01 March 2023 , 08:05
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Tottenham scout Jeff Vetere has resigned from his post after infuriating club chiefs by appearing on Colombian TV and openly revealing transfer targets.
Vetere was only appointed in September, being brought in to head up Spurs' Under-21 recruitment as part of a wider overhaul of the academy scouting team. He had been out of work for four years until joining Spurs, having been sacked as Birmingham City's director of football in 2018.
The Englishman was still on probation when he decided to go on Colombian TV channel Win Sports TV. Vetere had been sent to the South American country on a scouting mission, but revealed one of Spurs' main targets during his appearance.
As first reported by the Daily Mail, that conduct saw him called into a formal meeting to review his probationary period. And the 57-year-old has now decided to resign.
Vetere openly discussed the players he was watching and which ones Tottenham were interested in. He even identified Nacional keeper Kevin Mier as a key target.
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"I see a goalkeeper who does not lack anything to cross the pond. We are looking because it is our task to see who the best youngsters are for international football," he told the channel.
"Taking advantage of my stay in Colombia, I took the opportunity to go there (Nacional) and meet a goalkeeper who is important to me.
"I think he’s going to play for the national side soon. He has things, for me, they are not normal for a boy of his age. I was surprised by his confidence and his handling of the ball."
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Jeff Vetere (far left) has departed from his role at Tottenham (Ian Horrocks /Newcastle United via Getty Images)Spurs have seen the full interview and the club's board were left infuriated by Vetere's appearance, openly revealing the inner workings of their recruitment department. His conduct was deemed unprofessional.
There was said to be surprise at the club when Vetere was first appointed, largely thanks to his close relationship with Fabio Paratici. He arrived with a remit to restructure the club's recruitment of 'emerging talent'.
But there are suggestions that he was far from popular with some existing staff members. Before joining Spurs, Vetere's last role was with Birmingham City, but he left following Steve Cotterill's sacking in 2018.
Earlier, he had been chief scout at Aston Villa, as well as working for Newcastle and West Ham having come to prominence while at Real Madrid. Vetere's exit comes with Spurs launching a major restructure of their academy recruitment.
Emerging talent manager Chris Perkins left to join Arsenal in January, with Spurs now searching for a replacement for both he and Vetere.