Carlo Ancelotti's Disappointing Scouting Trip in London
Carlo Ancelotti’s long weekend on the road was supposed to be about scouting. It turned into an exercise in frustration.
The Real Madrid coach flew in from France to London on Saturday, joining Italy manager Roberto Mancini in the stands for Tottenham v Newcastle, both men intent on running the rule over a cluster of Italy and Brazil internationals. On paper, it was a rich menu. In reality, most of the main courses never made it to the table.
A scouting mission without the stars
Mancini at least got one of his key targets on the pitch. Sandro Tonali started for Newcastle, a familiar face for the Italy boss and one of the few players he actually came to see who made it onto the grass. Destiny Udogie, another Italian of interest, only appeared from the bench for Spurs.
That was about as good as it got.
The Brazilian contingent both men had expected to monitor never materialised. Richarlison, Savio, Sousa and Newcastle’s Joelinton were all missing, for a mix of reasons that undercut the whole purpose of the trip.
Savio, signed by Tottenham from Manchester City for £85 million and a goalscorer on his debut against Charlton, was ruled out through injury. Joelinton suffered the same fate, sidelined and reduced to a spectator.
Richarlison’s absence came under a different cloud. With speculation swirling around his future in London, the forward did not feature at all. Sousa, meanwhile, stayed firmly on the fringes, still behind Ben Robertson and Udogie in the full-back hierarchy and again left outside Ange Postecoglou’s immediate plans.
For Ancelotti, who had circled this fixture as a chance to take a closer look at several Brazil and Italy options, the no‑show list grew longer by the minute.
A draining detour via Paris
The disappointment was sharpened by the effort he had made to be there.
On Friday night, Ancelotti was in France, watching his son Davide’s Lille side push Paris Saint-Germain to the brink. Lille led 2-0 heading into stoppage time, a statement win in the making. Then it unraveled.
Vitinha struck in the 91st minute. Marquinhos levelled in the 95th. Two late punches, and the victory slipped from Davide Ancelotti’s hands.
From that emotional swing in Paris, Carlo headed straight for London, hoping the Premier League would at least offer clarity on a few national-team candidates. Instead, he found a team sheet stripped of the very players he had come to assess.
Elanga decides it, but not the night Ancelotti wanted
On the pitch, the game itself hinged on a single decisive moment. With the match finely balanced, Anthony Elanga seized it. The Swedish winger struck in the 60th minute, his go-ahead goal tilting the contest Newcastle’s way and ultimately settling it.
For Eddie Howe, it was a valuable win. For Elanga, a statement performance.
For Ancelotti and Mancini, it was something else entirely: a night where the result mattered less than the absentees, a high-profile Premier League clash that failed to deliver the answers they had crossed borders to find.
The next time they board a plane for a scouting trip, they will be hoping the team sheet survives contact with reality.
