It’s safe to say Fabio Paratici’s involvement with Tottenham Hotspur has been eventful, with high-profile signings, a few misfires, and a global ban from football. Here, we rank the top 10 signings the Italian has overseen during his time in North London.
Joining Spurs in the summer of 2021, Fabio Paratici quickly became a highly influential figure at the club by taking over transfer negotiations.
Fast forward less than two years to April 2023, and Paratici was forced to resign amid the chaos of his ban from football, after being found guilty of involvement in Juventus’ financial scandal.
That hasn’t stopped Paratici, though, and he is now back at Spurs in a consultancy role. By all accounts, he never truly left, and his fingerprints are all over many of the transfer deals Tottenham carried out in his supposed absence.
He’s had a brilliant track record of bringing in top players, too. Sure, there have been a few duds over the last few years, but let’s focus on the positives with our ranking of the top 10 Paratici signings.
10. Yves Bissouma
Signed for £25m in the summer of 2022, Bissouma‘s first season left much to be desired as he failed to live up to the standards he set at Brighton previously. However, with renewed positivity in the wake of Ange Postecoglou’s arrival, Bissouma has looked far more impressive as he dominates the midfield area.
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7 out of 10
9. Richarlison
Another player who really struggled in his first season with the Lilywhites, Richarlison‘s troubles have been well-documented. But, with 11 goals already this term, the Brazilian is on fire and looks to be completely transformed. He hasn’t quite paid off his big price tag yet, but if he continues in this vein, it won’t be long.
7 out of 10
8. Dejan Kulusevski
Will go down in history as one of the best January transfer signings the club has ever made. His impact in that first six months, where he registered 13 goal contributions in 18 games to guide Spurs to the top four, proved just how important the Swede can be. His work rate and creativity are invaluable to this side.
7.5 out of 10
7. Pape Sarr
It took a while for Sarr to show what he can do, with a year out on loan and a year in the fringes of Antonio Conte’s squad limiting his opportunities. That has all changed since Postecoglou took over, though, and the young midfielder has now established himself as a key player in the Lilywhites squad.
7.5 out of 10
6. Pedro Porro
Even Porro himself would admit that he took some time to adapt to the demands of the Premier League, particularly when it comes to his defensive work. But, with eight assists and one goal this season, the Spaniard has excelled going forward, and he is absolutely imperative to Postecoglou’s system.
7.5 out of 10
5. Rodrigo Bentancur
Signed for just over £21m in January 2022, Bentancur had been described as a Juventus reject. How wrong that is, as the Uruguayan has gone on to display the kind of composure, skill, dynamism, and control that we haven’t seen since the days of Mousa Dembele.
8 out of 10
4. Destiny Udogie
Granted, it’s early days for Destiny Udogie, but the way he has burst onto the scene in the Premier League this season bodes well for the future for this talented young full-back. With electric pace, impressive strength, and a hunger to advance forward, Udogie could well end up being the best left-back in the world one day.
8.5 out of 10
3. Micky van de Ven
While not officially a Paratici signing, it is thought the Italian had a big say in recommending van de Ven last summer, so we’re counting this one. The Dutchman has brought a calmness to the Spurs defence that was severely lacking before, and his recovery pace is simply phenomenal. Another player with an incredibly bright future.
8.5 out of 10
2. Guglielmo Vicario
Like van de Ven, Guglielmo Vicario was signed at a time when Paratici was not formally involved with Tottenham. However, signing players from Serie A simply doesn’t happen at Spurs without some Paratici magic, and Vicario has been outstanding in his debut season. Credit where it’s due, we now have a new number-one goalkeeper to fill the void left by Hugo Lloris.
9 out of 10
1. Cristian Romero
Cristian Romero is erratic, overly-passionate, and incredibly aggressive, but that’s why we love him. On his day, there are few centre-backs in the world that are better than the Argentine, who brings a strong tackle, perfect reading of the game, and now, leadership. The Spurs vice-captain is one of the first names on the teamsheet, and rightly so.
10 out of 10
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