Tottenham director Steve Hitchen resigns amid Everton interest
By Tom Gott
Tottenham have confirmed that director of technical performance Steve Hitchen has resigned from his role with immediate effect.
Hitchen spent five years as a scout at the club between 2005-10, before returning in 2017 to take up a more high-up position.
However, The Telegraph note that Hitchen had begun to grow frustrated with his reduced role following the arrival of Fabio Paratici in the summer. The Italian has taken control of the club's transfer business, with Hitchen spending more time with the medical department.
Hitchen, who was the last remaining member of the hierarchy from the Mauricio Pochettino-led side that reached the 2019 Champions League final, handed in his resignation after the January transfer window.
The former Macclesfield Town defender has been praised for his transfer business behind the scenes but has not always seen his proposals come to fruition. During his time as a director, Hitchen negotiated deals for Bruno Fernandes, Paulo Dybala, Jack Grealish and James Ward-Prowse, only for the rest of the board to decline to pull the trigger.
Spurs have now lost over 100 years of experience in the last 18 months, with Hitchen the latest in a long line of high-ranking officials to have walked away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Hitchen has quickly been identified as a possible target for Everton, who are looking to restructure their own chain of command following a similar period of turbulence.