Serie A (en overig Italiaans voetbal) #17: C'mon Lazio!

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Juve favourites to free Willy

Juventus have emerged as the front runners to sign Bayern Munich defender Willy Sagnol.

Sagnol, who is also being pursued by Inter, will be a free agent in the summer and it seems that his head has been turned towards Turin by France teammate Lilian Thuram.

The 28-year-old has enjoyed five fruitful years at Bayern, but is thought to be ready for a new challenge once he has represented his nation at the World Cup in Germany this summer.

Juventus, who poached Robert Kovac for nothing from the same Bundesliga club in June, are thought to have already offered the right-back a four-year deal worth £1.35m a term.

Sagnol would be an ideal replacement for Jonathan Zebina whose Delle Alpi days appear to be numbered after requesting a pay rise.

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Veron issues Inter quit threat

Inter's Juan Sebastian Veron may return to Argentina before the summer, the midfielder sensationally revealed today.

The former Sampdoria and Lazio man’s contract runs out at the end of the season and he has made no secret of his eventual desire to return to his homeland.

However, he hinted on Wednesday that he may head back to South America earlier than anyone expected.

"I will leave Europe and I have spoken about it already with my family," said the playmaker to journalists during a short break in Argentina.

"My contract at Inter expires in 2006, but if I want to I will leave beforehand."

Veron went on to say that he has also spoken about his plans with his employers, who have apparently told him that they will not stand in his way.

"There won’t be any problems if I go," he added. "The club know what my intentions are."

It is possible that, after a poor start to the campaign, Inter may decide to cash in on the 30-year-old.

The ‘Little Witch’ has made 10 starts this season and has had the full support of boss Roberto Mancini.

However, his recent dismissal against Roma for violent conduct may have soured relations with the Nerazzurri, who are said to be looking for reinforcements in January.

Internazionale already have the perfect replacement for Veron after they signed Udinese playmaker David Pizarro in the summer.

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New deal for Cassano?

Roma are preparing to bury the hatchet with rebel Antonio Cassano by offering him a new three-year deal as early as next week.

The Giallorossi are eager to put the whole unsavoury Cassano contract conflict behind them and are said to be ready to meet with the player in the next 10 days.

The capital club are believed to have drafted a three-year agreement which would pay the 23-year-old incrementally every season.

Cassano, an Italian international, would receive £2.15m the first year, £2.3m the second year and £2.43 in his final year.

It is now up to the striker himself whether or not he is prepared to agree to a truce and resume negotiations.

Any deal would favour the club, who are at risk of losing Cassano for nothing at the end of the year and, having protected their prize asset, would almost certainly be willing to offload him to Juventus in the January transfer window for a bumper fee.

The former Bari player, despite his undoubted talent, has been frozen out of the Luciano Spalletti’s plans given his present situation.

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Op donderdag 10 november 2005 13:51 schreef -Vaduz- het volgende:
Hij staat bij mij in het rijtje overschatte voetballers.

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Vieri out - Crespo in?

Milan’s Christian Vieri could be on his way to Spain and replaced at the San Siro by Hernan Crespo.

According to Spanish daily Diario Sport, Vieri is being touted to numerous clubs in La Liga, with Espanyol the favourite among them to capture the services of the striker.

Vieri has not had the best of starts to the season at his new club and has scored just once for the Rossoneri.

A further source of displeasure for the 32-year-old is that he is not first choice under Carlo Ancelotti and is growing frustrated at watching on from the sidelines - and sometimes even the stands.

At this stage in his career and with a last chance to appear in the World Cup fast approaching, the Italy international is eager to play regular football.

He is therefore said to be in favour of a move to Spain, where he enjoyed a successful year with Atletico Madrid, scoring 24 goals in as many matches during the 1997-98 season.

Should Bobo leave for the Barcelona-based club, Milan would be keen on welcoming back Crespo from Chelsea.

The Argentina striker, who was hugely reluctant to end his loan spell at Milan and return to London this summer, has hardly played for the Blues this term and allegedly had a huge falling-out with Jose Mourinho recently.

Although he has denied any rift with his Coach, it seems clear that Crespo would relish a return to Milan, where he enjoyed a successful spell last year.

"You must not believe I'm going to leave in January," the former Lazio and Parma man said.

"I am very happy here. The group of players is great and the manager is great. And when you play in a great team it is normal that you do not always have a place.

"Of course I am frustrated. I know that I am at Chelsea, if I want to play for a small team then I will always get 90 minutes. But when you play at a big team like Chelsea you need to be patient. The season is still early."

His wife and family still live in Italy.

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Inter braced for foreign concept

Inter may have to give their squad a complete overhaul this summer as CONI aim to introduce new protectionist regulations from next season.

CONI, the governing body for sport in Italy, is currently discussing moves to reduce the number of foreign nationals permitted to play for Italian clubs.

It is perceived that fewer Italian players are getting the chance to make the grade and ply their trade in Italy, as a result of the influx of foreign players, and so steps are being taken to ‘protect’ youth systems.

CONI’s new directive stipulates revolutionary changes to the current system if enforced, as intended, from next season.

Under the new regime, of 18 players - the first 11 and seven substitutes - in a match-day squad submitted to the referee, at least 50 per cent must be Italian or have come through the ranks at an Italian outfit.

The squad of players at a club, meanwhile, must also consist of at least 50 per cent home-grown players.

The new regulation will come as a shock to the system for numerous Serie A sides, many of whom look abroad for new recruits.

Inter, in particular, will be seriously affected by the new ruling as they boast no fewer than 18 foreigners. Only five of Roberto Mancini’s men hail from Italy.

Francesco Toldo, Marco Materazzi, Giuseppe Favalli, Paolo Orlandoni and Cristiano Zanetti are their Italians – even if only Materazzi and Favalli can be considered first-choice players.

Critics of the proposals will say that clubs will flout the new laws by recruiting foreign players at a younger age, developing them at the expense of other Italians and sending them out to other clubs on loan.

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Op maandag 14 november 2005 12:21 schreef DIGGER het volgende:
Hoeveel van de Serie A volgers hier hebben trouwens zaterdag voor Italie staan juichen?

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Di Vaio still Inter-ested

Despite claiming yesterday that he wouldn’t be leaving Spain, it now seems that Marco Di Vaio is keen on a move to Inter.

Di Vaio said on Tuesday that he would not be packing his bags in January as the problems he was experiencing at Valencia were of a tactical, rather than a personal nature.

The truth is, though, whether tactical or not, the problem for the former Juve striker is that he is not getting any first-team action under Coach Antonio Lopez.

Now it seems, after further reflection, that the 29-year-old is pining for a return to his homeland and Di Vaio is keen on moving to Inter.

"Inter would be a superb option and a positive break in my career," he told television channel 7 Gold. "I’ve been close to signing for them on several occasions but it never quite happened."

As reported by Football Italia this week, there has been contact this season between the Milan club and Di Vaio’s agent Alessandro Moggi.

Relations between the Nerazzurri and the Liga outfit are also known to be good and in August the Spanish side were prepared to loan Di Vaio to Inter, who would also have the option to buy him for £4m.

However, three months is a long time in football and the Italian side now seem to have changed their minds, due to the breathtaking displays of Chievo’s Victor Obinna.

Although on loan to the Veronese outfit this season, Obinna is on Inter’s books and may be recalled to the San Siro in January as a replacement for Obafemi Martins, who leaves for African Cup duty in February.

Di Vaio need not think he is completely stranded, however, as Milan are said to be also monitoring his progress. Should Christian Vieri choose to move to Spain himself in January, as has been suggested in the Press of late, the Valencia outcast may find himself moving to the San Siro after all.

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Ibra: Roma as bad as Ascoli

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has entered the verbal battle with Roma with an almighty put-down for the side Juventus face on Saturday night. "It’ll be like playing Ascoli," he scoffed.

Ibrahimovic is not known for an easy-going nature and, with all the fighting talk having so far emanated from the capital, the big Swede has decided to reply on behalf of his teammates with a few verbal punches of his own.

"On Saturday we will win," he declared. "We are better than them."

The Giallorossi have been fanning the flames of antagonism all week, in an attempt to draw the Bianconeri into a psychological battle before the real one begins at the Stadio Olimpico tomorrow night.

Francesco Totti has had disparaging words to say about Juve Coach Fabio Capello, under whom he served for five years, and Leandro Cufrè added a few choice words of his own yesterday.

Remaining unapologetic for hitting Alessandro Del Piero in last season’s volatile clash, the Argentine hard man also encouraged Roma fans to welcome the Turin giants with open hostility.

Most Juve players have refused to react to the comments and attempted to remain above any Giallorossi jibes, but Ibra has waded in, in true confrontational fashion. For the 24-year-old, Roma’s aggressive attitude is a sign of insecurity.

"Playing Roma is like playing Ascoli," he added. "There are no easy games in Italian football, but I certainly won’t be losing any sleep tonight."

One man who might be suffering from insomnia is Capello. The competitive former Roma boss will be quietly determined to prove a point to certain disrespectful former employees, but is concerned about the condition of his players.

No fewer than 14 Juventus stars have been away on international duty and only just returned from exhausting trips around the world.

Pavel Nedved was notably weary after returning from his World Cup qualifying exploits, although he is expected to play.

Roma, on the other hand, had just six players representing their countries in the recent break.

Of those, only Daniele De Rossi and Francesco Totti are first-team regulars and the Roma captain missed both Italy matches anyway due to a minor injury - from which he has since fully recovered.