(Transfers!)

At last!

As the calciomercato speculation continues, actual honest-to-God deals are finally being made. That being the case, let’s forego the rumors and skip right to the actual transfers, or situations where a transfer is truly very close to being a done deal (according to the player or the team).

Here goes:

Cirillo to Reggina – Simply put, this is a “save us from relegation” move for Reggina, who actually gave Cirillo his start many moons ago. (He’s 30 now.) The defender will be on loan from Spanish club Levante until June, at what point (I’m guessing) Reggina will probably ante up and allow Cirillo to finish his career where it began.

Storari and Jeda to Cagliari – Cirillo isn’t the only Italian being dumped by Levante. I never would’ve guessed that I’d mention Levante twice in one post, but Storari is leaving Spain as well. He was on loan there from Milan, but the Spanish side was having trouble paying the keeper’s salary. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he’s 31, but at this point, Cagliari will take whatever help they can get, I’m sure. Along with Storari minding the door, Cagliari have also managed to pick up Jeda, a Brazilian striker. (I still say there’s a striker assembly line somewhere in that country.) Jeda was on loan with Serie B outfit Rimini. (Hopefully, someone’s told these guys to be nice to Foggia… lest one of Pasquale’s guys will launch a chair at them.)

Sissoko to Juve – Alright, this one’s not 100% official yet, but according to Sisko… I mean Sissoko, the “negotiations are very close to a conclusion.” Anyway, it sounds like a done deal, just about. I probably shouldn’t make fun of this dude’s name though; he’s actually a pretty tough guy with some top-tier international experience. Most recently, he was with Liverpool, and although he hasn’t shined there as of late, he’s never been an attacking midfielder; picture him instead as a younger, taller, African Gattuso. (I think Juve can use one of them.) Oh… this guy’s young too; he’s just 22 years old.

Cardone and Paponi to Cesena – In all fairness, Paponi‘s only 19, so there’s no telling what the hell he’s capable of. I guess that Parma realizes they’re never going to find out if they don’t get the kid some playing time, hence the loan to Serie B side Cesena. Cardone, on the other hand, is no “kid,” and it’s likely that the defender’s move to Cesena is more permanent. (Incidentally, it’s been speculated that Paponi’s exit from Parma is in preparation for a Lucarelli entrance. Whether or not that’s the case, I don’t know. Actually, I was going to have an entry on Lucarelli to Parma in this post, but there are still conflicting reports, believe it or not. Some say it’s a done deal, while others say negotiations broke down.)

Bucchi to Bologna – Napoli are loaning Bucchi out to Serie B leaders Bologna, as Zalayeta and Lavezzi apparently have the team’s striker duties locked down. Bucchi is no stranger to Serie B. In fact, during the ’05-’06 season, he tore it up, scoring 29 goals in 41 matches for Modena. It sounds like a decent plan (might as well keep the guy playing continuously, right?), but I’m not sure that Bologna need Bucchi. They are at the top of the pack, after all.

Maniche to Inter – I really wish that read “Maniche to Viola,” but the Dark Side of the Force is apparently strong with Darth Figo. Anyway, this is another one that’s not 100% official yet, but it’s been said that Maniche could be presented to the Italian press later today. Inter’s getting the Portuguese midfielder on lease (from Atletico Madrid) with an option to buy and a 15,000 mile per year limit.

That’s all for today; once there’s another batch of done-deal trades to talk about, I’ll post ‘em up. If not, the will be matches to talk about, for once!

Categories: transfers
2 Comments »

(Is there any truth?)

Sifting through the garbage pile that is the calciomercato hyperbole-fest is like watching a mediocre movie with a predictable ending. You sit there, somewhat interested in what’s going on, but with an underlying feeling of dissatisfaction… because you just know what’s going to happen in the end. But still, you finish watching the movie because on the outside shot that you’re wrong this time, you don’t want to miss it.

In the case of transfer rumors, you just know that most of the time, what you read or hear is more or less fabricated by some caffeine-fueled sports journalist who wants to be the first to report about (insert rumor here), even though he knows he’s broadcasting conjecture as fact. But still, you read all that you can, on the outside shot that there’s a grain of truth somewhere in the pile.

Today is no exception; rumor pile sits before us, and we’re sifting through it looking for fact, but not expecting to find any. Perhaps it’s futile then, that I’ve pulled what I felt was notable from what’s out there – fully aware that most of it is (probably) complete trash. Nonetheless, we’ll take a very cautious look:

• Roma’s backup ‘keeper, Curci, wants to play more. (That much is probably true. Also true is the fact that Roma fans want to see him play more. Just ask the gang over at the Roma Offside Blog.) Unfortunately however, Roma’s primary ‘keeper, Doni, sees the bench very rarely. Perhaps as a result, Curci may be entertaining the idea of a move. Corriere dello Sport is mentioning Parma and Sampdoria in connection with the ‘keeper, although they don’t specify why they’re mentioning those two clubs, specifically. Update: Curci getting antsy makes sense, as Doni is supposedly extending his contract.
• Goal.com is reporting that Zambrotta may be headed back to Juve. While this would be sensational news if it were to pan out, this is not the first time we’ve heard the “Zambrotta wants to return to Italy” routine. Update: This rumor’s been shot down already. That was fast.
• I’ve said before that Fiorentina are hurting for players, and I was hoping that Maniche would be the answer. Well, the Viola-Maniche connection is becoming less and less of a likelihood by the day, it seems. Not only were the Viola allegedly *just* going after a different midfielder (who’s apparently taken himself off the radar already) but it’s being said (true or not) that Maniche is only interested in Inter, and that Figo is actively lobbying to get his countryman on board.
• More Roma – It appears that very recent rumors about a Manchester City / Roma deal don’t hold water. It was said that Roma would give stepover-stepover-stepover-stepover-stepover Mancini to City in exchange for Italian (yes!) striker Rolando Bianchi. Unfortunately, Bianchi’s agent is now saying it’s not true. That would be in line with what Spalletti is saying about “not expecting reinforcements.”
• OK. This one’s not a transfer rumor, but it made me laugh. – Would you want to see a 40 year-old Panucci playing? As much as I like the guy for his service on Roma and the nazionale… 40!?!?!??!?!?! Dude, this isn’t bowling.
• This one’s not a transfer rumor either. – Blatter’s making sense again! It seems that I’m not the only one who thinks that it’s a bit odd that England has a thing for non-English coaches.

By the way, in case anyone’s wondering when this whole mercato mess ends, it’s over on January 31. (Coincidentally, I’m going away on the 31st, so serieAmerica will be inactive from the January 31 until February 5 or thereabouts.)

Categories: Inter, Juventus, Roma, transfers
3 Comments »

(Is this the new blue jersey?)

I think it is!

Yeah, we already know what the away (white) shirt looks like, and while it’s kind of grown on me since my initial impressions, I’m still not too wild about the super-rounded font.

This blue one though… I think it makes up for the disco-inferno white! To be honest, it comes as a bit of a surprise; were it not for the guys on the BigSoccer forum, I’d have never known about it.  See… I (and most others, in all likelihood) didn’t expect to see the Azzurri home shirt until next month, as that’s when it’s set to be officially unveiled. However, it looks as though some French retailer (go figure) has let the Puma out of the bag.

I’m hosting an image of the shirt below, just in case Puma tells the wonderful French to take their image down.

Categories: Azzurri
6 Comments »

Welcome to my Brazilian-free transfer rumor post!

Why Brazilian-free, you ask?

Well, quite frankly, I think we’ve heard enough about these guys and what they might do. Honestly, if I read one more Ronaldinho/Adriano/Ronaldo/Amauri “article” (if you even want to call the little paragraphs I’ve been reading “articles”), I’ll make like Samir from Office Space and “throw dees piece of sheeet out dee window.” (That would be bad, as I do not have a spare laptop.)
I know, I know. There are recurring rumors published about non-Brazilian players too. I’ll concede that. It just seems, however, like the ones about the Brazilians have been in circulation for far longer. Subsequently, I feel like these guys need to stop partying in Sao Paulo for five minutes and make some *&$%ing decisions.

Alright. Enough about the Brazilians.

Let’s talk instead about big man Cristiano Lucarelli. Goal.com and Calciomercato.com are both reporting that Parma and Torino are the two sides that seem most interested, although Goal.com mentions a few other squads as well, Napoli, Genoa and Milan (yeah, right) among them. Both sites are also saying that we won’t know anything until after January 7, as that’s when the striker returns from holiday. Once he’s back, there are supposed to be meetings with both clubs. As for which of the two clubs has a better chance, Calciomercato.com seems to think that the big man would rather play for Torino, while Goal.com is calling Parma’s bid “serious.” Meh. Whatever.

If Project Lucarelli doesn’t pan out for Torino, they’ve supposedly got their eye on the truly promising young’n Rolando Bianchi, who’s currently with Manchester City. Parma’s backup, on the other hand, is Uruguayan striker Pablo Granoche, who scored five goals in seven matches with Serie B side Triestina. (Does anybody else think that maybe these guys should be looked at as more than just backup plans?)

A couple posts ago, I mentioned Maniche, the Portuguese international who apparently wants out of Atletico. Well, Channel 4 is now reporting that he’s still available, although Juve and Milan have been omitted from the list of interested parties, leaving just ArgentInter and Fiorentina. I feel like I’m watching a horse race on this one. Come ooooooooooonnnnnn purple! Come oooooooonnnnnn Viola! Better yet, it’s like the movie The Goonies, when the kids’ houses were going to be bought out by the evil developers, and they had to find the pirate treasure to fund… er… save the day. So… yeah. Fiorentina are like the Goonies, while ArgentInter are the evil developers. (Who’s Sloth? Bobo?)

Just yesterday, I mentioned Aussie midfielder Mark Bresciano (who currently wears Palermo pink), although it wasn’t in the context of a transfer rumor. As it turns out, Lazio are interested. Wait… did I just say that? Lazio? The same Lazio that still haven’t settled Rocchi’s contract (to my knowledge), and who might loseWeight Exercise Pandev? They actually want to buy? All Lazio stone-breakin’ aside, I think Bresciano would fit in well… although that’s not saying much for Lazio, because I think this guy would fit in well anywhere, as he’s versatile and has a work rate that would make Gattuso smile.

Speaking of Lazio, they might want to think about calling back Pasquale Foggia, who’s been out on loan to (and getting into trouble at) Calgiari. Given Lazio’s lack of enthusiasm in renewing their best friggin’ player’s (Rocchi’s) contract, however, I wouldn’t be surprised if they let Foggia slip through the cracks… which Channel 4 thinks is a distinct possibility.

Categories: Fiorentina, Lazio, Parma, Torino, transfers
5 Comments »

(The summer of 2006: Italy – Australia)

Since everyone (except Gattuso) has been enjoying some between-holiday relaxation this weekend, there isn’t much to report in terms of news or noteworthy rumors.  Subsequently, for today’s post, I’m going to take a step back and say some things that I’ve wanted to say for quite some time.  Hopefully, I won’t make any enemies in the process.  Here goes:

The Azzurri faithful remember the summer of 2006 fondly, and for good reason.

By way of an undeniable team effort, the members of the Nazionale overcame not only fierce competition in Germany, but also a scandal on their homefront, an attempted suicide by a former teammate, and nagging slander from the host nation’s media.  Nonetheless, despite these obstacles, the Azzurri lifted calcio’s/soccer’s/football’s most highly coveted trophy, and thereby proved their merit to the world.

That is… they proved their merit to much – but not all – of the world.  See… it seems that in many cases, when we – the tifosi – the fans – happily reminisce about the accomplishments of our Azzurri, someone – a friend, a co-worker, a commentator, a journalist, a coach – someone feels the need to rob us of our joy by proclaiming that Italy “did not deserve to win” the World Cup.

From the point of view of the Azzurri tifosi, few comments are more annoying, more insulting, or more blatantly erroneous. Of course Italy deserved to win, we explain patiently.  Did they not see the inspired match against Ukraine?  How about the heroic effort against Germany?  Did they not see the pressure that Italy placed upon the French?

At this point, the nay-sayers seem to enjoy bringing up their counterpoint of choice – which they feel is clear evidence that the Azzurri got through not by merit, but by luck.  What do they bring up?  Of course, they bring up the match against Australia, and the now-famous penalty.

If the Azzurri followers have heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times: Australia were robbed. Italy were lucky. Grosso took a dive. Australia would’ve won.

Well, in response, here’s what I say: Australia weren’t robbed, Italy were not lucky, Grosso fell over an exceedingly stupid Lucas Neill, and unless you have a DeLorean equipped with a Flux Capacitor, you can’t possibly know who would’ve won.

So there.

Don’t worry, I will substantiate those claims in this post, but first, it’s probably a good idea to actually watch the match highlights.  It was, after all, a year and a half ago, and some could probably use a refresher course.  Let’s take a look:

First off, let me say that I admire Australia’s team, Viduka and Bresciano in particular.  Both played especially hard, although the entire squad really exerted themselves right up until the end of the match.  That’s actually what I like most about the Socceroos; they’re forever working, and (when they’re not playing Italy) I enjoy watching them.

(Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get down to business.)

Some claim that Australia deserved to win on June 26, 2006, and others will even contend that Australia were the better squad.  To those who make such claims, I say this: Italy were playing a man down for half the match.  If your 11 players can’t even manage a goal against a 10-man Azzurri squad, you’re not exactly building a strong “better squad” case, and sorry, but you sure as hell don’t deserve to win by any stretch of the imagination.

Speaking of the Azzurri being a man down, why is it that everyone questions the penalty, but nobody questions Marco Materazzi’s sending off?  Take a look again at his tackle in the video posted above. (It’s 1 min. 19 sec. in.)  Granted, it wasn’t the cleanest of tackles, but at the same token, it was not worthy of red.  (Hell – he actually collided with Zambrotta for the most part.)  Had Materazzi not been (wrongly) dismissed, who knows?  A full-strength Italy may have put one or more in before the penalty!

That “what if” thought brings me to my next point: People talk as though Australia were sure to win the match, had the famous penalty not been awarded.  In response, I’d like to ask these individuals the following question: How the hell did you get a time machine?  In truth, there’s no telling what would’ve happened had Lucas Neill not gone to the ground in Grosso’s path.  Italy may have won anyway.

Speaking of the penalty-prompting incident, the only question I have is why the hell Neill would go to the ground in a situation like that.  I will admit that Grosso may have added a touch of drama to his fall on the way down, but there is no doubt in my mind that he made contact and actually fell over Lucas Neill, who (unbelievably) took to the ground where there was no need to do so.  Take a look again at the video above. (It’s 2 min. 10 sec. in.)  If I suddenly lay down in front of someone that’s running just as they’re practically on top of me, chances are, they’re going down.  Sorry, but that’s the way it works.  If you don’t want the person to fall, don’t lay the #*%& down in front of them!  Honestly, if it makes Australia feel any better to have a scapegoat, they need look no further than Neill.  The rules are simple – you don’t take someone down in the box.  Neill did just that.  A penalty is the result.

Alright. I ‘ve said what I had to say.  Azzurri fans, feel free to direct people to this post, should they ever tell you that Italy “got lucky” or that Italy “didn’t deserve to win the World Cup.”  If they don’t like what I have to say, or if they just don’t like listening to reason, have them take a look at these videos (which happen to be by someone else).

Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks that Italy are rightful world champions:

-Part 1-

-Part 2-

Categories: Azzurri, diving, World Cup 2006
8 Comments »

As we all stumble out of our respective Christmas hangovers, so goes the calciomercato.

In other words, between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, it’s friggin’ slow in the calcio world. Still, slow is not dead, so there are a few items to discuss. Here goes:

Maniche = Available – Portugal and Atletico Madrid midfielder Maniche is apparently ready to leave his club – sooner rather than later, from the sound of it. (His agent has made it pretty clear that they’re entertaining offers now.) Goal.com is reporting that Inter, Juve, Fiorentina and Milan are all interested parties at this point. For those of you unfamiliar with Maniche, he’s only played 24 matches with Atletico, although he has been a frequent call-up for his country. So… no, he’s not the most consistent guy out there, but I still tend to think he may yet have something to offer the right side. If his asking price isn’t too ridiculous, Fiorentina in particular might want to take a look, given their depth issues this season.

Lazio Go Shopping – Everybody knows Lazio’s in trouble, and Coach Delio Rossi is quick to point out why: They need to buy reinforcements. While I’m not disagreeing, I was hoping that there would be a clear resolution to their Rocchi situation before I’d start reading about Lazio transfer rumors. More specifically, I was hoping they’d sort out their best friggin’ player’s contract before hitting the mall. Nonetheless, it’s Lazio, and Lazio makes no sense, so a-shopping they go. Word has it they’re looking at some dude with a name more suited to pro wrestling than calcio, as well as Sampdoria defender Lucchini, and Romanian ‘keeper Lobont, while Stendardo looks to be on his way out following a near kung-fu fight with Rossi.

Spalletti Wants “Substance” & Totti Wants “Change” – With comments that should earn him the nickname “Captain Vague” (or “Captain Obvious,” perhaps) Roma Coach Luciano Spalletti has thrown some vanilla comments out there, as usual:

On a pitch of 110 metres, technique is often not enough. You need running, strength and grit, as we’re not on a 5-a-side football pitch. The squad has been completed, and completed well, but it has not been improved enough, and at times when we miss some players, their absence is felt a lot.

Now… whether he’s making a case for A) more effort from his Giallorossi, or B) a little transfer action, is anyone’s guess, but I’d like to think it’s the latter. Roma can’t let Lazio have all the fun, right? In all seriousness, Roma may not have the depth issues of a Lazio or a Fiorentina, but they don’t exactly have Hernan Crespo coming off of the bench (like you-know-who) either. And yes, while everybody knows I’d love to see Mr. Christmas alongside Il Capitano, I realize that if it ever happens, it won’t be until the end of the season… so what to do now, during the January transfer window? I don’t know, but I heard that there’s some tall dude languishing in the frozen tundra of… well… the Ukraine, and he’s looking for a ticket back to Italy.

OK. So, I mentioned Totti earlier. About that: It seems that Er Pupone has been doing some thinking this holiday season. As a result, he’s calling for several changes. First off, he thinks there should be more than three substitutions per match. Second, he wants to do away with evening matches in the winter. Third, he wants random drug testing.

Regarding the random drug testing, I think it sounds fine. Random is probably better than scheduled anyway, so long as they’re still testing everybody, right? As for the evening matches in the winter, um… OK? I honestly don’t know. I’ve never been in Italy during winter, so I really don’t know what these guys are up against, but I have noticed that those neck-warmer thingies have gotten increasingly popular as of late. Maybe there’s something to it.

Now… regarding increasing the number of substitutions during a match, isn’t the international standard three? If nobody else is increasing theirs, why should Italy be any different? I’d hate to see Italian players get soft because they’re out there changing lines like a hockey team, while the rest of Europe is slogging it out for 90 minutes. Come on, Francesco. You already got out of Azzurri duty. Now you want Roma to sub you out more often too?

Kaka + Dida = Homies – Or at least… they must be. I mean, why the hell else would Kaka defend a mistake-prone diver? It must be a Brazilian thing. Speaking of Brazilian things, La Gazzetta dello Sport published a photo of Adriano and Ronaldo (and some fat rapper-looking dude) looking all buddy-buddy at some Brazilian concert, along with an article stating that Brazilian side Flamengo wants FatRon. I wasn’t a fan of FatRon coming to Milan to begin with, so I’m all for it. (By the way, that photo was apparently somewhat controversial.) Stay in Sunny Brazil, Ronnie. Get your pal Adriano to stay too, while you’re at it, mmmkay?

Categories: Lazio, Roma, transfers
1 Comment »

(Only two Italians?)

I like the English. They seem to be pretty good people, and after all, they’ve given the world Earl Grey tea, The Office, Arthurian legend, fish & chips, BondJamesBond, and of course, Monty Python. Subsequently, I normally listen to what the English have to say regarding football, and despite the occasional dash of anti-Italian bias that surfaces now and then in English sports journalism, I’m OK with what I hear and read.

Every so often however, the English do or say something that leaves me scratching my head. For instance, I really don’t understand their apparent willingness… even eagerness (some would call it)… to hire a non-native to coach their national team.

Likewise, I don’t understand how English football mag FourFourTwo can include only two Italians (Lucarelli and Chiellini) in their list of the top 100 players that teams should consider during the Janauary transfer window. I suppose that I could just chalk this up to the aforementioned anti-Italian bias, but I think that this one is probably the result of either lunacy or ignorance.

Bearing in mind that this isn’t a list of the 100 best footballers outright, I can see where they’re going with Lucarelli. He sores goals, and he’s made himself quite available, so obviously, someone on the peninsula should pick him up. Chiellini though? I didn’t know he was even remotely interested in leaving Juve.

Chiellini’s inclusion opens up a can of worms for sure; I mean… if we’re going to include players who have unclear intentions and/or availability, there should be a veritable crap-ton of Italians on the list. Rocchi? Calaio? Foggia? Aquilani? Criscito? Come on. Those are just off the top of my head. What’s FourFourTwo thinking?

Actually, forget about what FourFourTwo are thinking. Tell me if you know what the hell these guys are thinking:

Seriously, those are some crazy-stupid %&@#ers, right there.

Buon Natale a tutti!

Categories: transfers
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