Manager fumes as Tottenham and Newcastle close in on £16m and £60m deals

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Empoli goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s impending £16 million switch to Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur is a ‘loss for Italian football’. 

In the space of 24 hours, two of last season’s very finest performers in Serie A took giant strides towards sealing big-money departures. 

Newcastle United agreed a £60 million fee with AC Milan for Sandro Tonali; the 2022 Scudetto winner who was supposed to be a posterboy for the modern Rossoneri era. 

Talented shot-stopper Guglielmo Vicario, meanwhile, is on his way to Tottenham Hotspur, Ange Postecoglou’s side seemingly fighting off competition from the likes of Juventus and Inter (Tuttomercatoweb). 

And, for ex-Empoli boss Luigi Delneri, the sight of Vicario swapping Italy for England may be a damning indictment of the growing chasm between the Premier League and the rest of Europe’s major leagues. 

Tottenham and Newcastle close in on Serie A raids

“For Vicario, it is a great result. (But) I would have liked to see him again in Italy. Him going to Tottenham is a loss for Italian football,” Delneri, who coached Empoli back in 1998, tells Sky Italia.

“The same goes for Tonali, who is a key player for Milan. When teams lose these players, it is a defeat for Italian football. Milan have lost a great player.”

Vicario will replace veteran Hugo Lloris – who recently hinted at a move away – in the Tottenham net. At a rumoured £16 million, he sets Spurs back a mere fraction of the fee London rivals Brentford were demanding for contract-rebel David Raya. 

Tonali, meanwhile, should become Newcastle’s joint-record signing, alongside Alexander Isak. The talented playmaker offered Magpies fans a tantalising glimpse of what is to come during Italy’s 2-1 defeat to France in the U21 European Championships on Thursday night, setting up Pietro Pellegrini’s goal with a typically pinpoint set-piece.

“Tonali certainly fits Eddie Howe’s profile,” ex-Newcastle shot-stopper Shaka Hislop tells ESPN. “Because he’s a young, dynamic midfielder, who is box-to-box. More defensive. 

“I certainly questioned the price tag around Alexander Isak 12 months ago. And given his performances, it was an absolute bargain at £60 million. 

“I think Eddie Howe has earned this little bit of wiggle room, in terms of not questioning the prices he is willing to pay.”