Sport Witness

Fabio Paratici’s move from Tottenham Hotspur to Fiorentina should be sealed in the next few days.

That’s according to journalist Gianluca di Marzio, via La Viola. The journalist has been speaking to Sky Italy about Paratici’s imminent Tottenham departure.

Reports over the weekend from Italy stated that Paratici was closing in on a return to Italy after Fiorentina had moved to try and hire him. The deal was believed to be advancing rapidly, with Paratici giving his approval to the idea.

A report today then explained that Tottenham had been left surprised by the news. They had reportedly only learned of it thanks to the reports in Italy.

That report explained why Paratici was on the verge of leaving Tottenham, despite Fiorentina currently battling relegation in Serie A. The Italian only returned to the club earlier this year after serving an 18-month ban handed down by FIFA.

He was working alongside Johan Lange as one of two sporting directors. But now appears ready to turn that in for a relegation battle in his homeland.

Di Marzio has now explained what is going on behind the scenes, adding his own details on when and why Paratici is set to leave Tottenham.

“Paratici today gave a preliminary agreement to Fiorentina, accepting the contractual proposal from Ferrari, who acted as an intermediary with President Commisso,” he said.

“Now he will speak with Tottenham to try to get the green light. It’s a four-and-a-half-year contract, so full powers and a long-term investment in his role.

“I think it will be a matter of a few days, but Paratici has given his approval. He was convinced by Fiorentina’s project. He evidently felt he wanted to return to Italy and be a point of reference in an Italian club after the negotiations with Milan fell through.

“I presume he will also be involved in the transfer market, discussing it with Vanoli and Goretti, who remains.”

Tottenham Hotspur have been hailed for their treatment of Luka Vuskovic as he continues to shine in the Bundesliga with HSV Hamburg.

BILD cover the 18-year-old today. They explain that his performances this season, and ever-increasing market value, are ‘just the beginning’ for the youngster.

They point out that there are ‘countless facts’ in favour of the defender. The Tottenham loanee is the best tackler in the Bundesliga, leads in aerial duels as well, and intercepts the second most passes of any player.

He’s also a goal threat, with two already to his name after seven on loan at Westerlo last season. And he’s racking up experience by the day, with 76 professional appearances to his name to date. He’s even a strong candidate for Croatia’s World Cup squad after already making his debut with them.

His current manager, Merlin Polzin, has been mightily impressed. He’s seen the Tottenham man shining both on and off the pitch.

“He has exceptional talent,” he said.

“But what impresses me even more than his occasional good plays on the pitch is his work ethic. If I’m in the office very, very early in the morning, he’s there just before or after me, working out in the weight room. What I really like is his self-criticism.”

All the top clubs already have the Tottenham man on their list. Alongside Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi, he’s seen as the hottest defensive prospect in Europe.

Tottenham have ‘done everything right’ on that front. They paid €11m to get him, have developed him across three loan spells and tied him to a deal until 2030. That’s already warded off the likes of Bayern Munich. And if he were to leave, his transfer fee would be €100m plus.

For now, the focus is on development and HSV are dreaming of his loan being extended next year. They want to see him play alongside his brother Mario at the club. He’s banned until November next year. Whether Tottenham will sanction it, remains to be seen.

They’ve made all the right decisions so far when it comes to the youngster, who is quickly becoming a teenage superstar.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Radu Drăgușin suffered a serious injury in January and spent over 300 days on the sidelines.

The centre-back is yet to make an appearance since then but was in the squad for Spurs’ defeat to Liverpool on Sunday. Tottenham invested around €30m to sign the defender from Genoa in January 2024. He could return to the Serie A next year.

That’s according to TuttoMercatoWeb. They report there’s a ‘very high’ possibility of the 23-year-old moving to Italy in the winter market or next summer.

It’s claimed Drăgușin returning to Serie A is a ‘more concrete possibility than ever’, at the latest after this season.

The Romania international has a contract until 2030 and Spurs would want to recoup the €30m fee.

The outlet claims a loan with a purchase obligation could be the best formula to convince Tottenham for January. A few Italian clubs would prefer a buying option instead of an obligation.

TMW report AS Roma could consider signing him, especially if Frank’s side are willing to let him leave on loan.

Napoli showed serious interest in Drăgușin before he joined Tottenham and TMW say they still hold him in high regard. It’s unclear whether they are willing to make an approach.

Carlos Vinícius’ standout season in Brazil has prompted reflection as well as praise. The former Spurs’ striker, who finished the Brazilian league as his club’s top scorer with 12 goals in just 14 matches, spoke on ESPN and looked back on the European experiences that helped shape his mindset. Among them, one name stood out above the rest: Harry Kane.

During the interview, Vinícius explained that his biggest learning point from elite football in England came at Tottenham, but had little to do with tactics or finishing technique. Instead, it was about behaviour and consistency at the highest level. “Kane was the one I learned the most from,” Vinícius said. “It’s a very high level.”

Kane set the standards at Tottenham

Playing alongside Kane at Tottenham Hotspur exposed him to a daily standard he still carries with him. “What really catches my attention with these top players is the level they keep and the fact they can score a hat-trick one game and turn up the next day as if nothing special happened,” Vinícius said. “Very natural. It’s like, ‘let’s go again, let’s work again’.”

That mentality, he suggested, is a defining trait of English football culture. He described Kane as polite, involved, and entirely focused on his job, a profile he associated with the broader professionalism he encountered in England. “Kane is a proper Englishman. Polite, involved, does his job, then goes home. The English are like that.”

Now thriving back in Brazil, Vinícius’ words underline how his most productive spell yet still traces its roots to lessons learned during his time in London, where standards were set long before the goals arrived.

On Sunday, Tuttomercatoweb were quite optimistic about Fiorentina’s move for Tottenham sporting director Fabio Paratici.

FirenzeViola also claimed the Italian has given his approval to joining La Viola, who won their first game of the season on Sunday.

Amidst all of this, there was a lack of information on Tottenham’s stance regarding Paratici.

FirenzeViola report the London club have been left ‘surprised’ by all the fuss. They have only heard about Fiorentina’s approach for Paratici through the Italian press.

As of last night, their sporting director hadn’t directly informed them about any chance of leaving. They are still waiting to be contacted by Paratici about a potential switch to Fiorentina as an exit will require the termination of his two-year contract.

It is believed that the relationship between the 53-year-old and the Tottenham management is good. The club stood by the Italian during his suspension and they are expecting more communication from the director.

Fiorentina remain confident about their move, despite this. If anything, this will only slow down their talks and they are looking to make Paratici’s move official by the weekend.

Tuttomercatoweb have it a little differently. They report initial contact between the two clubs has taken place.

Paratici is said to be ‘flattered and drawn into a seemingly impossible challenge’. That must be some big flattery, given Fiorentina’s current position and potential relegation.

Yves Bissouma hasn’t made an appearance for Tottenham Hotspur this season mainly due to injuries. This saw him miss five matches for Mali in the last three international breaks.

The midfielder started in Mali’s 4-1 World Cup qualifier win over Madagascar in October.

His situation at Tottenham didn’t stop Mali manager Tom Saintfiet including the 29-year-old in his list for AFCON. They are set to face Zambia later today in the first group stage fixture.

Saintfiet has confirmed the Tottenham player is out of the match-day squad due to injury. Pierrot Le Foot have relayed his comments.

The coach says the national team’s doctors are in regular contact with the Spurs medical staff over his injury situation.

“In many major tournaments, some players start with injuries and then become their team’s most dangerous players in the quarterfinals, semifinals, or final. Hakimi is also on Morocco’s roster, and there’s a reason for that, because he’s one of those great players who are important,” he said.

“Yves is my captain; he’s important, he’s a leader of our team. But we didn’t make this decision alone. Our doctor is in contact with Tottenham’s medical staff.

“We have assurances that Yves will be ready during the tournament. When the matches get tougher, we’ll be glad to have him with us. We need a captain who’s present both mentally and physically.”

Pierrot Le Foot report there’s hope within the national team camp that Bissouma returns to training to face Morocco on Boxing Day.

Bissouma has played 42 matches for his country so far. His absence due to an injury will be a big miss for Mali against Zambia on Monday.

Two days ago, we covered claims from Italy that Fiorentina are working on taking Fabio Paratici away from Tottenham Hotspur.

On Sunday, the UK press explained Spurs haven’t been approached for their sporting director. The Italian media now bring more on Paratici.

Calciomercato give an insight into why Fiorentina decided to bet on the Tottenham man.

The Serie A side are currently bottom of the table, five points behind 17th placed Parma. They registered their first league win of this season against Udinese on Sunday.

La Viola want to bring in the Tottenham director as their head of football and give him full control. After internally agreeing on this, the Italian club contacted the 53-year-old.

He ‘immediately expressed openness’ for further talks. Therefore, La Viola officials travelled to England to hold talks with Paratici, and the negotiations took off.

Firenze Viola report the Tottenham director has ‘already given his approval’ to Fiorentina, after receiving necessary guarantees. They add he could bring in former Spurs scout Leonardo Gabbanini to help him.

Over at TuttoMercatoWeb, they claim Paratici is getting closer to joining the Italian club.

He returned to the north London club in October. Therefore, La Viola have to agree terms with the Europa League winners.

TMW state: ‘The deadlines for finalising his agreement with Spurs must be respected, and there is still uncertainty as to when this will happen, but Fiorentina’s choice has been made.’

To sum it up, Fiorentina are working on finding an agreement with Spurs after Paratici said yes to them.

The next few hours will be ‘decisive’ as Tottenham Hotspur Head of Sport Fabio Paratici negotiates a move to Fiorentina.

That’s according to Gianluca di Marzio and Tuttomercatoweb. They both report that Paratici may be on the way out of Tottenham at some point today.

TMW report that there are more and more ‘concrete signs’ tat Paratici is about to accept the proposal from the Italian team. It was reported today that talks with the Tottenham man were underway and a five-year deal was on the table.

TMW now report that there has been ‘direct contact’ between the Tottenham man and Fiorentina. According to their information, Paratici has ‘already expressed his approval’ towards the proposal from the Tuscan club.

That’s considered a ‘significant opening’ in a negotiation which is now in the final stages. The various parties are working to define the final details before making the move official.

Gianluca di Marzio reports the sae. According to them, Paratici wants to leave Tottenham and return to Italy. There have been positive contacts between him and Fiorentina in the last few hours. In fact, Fiorentina are confident that they will receive the ‘final ok’ before too long.

The next few hours are seen as ‘decisive’, with Paratici currently in London ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Liverpool this evening. That could end up being his final game at the club if the current positive talks with Fiorentina continue at their current pace.

Fiorentina are pushing to convince Tottenham’s Fabio Paratici to become their Head of Football and leave Spurs

That’s according to journalist Matteo Moretto. He reports on Fiorentina’s efforts to hire the Tottenham sporting director.

He first reported earlier today that Fiorentina were ‘betting on’ Fabio Paratici to become the new Head of Football at their club. They have reportedly offered him a five-year deal to do so.

Moretto has now followed that up, reporting that negotiations between Fiorentina and Tottenham’s sporting director have advanced.

According to his information, the Italian club are pushing to convince the Tottenham executive to accept their offer. They are in constant contact with him about the potential move and there is a belief that there could be a breakthrough in the short term.

The indication is that they are confident they can convince Paratici to return to Italy. He’s only been back with Tottenham since October after serving a 30 month ban from football for his role in alleged false accounting and financial irregularities during his time as sporting director and managing director at Juventus.

The ban was initially imposed by the Italian Football Federation and then extended worldwide by FIFA. He subsequently stepped down from his role at Tottenham but returned in October. Now he could be set for a return to Italy, with Fiorentina working hard to get him.

Tottenham Hotspur appear to have secured themselves a future star in Luka Vuskovic, or a major profit if not.

That’s at least if the latest from BILD is anything to go by. They cover a ‘market value explosion’ in the Bundesliga and how Vuskovic is part of it.

He’s currently on loan at HSV Hamburg from Tottenham. He joined them in the summer after Tottenham elected to send him out on another loan deal to gain experience.

That’s proven to be a smart choice. He’s quickly established himself as a key player in the Bundesliga. His performances have been noted too, with him winning the Bundesliga Rookie of the Month in September and October already.

He looks like a potential star of the future, and BILD now report that is reflected in his market value. According to them, his value has skyrocketed from €18m at the start of the season to €45m at this moment in time.

He’s one of several youngsters in the Bundesliga enjoying a boom, alongside the likes of Lennart Karl, Said El Mala and Yan Diomande. What it means for Tottenham, remains to be seen. Either way, it appears they’re on to a winner with the youngster.