Football Italia

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.”

Guglielmo Vicario is expected to return to action for Tottenham against Manchester United as Ange Postecoglou says the Italy international ‘has trained well and is good to go’ but there’s good news for Destiny Udogie as well.

Tottenham host Manchester United in a Premier League match on Sunday and expect to see their first-choice keeper Vicario return to action after several months.

The Italian goalkeeper underwent ankle surgery at the end of November after sustaining an injury in a memorable away victory at Manchester City.

“Vicario has trained really well and is good to go,” Postecoglou said at a press conference on Friday, as quoted by Football London.

“Madders is good to go. Then we have had Destiny [Udogie], Wilson and Brennan also training with the group. They are in a good space as well, so it’s been a good training week.

“It is not just that Vic is an outstanding goalkeeper, but in training, he is such a presence among the boys,” continued the Tottenham boss.

Vicario and Udogie injury boost for Tottenham against Man Utd

“He gets everyone going and it has been tough without him because we’ve used three other goalkeepers. They’ve all contributed, but none of them have let us down. It’s just that Vic is experienced and has a strong personality.

“He’s still the number one. I mean he got injured when we beat Man City and we were fifth in the table, so he wasn’t dropped, he was injured, so he’s back now and certainly we’re happy to have him back.”

Vicario played 15 times for Tottenham Hotspur in the 2024-25 campaign, totalling 1,350 minutes on the field. He has kept four clean sheets and conceded 15 goals. He made his Italy debut in March 2024 and has four appearances with the Azzurri.

Vicario’s compatriot Udogie still hasn’t played for Tottenham in 2025, but Postecoglou said the ex-Udinese defender could go on the bench against Manchester United.

“We look at our schedule for next week when we have no game and can train. Then the following week we have got a midweeker so what I really want is when we get to that midweeker that Destiny, Brennan, Wilson and Timo, at a stretch, call get some game time so when we need to rotate from Ipswich into City that these guys have played significant minutes.”

Reports in Italy claim that new Tottenham Hotspur signing Kevin Danso failed a medical with Juventus before securing his move to North London, which comes six months after his unsuccessful medical with Roma during the summer transfer window.

Tottenham officially announced the signing of the 26-year-old Austria international in a permanent deal with Lens on Sunday morning for a reported fee of €25m.

The defender had also been linked with a series of moves to Serie A over the course of the 2024-25 season, including to Roma in the summer and Juventus in January.

Reports Danso failed Juventus medical before Spurs move

According to reports from Alfredo Pedulla, Juventus had even arranged medicals for Danso earlier this window, but the player did not pass, which led the Bianconeri to focus on other targets instead.

Juventus have instead brought in Renato Veiga and Alberto Costa from Chelsea and Vitoria Guimaraes respectively, and are now securing the final details of a deal for Lloyd Kelly from Newcastle instead.

La Gazzetta dello Sport claim Fikayo Tomori has definitively told Milan he does not want to join Tottenham Hotspur, even after the clubs agreed a €26.5m transfer.

There had been reports over the last 48 hours that Tomori would be sold in this winter transfer window, having already been close to a potential Juventus move.

Milan had seemingly given the all-clear for the sale to Spurs, with the clubs shaking hands on an agreement worth €26.5m including add-ons.

Tomori refuses Tottenham transfer

However, following some early suggestions that the defender was not entirely enthusiastic about the move, La Gazzetta dello Sport now report that Tomori has told Milan he has no intention of joining Tottenham.

This might also be because he came up through the academy of their London rivals Chelsea, as well as getting to continue in the Champions League play-offs with the Rossoneri.

The occasional England international is determined to stick it out at Milan and may well start tomorrow’s Derby della Madonnina against Inter.

Italy international Guglielmo Vicario has revealed that he has returned to training at Tottenham and is ‘looking forward’ to playing a competitive game.

Vicario sustained an ankle injury during a 4-0 win over Manchester City in November and was forced to undergo surgery.

He has now returned to training on the pitch, but it will still take a few weeks to see him back to action in a competitive game for Spurs.

“Being on the sideline and not being able to help my teammates has been hard,” Vicario wrote on Instagram on Saturday.

“I’m happy to be back on the training pitch and looking forward to being back with the boys. Thank you for all the support.”

The Italian goalkeeper shared a few pictures from the Tottenham training centre showing him work on his recovery.

Tottenham coach Ange Postecoglou said in November that Vicario would remain out of action “for months” rather than weeks.

A former Empoli and Cagliari goalkeeper, Vicario has kept four clean sheets in 15 appearances across all competitions this term.

He made his senior Italy debut last year, and he’s currently the Azzurri’s second-choice keeper behind Gigio Donnarumma.

Vicario has collected four international appearances.

Tottenham coach Ange Postecoglou says Italy international Guglielmo Vicario remains a dressing room ‘leader’ despite an injury that will force him to the sidelines for months.

The Italian shot-stopper underwent ankle surgery in November and was expected to remain out of action for a few months.

Spurs coach Postecoglou provided an update on the Italian during a pre-match press conference before a Premier League clash against Liverpool.

“It’s going well. Typical Vic,” he said, as quoted by Football London.

Vicario injury: latest official update on Tottenham ‘leader’

“He’s pushing every boundary. He’s still a fair bit away, but he’ll make sure he’s back as soon as possible, whatever the timeline is. He’s still very much around the group. You saw him last night. He’s at training every day. He’s one of the leaders, and he’s progressing well.”

Vicario kept four clean sheets in 15 Tottenham appearances this season, conceding 15 goals.

It remains to be seen if he’ll return to action in time for Italy’s next competitive match against Germany in the Nations League quarter-finals in March 2025.

Vicario, a former Empoli and Cagliari goalkeeper in Serie A, made his senior Italy debut in March 2024 and has made four appearances for the Azzurri.

His contract in North London runs out in June 2028.

Liverpool will face one of their toughest tests of the season as they prepare to take on Tottenham away from home in their next Premier League clash.

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Spurs have had a bit of an up-and-down campaign so far, but they’re never pushovers against the big sides, having already won away to Manchester United and Manchester City in emphatic style.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have drawn two in a row in the Premier League as we perhaps start to see the first signs of a bit of a wobble from Arne Slot’s side.

Who will come out on top in this fixture? Read on for our look ahead to what is always a pretty entertaining game in the Premier League season…

How Tottenham could line up against Liverpool

Ange Postecoglou rotated his side a little in Tottenham’s impressive 5-0 win away to Southampton, but we imagine some of the more established first choice names will be coming back into the side for a big game like this.

Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson were dropped to the bench for the strip to the St Mary’s Stadium and seem like strong candidates to start against Liverpool, though you can never be too sure what injuries might pop up in training over the course of the next few days.

Tottenham predicted line up: Forster; Porro, Udogie, Van de Ven, Dragusin; Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Johnson, Maddison, Son

Predicted Liverpool line up to take on Tottenham

Liverpool should have a mostly full squad to pick from against Tottenham, but have a few issues in defence, with the suspended Andrew Robertson set to be missing after his red card against Fulham.

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And judging by Arne Slot’s recent comments, Liverpool might also have problems elsewhere at the back as it’s not yet clear how close Ibrahima Konate and Kostas Tsimikas are to returning.

That could mean a bit of a makeshift back four against Spurs, even if the team have been boosted by the returns of Alisson and Trent Alexander-Arnold…

Liverpool predicted line up: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Quansah; Jones, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo

How to buy Tottenham tickets

For Tottenham’s official tickets page, click here, which will give you the option of becoming a member to unlock access for this game and other upcoming fixtures.

If you’re finding demand high for a big game like this, though, it’s also worth keeping livefootballtickets.com as a reliable alternative, with good prices and an easy-to-use site.

How to buy Liverpool tickets

Most fans will likely be aware that they can use Liverpool’s official channels to find out the availability of tickets on their website here, but it could also prove tricky, and not to mention expensive, getting to a big game like this.

With that in mind, we highly recommend livefootballtickets.com as an alternative to check out for good prices, reliability, and a 150% money back guarantee.

Tottenham vs Liverpool head-to-head record

Liverpool have the major upper hand in this fixture’s history, winning 90 games against Spurs in total, losing just 49, while there have been 44 draws.

In recent times, we’ve also seen far more Reds victories, with that 4-1 defeat for Jurgen Klopp’s side against Mauricio Pochettino’s team back in 2017 feeling like a very long time ago now.

Since then, Tottenham have won just once, and that was with the aid of a highly controversial VAR call last season that ruled out a perfectly good Luis Diaz goal for offside.

Emerson Royal reveals where his nickname comes from, the reason Milan is ‘iconic’ for Brazilians and why playing at San Siro with Tottenham made him realise he wanted to join the Rossoneri.

The right-back sat down with the official Lega Serie A YouTube channel for an in-depth interview about his childhood, career and why representing the Diavolo is so special for him.

They started right at the beginning with where he got his name.

“The nickname ‘Royal’ comes from a gelatine brand,” revealed the full-back.

“When I was little, I had a big mouth and my aunt says I used to cry a lot. She called me ‘Royal big mouth’ as I looked like the gelatine mascot.

“Everyone started calling me Royal to tease me when I was little. It caught on and now people call me Royal more than my actual name, which is Emerson.”

Like many Brazilian players, Emerson Royal grew up in the Favelas, the poorest areas in the country.

“I grew up in a favela and people consider those bad and dangerous places, but that’s true about many other places in the world.

“I learned a lot in the favela, because people are hungry for success, they want to grow and improve their lives. I was one of those people who heard that it was impossible to do that. But I believed it was possible, even though I was from a favela.

“I try to communicate that motivation whenever I am in Brazil. I try to go to favelas and talk to the children there. I believe they have to have that option and not just turn to drugs, alcohol and partying. They have to look at the world more broadly.”

Emerson Royal always dreamed of Milan move

Much like Milan teammate Rafael Leao, Emerson Royal plays with a smile on his face.

“I am always smiling because I’m a very happy person. I think smiling cures everything and I try to live each day with a smile to seek happiness.

“Of course, things aren’t always going great, but I try to live my life the best I can and with a smile on my face, whether at practice, playing a match, at home or anywhere else. I’ll be trying to spread happiness around me, because it’s contagious.”

Another former Rossoneri player who loved to smile was Marcos Cafu, whose role at right-back has been taken by Emerson Royal now.

“Milan is iconic for us Brazilians, I saw players like Ronaldinho play here, Kaka, Cafu, Alexandre Pato, Robinho. I think that’s a legacy they left behind at Milan, a joyful style of football, full of commitment and happiness on the pitch.

“Cafu is a player who inspired me a lot. Daniel Alves also inspires me with his style of play, he was a very aggressive player on the attack, while Cafu was very consistent. He was strong both defensively and offensively.

“Those are my two inspirations for my position. I have the versatility to stay back and defend, but also to push forward and attack. I don’t have a preference. It depends on the system the coach prefers.

“If he prefers that I build up play more from the back, I’ll do that. If he needs me to push further forward, I’m ready to do that as well. Whatever the coach asks, I am here to deliver.”

Antonio Conte worked with Emerson Royal at Tottenham Hotspur and his training regime is legendary all over the football world.

“Conte really conveyed his passion for football,” continued Emerson Royal.

“He helped me a lot by challenging my mental resilience with tough training sessions. He always demanded our best and that gave me a lot of mental strength.

“I’ve been doing a lot for my mental well-being and working on it myself too, so it is all helping.”

As for Paulo Fonseca, the current Milan coach has a different approach to his tactics.

“Fonseca is a coach who likes to play an attacking style and press high. He shares characteristics that align with my playing style. He enjoys coaching, explaining and helping players to learn.

“He’s been talking to me during training, explaining the positioning he prefers and what he wants me to do, my responsibilities during the match.”

Emerson Royal reveals the moment he realised he wanted to play for Milan was when facing them as an opponent with Spurs in 2023.

“When I came here and saw the stadium and the Milan fans, I got goosebumps. I was at Tottenham and we were playing in the Champions League at the time. The atmosphere was fantastic and I wanted to feel it from this side.

“San Siro is an incredible and iconic stadium known worldwide, not just in Brazil. I’m very happy to be here with that atmosphere on my side.”