Former Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth coach Harry Redknapp believes that the diminished appeal of Serie A is illustrated by the fact that current Spurs striker Harry Kane would be unlikely to move to Inter or AC Milan.
Speaking to Italian news outlet TutttoMercatoWeb, the English coach noted how at one point the Italian top flight was seen as the most glamorous and highest-quality league in Europe, but now the top teams would struggle to attract the continent’s elite players.
It has been widely commented that Serie A’s status in Europe has fallen over the past couple of decades.
2010 was the last time an Italian team won the Champions League, in the form of Inter, with the competition having come to be dominated by teams from La Liga, the Premier League, and also Bayern Munich.
Meanwhile, the financial issues that Serie A faces have been well-acknowledged, and they stand in stark relief to the spending of the Premier League in particular.
“At one time in England we all watched the Italian league, and players dreamed of going to Serie A,” Redknapp looked back, “Liam Brady, Souness, Francis, Hateley, Jordan, Wilkins… it was special.”
“And even way back in the day, there were players like John Charles, Dennis Law, Jimmy Greaves – he was the best of the best in the UK and he went to play in Italy to fulfill his dream.”
“Now if you offered Harry Kane a move to Milan or Inter, he would say not,” Redknapp mused.
“Everyone wants to be in the Premier League, there’s so much money, it’s amazing stuff.”
