Antonio Cassano has criticised Tottenham director of football Fabio Paratici for ‘spitting in football’s face’ by selling Joao Cancelo while he was at Juventus.
Cancelo, 27, was signed by Manchester City in 2019 for around £60 million in a deal that saw Brazil full-back Danilo move in the opposite direction.
The move seems to have benefitted the Citizens, who have seen the Portuguese defender establish a key role in Pep Guardiola’s system – epitomised by his latest showing with two assists in the win over Manchester United.
However, former Italy striker Cassano has criticised Cancelo’s sale by the Old Lady, which was overseen by current Spurs chief Paratici at the time.
He told Bobo TV (via Calciomercato): “I understand that Inter does it [due to financial problems], but that Juventus sold him… it seems crazy to me.
“£40 million? I wouldn’t have even sold him for £400m.
“It was sporting director Fabio Paratici who sold him. He doesn’t even know how he ended up at Tottenham.
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“Selling Cancelo is spitting in football’s face. He’s a phenomenon, he would make a difference even playing as a striker.”
Paratici joined Spurs in the summer and likely played a crucial part in courting Antonio Conte as the club’s new manager.
The pair are set to work together to rebuild the current crop of Spurs players in a bid to launch the club back into the Premier League’s top four.
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We don’t know the specific reasons behind why Juventus offloaded Cancelo to City, but this seems like a move that Paratici got wrong. He has established himself as one of Europe’s best full-backs and seems to be thriving under the leadership of Guardiola.
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