Football Italia

Milan director Igli Tare met with an agent today who represents amongst others Bournemouth’s Hamed Junior Traore, Tottenham pair Radu Dragusin and Guglielmo Vicario.

Gabriele Giuffrida was spotted entering the Casa Milan headquarters and remained for three hours inside the building.

According to Calciomercato.it, there were several different players who came up in the discussion with new director of sport Tare.

Premier League players on Milan radar

They included former Sassuolo midfielder Traore, who is now playing for Auxerre on loan from Bournemouth.

Giuffrida also represents Tottenham Hotspur players Dragusin and Vicario, which could prompt some intriguing suggestions.

Milan had famously agreed to sell Fikayo Tomori to Spurs in January only for the player to turn down the move, so the clubs could try again.

It is possible they might include former Genoa and Juventus defender Dragusin as part of an exchange deal.

As for Vicario, Milan are looking for new goalkeepers even after the negotiations with Chelsea for Mike Maignan collapsed because the Blues would not raise their €15m offer.

Agent Giuffrida does represent another goalkeeper in Serie A, specifically Maduka Okoye of Udinese.

Tottenham Hotspur officially sacked coach Ange Postecoglou today, despite winning the Europa League, but he had been offered to Roma this summer when his position was already looking shaky.

The tactician worked with Italy internationals Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie to lift the Europa League trophy, ending a 17-year wait for major silverware at the London club.

Nonetheless, his Premier League form was enough to ensure they wielded the axe this evening and relieved him of his duties.

Tottenham pull plug on Postecoglou

It was not entirely surprising, so much that intermediaries had offered Postecoglou to Roma over the last few weeks as a potential heir to Claudio Ranieri at the Stadio Olimpico.

This was before the negotiations got into full swing with Gian Piero Gasperini, who today was formally announced after signing a contract to June 2028.

There are other Serie A clubs looking for a new coach, including Fiorentina and Parma, should the Australian still be seeking an experience in Italy.

Destiny Udogie has become a regular at Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur, so his agent warns Milan and other interested parties. ‘I challenge anyone to get him for under €50m.’

The former Udinese full-back was purchased in 2022 for €18m plus up to another €7m in performance-related bonuses, although he remained in Udine on loan for one more year.

The 22-year-old was in the starting XI of the Spurs side that beat Manchester United to win the Europa League Final on Wednesday evening.

It was his 35th competitive appearance for the club this season and he is today participating in the open-top bus parade to celebrate their first trophy in 17 years.

“It was a strange year for Tottenham, filled with injuries and a position in the Premier League table that does not reflect the real value of this squad, so the Europa League is a panacea for the many problems they had to overcome,” agent Stefano Antonelli told Tuttomercatoweb.

“Destiny, like all the Tottenham players, had a few too many injuries, leading to some ups and downs, but now he is focused on the Italy squad and preparing for next season. He played regularly for Spurs this season and it has been a steep learning curve. He is a player who could happily be at any of the top European clubs. By qualifying for the Champions League, next term will be completely different.”

Udogie sees future at Tottenham

Even after winning the Europa League, many expect coach Ange Postecoglou to be fired in the summer, so Udogie could have a new coach.

“When Postecoglou arrived the first year, we knew it could be a question mark for Destiny,” continued the agent.

“We were very careful to verify if it was wise to remain at Tottenham or have an experience elsewhere, perhaps for someone like Crystal Palace or Bournemouth. Instead, at the very first friendly of pre-season, Postecoglou showed great faith in Destiny. We can only thank him for all he’s done.”

There have been reports of a potential return to Serie A, with Milan above all interested in picking Udogie up as a replacement for Theo Hernandez this summer.

“I challenge anyone to get Udogie from Tottenham now for under €50m. What Italian club could really do that? Serie A is full of players who arrived from the Premier League and flourished, like Anguissa, Lukaku, Tomori and McTominay. Udogie is a regular starter for Tottenham, so something really crazy would need to happen for Spurs to let him go.

“He’d either have to be financially worth the sale, or no longer in their plans, and I think we can today rule out the second hypothesis.”

Tottenham’s Europa League win over Manchester United marked a significant sliding doors moment for Kevin Danso and Mats Hummels, with the latter eventually joining Roma after the club had initially tried to sign the Austria international.

Danso joined the Premier League side on deadline day of the winter transfer window, leaving Lille after three and a half seasons.

However, his move came just months after the French club had reached an agreement with the Giallorossi, who ultimately pulled out of the deal due to issues that emerged during the player’s medical.

How a failed transfer sent Hummels to Roma and opened the door for Danso at Tottenham

Still in search of a centre-back, Roma went on to sign Hummels on a free transfer in early September—a twist that would go on to shape both teams’ Europa League campaigns.

While Danso started only one of his three Europa League appearances for Tottenham, the German defender made five starts under Claudio Ranieri.

The first came in Roma’s 2-2 away draw at Tottenham, where Hummels scored a late equaliser for the visitors.

However, the 36-year-old also jeopardised Roma’s qualification hopes in the second leg of their round-of-16 clash against Athletic Bilbao, receiving a red card just 11 minutes into a match they would go on to lose 3-1—crashing out of the competition despite a first-leg win.

With Igli Tare set to be appointed as the new Milan sporting director, Gazzetta reports that Destiny Udogie will be a player to watch, especially if Theo Hernandez leaves, while Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is the ‘dream’ to strengthen the midfield.

Milan are expected to hire Tare as their new sporting director. The ex-Lazio executive and striker will be tasked with rebuilding a team that failed to qualify for European competitions this term.

He’s expected to hire a new coach as well, and Vincenzo Italiano is currently seen as the leading candidate for the role.

Read more – ‘Tare already knows who to sign and who to sell’ at Milan

Tare’s transfer priorities for Milan revealed

Gazzetta reports that if Italiano gets the job at San Siro, Bologna stars Dan Ndoye and Jens Odgaard would become natural transfer targets for the Rossoneri.

Milan will need a backup striker for Santiago Gimenez, and Udinese’s Lorenzo Lucca is among the first players on Tare’s list.

New defenders will also be needed, especially because Fikayo Tomori and Malick Thiaw have been tipped to leave in the summer.

According to the report, Tare’s priority at centre-back is Lazio’s Mario Gila, a player he knows well, having signed him at the Olimpico in 2022.

Luiz Felipe is another ex-Lazio defender monitored by Tare, like Fiorentina’s Pietro Comuzzo, who has recently signed a contract extension with the Tuscans, Giovanni Leoni (Parma) and Diego Coppola (Verona).

A big name in defence would be Tottenham’s Udogie, a primary target for Tare if Theo Hernandez leaves the club.

According to the report, Tare’s dream is to bring Sergej Milinkovic-Savic back to Serie A, but it may be hard to convince Al-Hilal and the player who earns €20m per season in the Saudi Pro League.

Whether SMS joins Milan or not, according to Gazzetta, Tare will still try to sign a player with a similar skill set.

Italy international Destiny Udogie feels injuries affected his development at Tottenham this season, but now hopes to win the Europa League for Spurs: ‘It would mean a lot.’

Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario’s Tottenham have reached the Europa League Final, which they will play against domestic rivals Manchester United in Bilbao tonight.

“It could be my first trophy. It would mean a lot,” Udogie told Gazzetta.

“It would be something really important, especially considering the difficult season we’ve had. It would be fantastic.

“We all want to win. It’s been a long time since the club lifted a trophy; it’s become our goal for this year.

“It’s been a tough season because of all the injuries we’ve had. They played a big part in what happened to us. But in Europe, the team managed to stay united and perform at the highest levels.”

The Italian left-back, a former Udinese defender, has had injury issues himself this term.

“It was difficult because of all my injuries and the constant effort to get back to full fitness,” he admitted.

“I’m trying to finish the season in the best possible way to help the team.”

Meeting the Red Devils, whom Tottenham have already beaten three times this season, will not diminish the special atmosphere the players will experience tonight.

“It’s a great thing, both teams have had a great run in Europe. We would not deserve to win,” Udogie insisted.

When asked whether he’d make some special gifts if Spurs win the trophy, Udogie replied: “No, but if I win, someone has to do it for me.”

Who, exactly?

“A close friend or maybe two…”

Udogie, 22, has only provided one assist in 34 appearances across all competitions this season, spending over 2.600 minutes on the pitch.

The Italian defender’s contract with Tottenham runs out in June 2030.

According to Sky Sport Italia transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio, Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi is among the candidates to be the new Tottenham manager next season, but the favourite is Fulham’s Marco Silva.

There are several Italian players in the squad for Spurs this season, above all goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and defender Destiny Udogie.

They could potentially be getting an Italian on the bench too, as Sky Sport Italia pundit Di Marzio suggests that the heir to Ange Postecoglu might be De Zerbi.

De Zerbi tipped for Tottenham task

The former Sassuolo, Benevento and Shakhtar Donetsk boss is currently working at Olympique Marseille, but has been linked with an exit, including a possible return to Italy for Milan or Roma.

It would be a return to the Premier League for De Zerbi, who had taken Brighton and Hove Albion to European qualification.

Tottenham have Italian representation already

While De Zerbi is among the candidates, Di Marzio insists that the favourite for Tottenham Hotspur is Marco Silva, whose current job is at Fulham.

Another alternative is Spaniard Andoni Iraola, who is already in England at AFC Bournemouth.

Friday’s reports claim that former Juventus executive Fabio Paratici is set to seal a surprise return to his former club Tottenham Hotspur once his ban is lifted, following a breakdown in negotiations to take over as sporting director at Milan.

Paratici set for surprise Tottenham return

Paratici spent over a decade with Juventus between 2010 and 2021, serving as sporting director and then managing director towards the end of his spell, before joining Tottenham as director of football upon the expiry of his Bianconeri contract in 2021.

However, just 18 months into his time in North London, Paratici was handed a 30-month suspension by the FIGC, which was later upheld and extended worldwide by FIFA following an investigation into fictitious capital gains from his time with Juventus.

That meant that he was banned from having any involvement with the running of any club under FIFA’s jurisdiction until the end of his suspension, which is due to end on July 20.

Why Milan dropped Paratici

The legal implications surrounding Paratici’s bans is also the main reason why his move to take over as sporting director at Milan fell through in April.

The Rossoneri are actively looking for a new sporting director and had agreed terms with the former Juventus and Tottenham exec, but as he would not have been able to begin work until several weeks after the start of the transfer window, he later was dropped by Milan.

Now, according to reports from TBR Football, Paratici has now agreed terms for a return to Tottenham once his suspension is lifted in July.

Specifically, the 52-year-old is set to return in the role of technical director, and is set to oversee the footballing side of the Tottenham operation in a new-look management team that will be led by new CEO Vinai Venkatesham, who will also begin work in the summer following his departure from Arsenal.

Former Tottenham star Dele Alli was able to meet up with two of his ex-teammates in Harry Kane and Eric Dier ahead of the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Inter on Wednesday night, and gifted his friends a pair of shirts from his current club, Como.

Dele, who won the PFA Young Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons for Tottenham, is currently in Serie A with Como after reaching a mutual agreement to terminate his contract with Everton in 2024.

The former England international was invited to train with Cesc Fabregas’s Como side over the winter, and was later handed an 18-month contract that runs until the summer of 2026.

Dele Alli gifts Como shirts to former Tottenham teammates

In a recent post on Instagram, Dele shared a picture of himself alongside his two close friends, former teammates and current Bayern Munich stars, Harry Kane and Eric Dier.

“Good to catch up with my brothers today! Good luck tomorrow mandem,” he wrote in a caption, alongside Kane and Dier holding up a pair of Como shirts with their friend’s name and shirt number printed on the back.

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.