Tottenham Hotspur have a new face working behind the scenes at the club in the form of director of football operations Carlos Raphael Moersen.

Known as “Rafi”, Moersen began work ahead of this summer’s transfer window after serving his gardening leave with the City Football Group, where he spent more than a decade.

His arrival has coincided with significant activity in the market, including free transfers for Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi and a £52 million deal for Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke.

New contracts for Pedro Porro and Ben Davies have also been completed during this busy period, underlining the pace of work being done at the north London club.

Moersen’s appointment was initially announced in January, making him the second person hired from the City Football Group during the current rebuild of Tottenham’s football structure.

He was preceded by Dan Lewindon, who arrived mid-season to replace the previously departed Adam Brett as the club’s new performance director.

Moersen spent four years at Manchester City as their senior sales strategy and development manager before stepping up to the wider City Football Group in 2020 to handle more focused football affairs.

He was handed the title of director of football transactions in 2024, a role that involved negotiating contracts with current and prospective players at clubs across the group.

At Tottenham, his responsibilities extend to football administration, player care and liaison, and training ground operations as part of the club’s executive leadership team.

His arrival is particularly significant given that Tottenham are operating this summer without experienced sporting director Fabio Paratici, who departed for Fiorentina in February after a brief stint in the role.

That departure left Johan Lange to manage the club’s recruitment plans alongside head coach Roberto De Zerbi, CEO Vinai Venkatesham, and now Moersen, while the search for a new sporting director continues.

Moersen is not a direct replacement for Paratici and reports to Lange, but he is expected to be a core part of that team working closely alongside whoever eventually fills the sporting director role.

He has also taken on elements of the position previously held by Rebecca Caplehorn, who left the club following the January transfer window after more than a decade of service.

Moersen’s professional background is firmly rooted in the business and analytics side of football, having studied at the George Washington University School of Business for four years.

He later completed a master’s degree at the University of Valencia, where his thesis focused specifically on the expansion of Major League Soccer.

While completing his initial degree, he worked at MLS club DC United, rising from sales intern to account executive with a focus on international sales before founding a consultancy firm connecting professional and youth clubs in the USA.

That entrepreneurial background caught the attention of the City Football Group, who initially placed him within New York City Football Club before the move to Manchester.

Lange was enthusiastic about the appointment when it was announced in January, saying: “We are delighted to welcome Rafi to the club in the newly-created role of director of football operations.”

Lange added: “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,” Lange concluded, signalling the club’s intent to build a more structured and sustainable operation.

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