James Lawton: Tottenham lose direction over Arnesen's duties

Tottenham's new director of sport, Frank Arnesen, will, it is announced, take charge of the club's transfers, scouting and the youth policy. He is already talking about the value of the Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids.

Tottenham's new director of sport, Frank Arnesen, will, it is announced, take charge of the club's transfers, scouting and the youth policy. He is already talking about the value of the Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids.

Presumably the new manager will get to work with and select the players who emerge from Arnesen's extensive work.

Whoever Spurs' chairman, Daniel Levy, consulted before arriving at this bird-brained scheme, I think we can be pretty sure it wasn't Bill Nicholson, the man who delivered the Double and years of superb football to White Hart Lane. Nicholson had a simple understanding of his job. It was to sign the players who he thought would best serve the club - players like Dave Mackay, Cliff Jones, John White, Danny Blanchflower and Jimmy Greaves - and then get them to play football that both thrilled the soul and won trophies. This was the most difficult aspect of his job because he had already had the insight to see that they were great players.

That was - and remains - the manager's job. If Arnesen is good enough to select the transfer targets, scout out the opposition and groom great young players, he is plainly good enough to be doing the only job that really matters in a football club.

He should be appointed manager forthwith, because, given the extent and weight of his duties, no other candidate worth his salt would give the job a second's consideration. The manager has to be the boss - and have sole contact with the directors. It is simply the way a winning football club works. If Levy has the time, he should check out the history of English football. He will see there is no exception to this simple but utterly vital rule.