Lazio extend invite to Gascoigne

Lazio have invited former Tottenham midfielder Paul Gascoigne to their Europa League clash with Spurs at the Stadio Olimpico.

Lazio general manager Maurizio Manzini has invited Gascoigne in celebration of the link he forged between the two clubs.

The England international joined the Serie A outfit in 1992 for a fee of 5.5 million pounds from Spurs and won favour with the fans by scoring his first goal for the club against Roma in the capital city derby match.

The two clubs were drawn together in Europa League Group J, alongside Greek side Panathinaikos and Slovenian club Maribor, where they will face each other in a competitive clash for the first time.

“Tottenham is a team Lazio knows very well, a great team with great traditions and we are very familiar with White Hart Lane starting from the time we had Paul Gascoigne,” Manzini told reporters.

“There is always a corner of Tottenham in our hearts. He is a mythical figure for Lazio fans and very popular in general in Italy.

“I remember the Atlanta ultras, who had a reputation for being really tough, opened an enormous banner with a picture of a huge bottle of beer saying ‘This is for you Gazza’.

“I hope we will have the chance to see him in London and for sure we will invite him to the match in Rome.”