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Fabio Paratici has claimed he made a "courageous choice" to become Fiorentina's new sporting director as he opened up on his decision to leave Tottenham. Paratici left Spurs at the end of the January transfer window, after spending time as the club's joint-sporting director with Johan Lange.

His exit came soon after he was brought back to Spurs following a 30-month FIFA ban for financial irregularities. His return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was seen as a surprise, with the announcement coming midway through January when the club were looking to strengthen their squad.

But Paratici departed Spurs upon the end of the window and has since joined Serie A side Fiorentina. During his unveiling at Viola Park, the 53-year-old thanked Tottenham for allowing him to return to Italy, but appeared to make a subtle dig at his ex-employers by describing Fiorentina's owners as "serious".

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"In my case, Fiorentina have a serious set of owners, a very serious set of owners who are of great value," Partatici said in a press conference on Thursday.

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"I'd like to thank Tottenham, my former club, for the opportunity they granted me to join Fiorentina, return to Italy and the opportunity to spend five wonderful years in the Premier League. It was an incredible experience. They made me feel at home and stood by me in tough times so I feel obliged to thank Tottenham."

Paratici added: "I decided to come here on December 16th when the team had six points in the league. It might have seemed reckless, but it was actually a courageous choice. Fiorentina has a great owner, top-notch infrastructure, and a city that is a super international brand. In the Premier League, I learned that all of this matters."

The Italian first joined Spurs in June 2021 as managing director of football. In his first season, Tottenham improved from seventh to finishing fourth in the Premier League, securing a spot in the Champions League.

But in April 2023, Paratici resigned from his position at Spurs after losing his appeal against the worldwide ban imposed by FIFA. Once his suspension had ended last October, Tottenham confirmed that he would return.

Paratici had worked alongside Lange to figure a plan for the January window and Spurs ended up brining in Conor Gallagher in a £35million deal from Atletico Madrid and Brazilian left-back Souza. But supporters were left frustrated that Spurs failed to bring anymore players in on deadline day.