Juventus sporting director blasts Fabio Paratici for Federico Chiesa & Dejan Kulusevski deals
By Henry Burt
Juventus sporting director Federico Cherubini has hit out at his former colleague Fabio Paratici, claiming the latter 'drugged' the market using artificial inflation tactics and allowed the club to overpay for stars such as Federico Chiesa and Dejan Kulusevski.
The Old Lady are currently under investigation by UEFA over potential breaches of financial fair play and club licensing agreements.
Much of the supposed illegal activity is alleged to have happened during Paratici's time in Turin, with the Tottenham sporting director accused of foul play by a number of his former colleagues.
With the investigation in full swing, La Gazzetta dello Sport intercepted a number of phone conversations involving Cherubini wherein he expressed his dissatisfaction with Paratici's handling of Juventus' finances.
In one conversation with an unknown second party, Cherubini stated: “Fabio drugged the market. That is, even Kulusevski or Chiesa, who are excellent players, but when we bought them we paid too much for them. Kulusevski had done five months in Serie A and we paid €35m plus €9m bonuses for him, that’s €44m.”
It seems that Paratici's influence on Juventus' financial dealings and player signings only grew over the course of his time at the club. By the end of his tenure, the former Palermo and Sassuolo midfielder was completing deals worth up to $50m with no outside involvement.
In a conversation with Juventus executive Stefano Bertola, Cherubini complained: “If Fabio woke up in the morning and had a headache or a drink he could spend €20m without telling anyone. It was dangerous.”
Paratici's hand in Juventus' transfer dealings only grew after the departure of fellow executive Beppe Marotta in 2018.
Perhaps the most famous - and controversial - of Paratici's signings was the deal to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to the club from Real Madrid in 2018. Remarkably, Juventus spent over £100m to bring the then-33-year-old to Turin, believing the Portuguese could be the key to winning the Champions League.
The situation at Juventus is ongoing and threatens to engulf the entire club, with chairman Andrea Agnelli and director Pavel Nedved resigning from their roles with immediate effect earlier this week.