Fabio Paratici’s ban is far from over but he’s working in the shadows as an advisor for Tottenham Hotspur, who have benefited from his transfer expertise.
Having joined Spurs to become their managing director in the summer of 2021, Paratici was forced to resign in April 2023 after being embroiled in the capital gains investigation that marred former club Juventus and Italian football in general.
Paratici is barred from taking on an official role at a football club until his 30-month worldwide ban ends, but this has not stopped him from reportedly “exchanging messages or calls” with Ange Postecoglou as Spurs tap into his knowhow for astute transfers.
And on the evidence of this list of additions, Paratici has been a great help. Don’t get me wrong, there have been a few duds along the way. But no one’s perfect and a significant portion of Tottenham Hotspur’s 29 signings (fees taken from transfermarkt) since the Italian’s arrival in 2021 have been successful. Below I have ranked them from worst to best…
Speaking of duds, Spence was signed during Antonio Conte’s reign after a single break-out year while on loan at Nottingham Forest during their promotion season in 2010/11. However, it quickly became obvious that the bullish Italian did not fancy the right-back.
Spence has been reintegrated into Tottenham’s squad after fruitless loan spells at Rennes, Leeds United and Genoa but is way down the pecking order under Postecoglou. Or at least he was until he scored the equaliser in a narrow Carabao Cup win over Coventry City.
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Like Spence, Gil’s career at Spurs is yet to get off the ground as the fifth Beatle has failed to win over several managers.
Loveable Aussie Postecoglou gifted Gil a fresh start last season but the 22-year-old did not make the most of this opportunity and he joined La Liga side Genoa on loan in the summer.
The Danjuma transfer saga of January 2023 was weirdly enjoyable as the former Bournemouth man looked set for Everton until those pesky Spurs pulled off a late hijack. Unfortunately, he wasn’t worth the effort as he made just one Premier League start during that miserable 2022/23 run-in.
Having impressed with Fulham, Solomon felt like a pretty astute addition last year. But he missed most of the 2023/24 campaign with a knee injury and is currently getting some games in the Championship with loan club Leeds United.
The one-time Italy international made just ten appearances (zero in the Premier League) during his 2021/22 loan season as deputy to the declining Hugo Lloris. Next…
The first #OneForTheFuture in this list, 21-year-old Veliz has made a bright start to his loan spell at Espanyol this season, but please get back to us on this one.
I foolishly backed Richarlison to be Tottenham’s Harry Kane solution during his purple patch last season, but – amid injury and personal problems – he’s reverted to type and Daniel Levy seemed keen to offload him to the Saudi Pro League in the summer.
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One of few notable signings of this year’s particularly dull winter transfer window, Werner has stuttered after making a bright start at Spurs. He’s been a handy squad player for Postecoglou, but he’s currently not doing enough to warrant a more prominent role in the Premier League.
The veteran goalkeeper replaced Gollini before the 2022/23 campaign and made 20 appearances that season as Lloris’ farewell year proved to be miserable. He’s now in the cushy pre-retirement back-up goalkeeper role behind Tottenham’s number one (more on him later).
Tottenham’s decision to spunk £47m on Johnson when they needed to replace Kane was a puzzling one and he has work to do if he’s going to eventually live up to his high price tag.
Not great, not terrible. Tottenham did not see enough from Lenglet during his 2022/23 loan spell to keep him long-term and given who they replaced him with last season, they were right not to make his deal permanent.
The 2023/24 campaign was comfortably Royal’s best in a Spurs shirt as his versatility proved useful. This enabled the Premier League club to get around £13m back on the defender, who joined AC Milan following an unusually prolonged saga in the summer.
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This signing had Conte’s paws all over it, but the 34-year-old was never going to be at the forefront of Postecoglou’s mind for his fresh-faced Spurs side. It would have been great if he joined the Premier League five years earlier but he was past his peak.
The jury is very much still out on Kane’s replacement. While he’s yet to find the net for Spurs, his general play has been impressive and his presence will eventually give a much-needed boost to his supporting cast.
Thank you Spurs, Dragusin and his agent. The dramatic transfer saga concerning the defender was a rare highlight in last season’s January window. Sadly, he has not followed up his noisy arrival with much of note on the pitch as he’s currently one of Postecoglou’s back-ups.
Another #OneForTheFuture. The 18-year-old has been shining for England at youth level and if he reaches his potential, he could prove to be a huge bargain.
The 28-year-old midfielder has fared much better under Postecoglou as he was like a new signing for Spurs last season. Angeball has afforded him the freedom to express himself without the Conte-enforced restraints.
Scott Parker was furious in the summer as his Burnley squad was torn apart and their most expensive sale saw them lose Odobert to Tottenham. The 19-year-old was one of their better performers last season and has made a decent start at Spurs.
Gray is regarded as one of the best young English talents around and was one of the stand-out players in the Championship last season. He’s on the periphery at Tottenham at the moment, but it would be a surprise if he’s not a fully-fledged starter and is higher on this list by the end of this campaign.
Another statement Spurs signing saw them fend off competition from elite European clubs to sign 18-year-old Bergvall. Like Gray, he’s only been used sparingly so far this season, but this is likely to change as this campaign progresses.
When Conte demanded signings ahead of the 2022 January transfer window, Spurs came up trumps when they landed Bentancur and another player from Juventus. The classy midfielder has been dogged by injuries in recent years but has still been a great buy for the Premier League club.
Kulusevski’s attacking output has gradually declined during his time at Spurs, but him and Bentancur can be considered snips after the club profited from Juventus’ charitable nature. It’s only a matter of time before he starts assisting Solanke with his devilish left foot.
The talented Italy international swiftly elbowed Ben Davies out of the way to become Spurs’ first-choice left-back last season. He is one of six disappointments this season, struggling in both boxes, and has been outshone by his teammate on the right, but his potential is still enormous.
The all-action midfielder was a surprise package in the Premier League last season as he – a la Micah Richards – broke onto the scene. A perfect fit for Postecoglou’s system, Sarr should be vital to Spurs for many years.
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Arsenal exposed Vicario’s flaws in last weekend’s North London derby defeat, but he has still proven to be an excellent signing as the superb shot-stopper is ranked among the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.
Much of Paratici’s work over the past couple of years has centred around rebuilding Tottenham’s defence and he’s done a bloody good job of it. Spurs secured a major coup as they leapfrogged Liverpool in the race to sign left-sided centre-back Van de Ven, who is already the real deal.
Van de Ven’s transition into life as a Premier League player has been made easier by playing alongside World Cup winner Romero. The defensive sh*thouse is excellent at everything he does and he’s also emerged as an important leader of this new-look Spurs. They will be desperate to keep him amid interest from Real Madrid.
Porro is fast becoming a complete wing-back and has earned a place in the Premier League team of the season so far.