Bournemouth forward Eli Junior Kroupi.
Kroupi scored 13 goals for Bournemouth last season, helping them to qualify for the UEFA Europa League for the first time in the club’s history. It was a breakout season for the 20-year-old and has led to interest from clubs across the Premier League and Europe. The Cherries are reluctant to let go of the Frenchman after just one season and are trying to price out Tottenham of a move by valuing him at £85m.
So, if Tottenham are genuinely interested in Kroupi, Moersen will have a big job on his shoulders to pull off this deal.