Guglielmo Vicario’s anticipated £16 million transfer to Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur is a “loss for Italian football.”
In the span of 24 hours, two of Serie A’s top players from last season made major steps toward big-money exits.
Newcastle United and AC Milan negotiated a deal of £60 million for Sandro Tonali, the 2022 Scudetto champion who was expected to be a poster kid for the current Rossoneri era.
Meanwhile, talented shot-stopper Guglielmo Vicario is on his way to Tottenham Hotspur, with Ange Postecoglou’s side presumably battling off interest from Juventus and Inter.
And, for ex-Empoli manager Luigi Delneri, Vicario’s decision to leave Italy for England may be a scathing indictment of the expanding gap between the Premier League and the rest of Europe’s big leagues.
Spurs and Newcastle are closing in on Serie A raids.
“It’s a fantastic result for Vicario.” (However,) I would have wanted to have seen him again in Italy. “His departure to Tottenham is a loss for Italian football,” says Delneri, who led Empoli in 1998.
“The same is true for Tonali, who is an important player for Milan. It is a defeat for Italian football when teams lose these players. Milan has lost a fantastic player.”
Vicario will take over in the Tottenham goal for veteran Hugo Lloris, who has recently hinted at a transfer elsewhere. Spurs would pay a reputed £16 million for him, which is a fraction of what London rivals Brentford were asking for contract rebel David Raya.
Tonali, on the other hand, is expected to become Newcastle’s joint-record signing, alongside Alexander Isak. During Italy’s 2-1 defeat to France at the U21 European Championships on Thursday night, the brilliant playmaker provided a tantalizing taste of what is to come, setting up Pietro Pellegrini’s goal with a usually perfect set-piece.
“Tonali certainly fits Eddie Howe‘s profile,” says ex-Newcastle goalkeeper Shaka Hislop to ESPN. “Because he’s a young, dynamic box-to-box midfielder.” “More defensive.”I absolutely questioned the pricing of Alexander Isak a year ago. And at £60 million, it was a steal given his performances.
“I think Eddie Howe has earned this little bit of wiggle room, in terms of not questioning the prices he is willing to pay.”
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