Football Italia

As Fabio Paratici nears a return to football management with Milan, here is a reminder of how the former Juventus director got on during his spell in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur.

Reports on Wednesday claim that Milan have found a verbal agreement with Paratici to become the club’s new sporting director once his 30-month ban expires in June. CEO Giorgio Furlani met with the former Juventus and Tottenham executive in London earlier in the week.

If the deal goes through, Milan will be the first club that Paratici has been involved with during his time in the Premier League with Tottenham, which ended with his resignation in April 2023.

How did Paratici fare in the Premier League? From Nuno to Conte

Paratici was appointed as Tottenham’s managing director of football in June 2021, effectively responsible for all sporting operations, including the signing of players and the appointment of head coaches.

His first task in North London was the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo as head coach. On paper, it seemed like a decent appointment at the time given Nuno’s success with Wolverhampton Wanderers previously, and in retrospect, with the success he has found with Nottingham Forest this season.

Things started positively, with Nuno winning the Premier League manager of the month award for August after picking up three wins at the start of the 2021-22 campaign, but for whatever reason, things did not continue clicking after that, and the coach was dismissed in November of that year.

That led to the hiring of former Italy, Juventus, Inter and current Napoli head coach Antonio Conte.

Things started to improve under the Italian tactician, who became the first ever Tottenham head coach to go unbeaten across their first eight matches in charge.

Having taken over with the team in ninth place, Conte pulled off a fourth-place finish and subsequent qualification to the Champions League. Spurs had finished seventh the season prior, so, despite the change in head coaches, Paraici’s first season was successful in terms of sporting results.

Paratici’s Tottenham signings: Juventus connections helpful

Paratici had four transfer windows while with Tottenham. The biggest success of his first window in charge was the signing of future World Cup winner Cristian Romero on an initial loan deal from Atalanta.

It was a complicated deal to pull off, and one that required Paratici to utilise his former Juventus connections, as Romero was still contracted to the Bianconeri, but was then sold to Atalanta, before joining Tottenham on loan with an obligation to buy on the same day. Romero was purchased outright for around €52m the following summer, and though a big investment, the Argentine has cemented himself as a firm fan favourite in North London.

The signing of Pape Mate Sarr, who was bought from FC Metz before being loaned back for the 2021-22 campaign, has also proved to be a success.

Other signings in Paratici’s first window were less successful, though, such as Emerson Royal and Bryan Gil, who both cost around €25m each.

The January transfer window, which was Conte’s first in charge of Tottenham, was fairly successful as well, given the relatively successful signings of Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur from Paratici and Conte’s former club, Juventus.

Every Paratici signing at Tottenham

Bryan Gil from Sevilla (€25m)

Emerson Royal from Barcelona (€25m)

Rodrigo Bentanucur from Juventus (€19m)

Pape Matar Sarr from FC Metz (€16.9m)

Dejan Kulusevski on loan from Juventus (€10m loan fee)

Christian Romero on loan from Atalanta (undisclosed)

Pierluigi Gollini on loan from Atalanta (undisclosed)

Richarlison from Everton (€58m)

Cristian Romero from Atalanta (€52m)

Yves Bissouma from Brighton (€29.2m)

Destiny Udogie from Udinese (€18m)

Djed Spence from Middlesbrough (€14.7m)

Pedro Porro on loan from Sporting CP (€5m loan fee)

Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal (€3m loan fee)

Clement Lenglet on loan from Barcelona (undisclosed)

Ivan Perisic from Inter (free)

Fraser Forster from Southampton (free)

How things ended for Paratici at Tottenham

Paratici’s second season with Tottenham was considerably more chaotic than his first. Though Conte had secured Tottenham’s best ever start to a Premier League season, the team would ultimately finish the season in eighth place, with both the head coach and director of football out of the equation by that point.

Paratici was handed a 30-month (two-and-a-half year) suspension from the FIGC, later upheld by FIFA as a result of the Plusvalenza investigation into the reporting of fictitious capital gains during his time with Juventus. Juve were also handed a 15-point deduction in Serie A as a result.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, there are still some issues Milan and Fabio Paratici need to resolve before he can sign on as their new director of sport following today’s meeting.

The former Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur director remains the hot favourite to take over their transfer strategy from this summer, beating competition from Igli Tare and Tony D’Amico.

Some had believed the contracts would be signed this evening when Paratici met with Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani and RedBird patron Gerry Cardinale in London, the latest of several encounters.

However, it is reported that there are still some problems to be resolved before they can put pen to paper.

These include the salary and the length of the contract, while Sportitalia claim that Paratici wants to revolutionise the entire Milan sporting hierarchy.

Paratici set for Serie A return at Milan

This would be a return to Italy for the first time since leaving Juventus in May 2021, when his contract was not renewed.

He moved on to Tottenham, receiving a world-wide 30-month ban for artificially inflated profit margins in the buying and selling of players at Juve.

That ban will expire on July 20, so until then he can only officially act as a consultant – the same role he currently has at Tottenham – rather than negotiate transfers directly for Milan.

A meeting between former Juventus and Tottenham executive Fabio Paratici and Milan CEO Giorgio Furlani is currently underway in London according to the latest updates, as the Rossoneri close in on a decision over their next sporting director.

Milan have been without a sporting director for all of the calendar year after the departure of Antonio D’Ottavio in December.

The Rossoneri have been actively seeking a replacement for several weeks, with Paratici and former Lazio director Igli Tare the preferred candidates in over that time-span.

Paratici and Furlani meet in London for Milan talks

According to Tuesday’s reports from Gianluca Di Marzio, Paratici is now the firm favourite to take over as Milan’s sporting director, and is currently meeting with CEO Furlani in London to discuss the project.

Paratici is reportedly Milan’s ‘chosen’ option for sporting director, but does not currently have an agreement in place in personal terms. That could potentially change by the end of the day, and possibly by the end of Tuesday’s meeting in London.

Paratici has been out of work for the last two years, following his suspension as a result of an investigation into fictitious capital gains during his time with Juventus, confirmation of which arrived in March 2023.

Fabio Paratici’s talks with Milan are ongoing, and the Italian tactician is reportedly convinced about leaving Tottenham to join the Serie A giants.

Calciomercato.com reports that Paratici is increasingly convinced to join Milan in 2025-26. The Italian director’s ban will end in the coming months.

Paratici is still under contract with Tottenham, but according to the report, Spurs and the ex-Juventus executive are determined to terminate their agreement, sparking a move to San Siro.

Paratici heading towards Tottenham exit as Milan talks ongoing

Paratici spent last week in Milan, precisely at Palazzo Parigi, where he used to hold most transfer meetings when he was a Juventus sporting director. According to Calciomercato.com, this suggests Paratici is more than convinced about Milan.

The Italian outlet confirms that Paratici is Giorgio Furlani’s favourite candidate for the sporting role, although Tony D’Amico and Igli Tare are also in contention.

Tare previously met Gerry Cardinale and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, while D’Amico hasn’t yet been contacted by the Rossoneri.

AC Milan Glorie were beaten 6-2 by the Tottenham Legends in a charity friendly match, but Andrea Pirlo showed he’s still got that magic boot with a sensational free kick.

The Rossoneri old guard struggled in London and were trailing 5-0 by half-time, including a hat-trick from former Inter striker Robbie Keane.

However, Pirlo proved he ages like fine wine, curling a trademark free kick into the top corner with that classic right foot.

Among the players involved for Milan were Marcos Cafu, Nelson Dida, Serginho, Marek Jankulovski and Massimo Ambrosini, while Cristian Zaccardo got the other goal.

Pirlo turns on the magic for Milan Glorie

Saturday’s reports claim that Inter are interested in a potential deal with Lazio for Denmark international Gustav Isaksen, who is also of interest to Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur.

Reports Inter keen on Isaksen deal with Lazio

According to reports from La Repubblica (via Calciomercato.com), the Nerazzurri could potentially pursue a deal for Isaksen in the summer transfer window, but risk being priced out of a deal if they end up in a bidding war with a Premier League rival.

Saturday’s report claims that Lazio could seek a fee in the region of €40m for Marco Baroni’s go-to right winger if multiple clubs step forwards with offers during the summer transfer window.

While Simone Inzaghi does not tend to play with out-and-out wingers in his 3-5-2 system, there are suggestions that Isaksen could be deployed as a wing-back in the five if he does end up joining the Nerazzurri in the summer.

Signed from his boyhood club Midtjylland for a reported fee of around €10m plus bonuses in the summer of 2023, Isaksen has gone on to play a crucial role under Baroni this term, chipping in with five goals and five assists across all competitions this season.

Two Italy players were on the winning side of Tottenham’s 4-1 victory, Arsenal’s duo were left disappointed, while Newcastle couldn’t do without Sandro Tonali for a seven-goal thriller against the high-flying Nottingham Forest.

Here is how the Italy players in the Premier League got on over the weekend.

Italy players in Premier League

Destiny Udogie returned to the Tottenham starting line-up after missing the last 12 matches across all competitions with a hamstring injury. He lined up in his usual position at left-back and lasted 65 minutes into a 4-1 Premier League victory over relegation-threatened Ipswich Town.

Guglielmo Vicario made his return last weekend after his recovery from a fractured ankle, and was also between the sticks again for the Ipswich victory on Saturday.

It was a less successful afternoon for the Italy internationals in the other part of North London. Riccardo Calafiori was named as a starter in Arsenal’s eventual 1-0 defeat against West Ham. Jorginho was also in the matchday squad, but remained an unused substitute.

Emerson Palmieri has lined up as a starter in all but three of West Ham’s Premier League matches this season, but was also an unused substitute for the Arsenal victory on Saturday.

Sandro Tonali came off the bench for the final 20 minutes of Newcastle’s 4-3 victory over the impressive Nottingham Forest.

He had missed part of the week’s training with a minor injury concern, but Eddie Howe admitted that he felt the team ‘needed his legs in midfield’ towards the end, so brought him on anyway.

Caleb Okoli and Leicester City were on the losing side of a 4-0 against Brentford. The Bees brought on former Fiorentina right-back Michael Kayode in the second half, but the Italy U21 international ahs not yet started in the Premier League since his January switch.

Federico Chiesa was in the matchday squad, but was an unused substitute again as Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table with an impressive 2-0 win away against the reigning champions, Manchester City.

There are reports in Italy that Milan are planning a total rebuild from next season, including former Juventus and Tottenham director Fabio Paratici plus coach Maurizio Sarri.

The Rossoneri are still smarting after the Champions League play-off elimination at the hands of Feyenoord.

The tension between coach Sergio Conceicao and some players has also raised eyebrows, suggesting he might not remain beyond the end of his short-term contract in June.

This means focus on the future and the changes could be behind the scenes as well as on the bench.

Paratici and Sarri potential future Milan reunion

According to Milan Press, the Diavolo are now interested in hiring former Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur director Paratici.

He is currently suspended due to the financial irregularities during his time at Juve, a 30-month ban that expires in July 2025.

This is also the date when the current contract for Milan director of sport Geoffrey Moncada comes to an end.

Paratici would seem to be the favourite ahead of Andrea Berta.

If Paratici were to be brought in, then it would also increase the likelihood of hiring a coach close to his ideas, specifically Sarri.

It was Paratici who brought Sarri in at Juventus and they won the Scudetto together.

Sarri resigned at Lazio in March 2024 and is currently taking time out waiting for the right project to get back into the game.

Guglielmo Vicario was victorious on his Tottenham Hotspur return over the weekend, but it was a disappointing day for Sandro Tonali and Newcastle as they suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City. Here is how the Italy players in the Premier League got on this weekend.

Victorious Vicario keeps clean sheet on Tottenham return

Guglielmo Vicario had spent 11 weeks out injured after suffering a fractured ankle during a 4-0 win over Manchester City in November. Spurs had only kept two clean sheets from 12 Premier League matches in Vicario’s absence.

The Italy back-up required surgery, and has recently revealed that he had two screws inserted in his ankle to overcome the injury.

Vicario made his return from injury at the weekend, going straight back into Ange Postecoglu’s starting XI for the 1-0 victory over Manchester United on Sunday. After James Maddison went off in the second half, the Italian also assumed the captain’s armband.

Destiny Udogie was also back in the matchday squad for the first time since his recent hamstring injury, but was left an unused substitute on this occasion.

Tonali criticism in the local press

It was a tough day at the office for Tonali and his Newcastle teammates as they suffered a 4-0 defeat by reigning champions Manchester City, largely thanks to an Omar Marmoush hat-trick within the space of 15 minutes in the first half.

Local outlet the Shields Gazette gave Tonali a rating of 4/10, and given that he has been a consistently decent performer this term, labelled his display on Saturday as his worst of the 2024-25 season.

Newcastle have largely been in impressive form this season, particularly over the winter period, but have now won just one of their last four Premier League outings. They still sit seventh in the table, two points off Chelsea in sixth and three off Man City in the Champions League spots.

How did the other Italy players get on in the Premier League?

Two Italy players in Riccardo Calafiori and Jorginho came off the bench in the second-half as an injury-hit Arsenal recorded a late 2-0 win over Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium.

Caleb Okoli played the full 90 minutes at centre-back for Leicester alongside Belgium international Wout Faes for the 2-0 loss to Arsenal.

Emerson Palmieri was a starter as usual at left-back for West Ham, but they fell to a 1-0 loss at home to Brentford. Former Fiorentina right-back Michael Kayode came off the bench in the second half for the Bees.

Italy’s Federico Chiesa was included in the matchday squad for Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield, but was also an unused substitute. He has still played for just 25 minutes across three substitute appearances in the Premier League this season.

Guglielmo Vicario said that he ‘can’t explain’ how much he’s missed playing for Tottenham during his 11-week injury lay-off, but was delighted to pick up a clean sheet against Manchester United in his first game back for Tottenham over the weekend.

An injury-hit Spurs side welcomed Vicario and vice-captain James Maddison back into the starting XI for the 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday. Italy international Destiny Udogie also returned to the substitutes’ bench following his recent hamstring injury.

Vicario had not featured for Tottenham since fracturing his ankle during a 4-0 win over Manchester City back in November. He revealed at the time that he had played for around an hour with a broken bone in his foot.

The former Empoli stopper required surgery on his ankle, and has had two screws fitted in order to be able to play, he revealed in a post-match interview.

Vicario: ‘A new debut, I’m very happy to help the team’

“After three months and with two screws in the ankle, maybe you feel, I don’t know if you feel ready. It’s been, I can say, another debut. After a big injury, it’s like a new debut, so I’m very happy to help the team,” he said.

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“It has been 11 tough weeks of work after the surgery to deal with this set-back. It was the first big injury of my career, so just believing in the hard work.”

Vicario was also given the captain’s armband for the final stages of the game after Maddison was taken off.

Vicario also thanked his supporters with a message on his Instagram profile after full-time, which read: “I can’t explain how much I’ve missed you. What a feeling guys.”