There is a new face behind the scenes at Tottenham Hotspur working on the transfer market and plenty more within the club
Tottenham have a new man working behind the scenes at the Premier League club in the shape of director of football operations Carlos Raphael Moersen.
Moersen, known as ‘Rafi’, began work in time for this summer’s transfer window after serving his gardening leave with the City Football Group, where he spent more than a decade within their sprawling organisation across the world. His arrival coincides with fast work in the market from Tottenham as they tied up free transfers for Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi and then a £52million deal for Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke as well as new contracts for Pedro Porro and Ben Davies.
His appointment was initially announced all the way back in January as the second person hired from the City Group with Dan Lewindon arriving mid-season to replace the previously departed Adam Brett as the north London club’s new performance director.
Moersen worked for four years at Manchester City, becoming their senior sales strategy and development manager before stepping up to the wider group in 2020 to take charge of more focused football affairs, being handed the title in 2024 of director of football transactions.
His role included negotiating contracts with current and prospective City players and he will be using that experience now at Tottenham in a position that also includes him leading the north London club’s football administration, player care and liaison, as well as training ground operations as part of Spurs’ executive leadership team.
Moersen’s arrival comes at a key time with Tottenham operating in a summer transfer window without the services of the experienced Fabio Paratici, who left for Fiorentina in February after a brief stint as sporting director. That left Johan Lange to take on the club’s recruitment plans alone with Roberto De Zerbi, CEO Vinai Venkatesham and Moersen, while the club looks for a new sporting director to replace Paratici.
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Moersen joins as a highly-regarded talent in the industry, having been key in City’s core team planning and executing as well as player trading within City Football Group.
He is not a direct replacement for Paratici – he reports to Lange – but will be a core part of that team, working closely with those in the sporting director role. Moersen has taken on some elements of Rebecca Caplehorn’s position as head of administration and football governance after she left the club following the January transfer window and more than a decade of service, with part of her remit being contracts.
Moersen’s background is in the numbers of football. He studied at the George Washington University School of Business for four years before completing a master’s degree at the University of Valencia, where his thesis was focused on the expansion of Major League Soccer.
At the same time as completing his initial degree he was employed at MLS outfit DC United, where he worked his way up from sales intern to an account executive with a focus on international sales. After founding a consultancy firm that specialised in connecting professional and youth clubs in the USA, he was snapped by the City Group and initially worked within New York City Football Club before the move to Manchester.
Lange said of Moersen in January: “We are delighted to welcome Rafi to the club in the newly-created role of director of football operations. He was the outstanding candidate from a highly competitive process and brings a wealth of experience in this critical area of our football operation.
“His appointment is an important step as we continue to strengthen our football structure and support long-term success.”
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