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    Soccer News: Tottenham’s move collapsed because Paratici wanted defensive football, says Fonseca

    Paulo Fonseca says his transfer to Tottenham failed because incoming manager Fabio Paratici preferred a coach with a more defensive style.

    The 48-year-old former Roma coach seemed ready to take over from Jose Mourinho until the deal fell through, with some reports initially blaming issues with Italian and UK tax laws.

    Spurs went through a number of potential candidates, including Gennaro Gattuso and Antonio Conte, before Nuno Espirito Santo was named in June.

    Nuno had a mixed start to life in North London, winning his first three Premier League games before suffering full losses to Crystal Palace and Chelsea.

    Spurs have only scored once from open play in their five league games in 2021-22 from 2.5 goals expected, the lowest figure aside from Burnley, Norwich City and Aston Villa. Ignoring set pieces, they created 27 chances in those five games, the worst return in the league.

    They average only 44% of ball possession, the division’s sixth lowest, while they only recorded eight building bouts – open play sequences of 10 or more passes that culminate in a shot or touch in the box – which is a figure less than half of that posted by the former team of Nuno Lupi (18).

    However, Fonseca says this safer approach was favored by Paratici when he joined the club as football chief executive in July.

    “The deal has been made,” he told the Telegraph when asked about his talks with Spurs.

    “We were planning the preseason and Tottenham wanted an attacking manager. It hasn’t been announced, but we have players planned for pre-season. But things changed when the new CEO arrived, we didn’t agree with some ideas and he preferred another manager.

    “I have some principles. I wanted to be the coach of the big teams, but I want the right project and a club where people believe in my ideas, in my way of playing, and this didn’t happen with the CEO.

    “I can’t be any different. All my teams will have these intentions. In Rome or Shakhtar [Donetsk] in the Champions League against the bigger teams, I don’t send my teams to defend near their box.

    “We have an obligation with the fans to create a show, a good show. This is the coach’s obligation. I want to win every game, but just winning is not enough for me. I have to be offensive and dominate games, have an attacking midfield and show courage in the game. These are things that will die with me.

    “It happened so many times when I came home after winning a game and my wife asked ‘why are you unhappy?’ And that’s because I didn’t win as I would have liked. Is not enough. I have to create a good show for the people who pay for tickets and love football. At least I try. I can’t be a coach in any other way. “

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