Influential Tottenham man poached by London rivals Chelsea

It isn’t just on the pitch where Tottenham and Chelsea do battle these days.

In the boardroom’s of both London clubs that battle can be just as fierce, as a recent switch by one influential member of staff proves.

According to The Times (subscription required), Todd Kline, Tottenham’s Chief Commercial Officer, has resigned his position in order to take up a senior business role with the Stamford Bridge outfit.

The American was, apparently, hired by Spurs in order to deliver them a naming rights partner for the new White Hart Lane.

Unfortunately for Kline, he’s failed in that regard and hasn’t really left himself anywhere to go at the North London giants.

Now placed on gardening leave, his resignation leaves Spurs in the somewhat awkward position of having to go back to basics some years down the line.

For such a high profile deal to conclude successfully takes diligence and time, so whomever is tasked with taking over the reins from Kline will need to be given some leeway in order to ensure things are done properly.

Given that the new White Hart Lane is believed to be amongst the best stadiums in the country, it seems incredulous that the club don’t have a naming rights partner in place already.