Yesterday we talked about Molinaro and Tiago heading to Atletico Madrid, though today Molinaro officially left for some weiner schnitzel and beer. Tiago is still up in the air, reports say Atletico is pushing harder for him, and in today's press conference Ferrara suggested that he should consider leaving the club. I guess the last 4 months have shown Ferrara what a waste of space he is, and with his salary, let's offload him.
Tonight I'll have a preview of the Parma-Juventus up, as I'm back at school working the week before classes start, and there is absolutely nothing to do at work which means plenty of blogging right now. But for now, we'll talk about possible incoming transfers. Tiago and Molinaro being offloaded means we won't be wasting money on their salary. I don't forsee us making many moves this winter, Molinaro does not need to be replaced (Ariaudo probably should be, but won't) though if Tiago leaves, our thin midfield should receive reinforcements.
On the minds of the newspapers are four candidates; Ledesma, Zapater, D'Agostino, and Tiberio Guarente of Atalanta.
#1- Ledesma: We've talked about him for a while. A decent regista not playing at Lazio, his contract expires this summer and thus, Lotito would probably let him go for cheap, given Pandev's success in suing for his freedom. A relatively modest salary with a low transfer fee, he is definitely the strongest candidate to join. Other teams like Napoli are interested. Two main questions about him- can he step it up at a big club like Juventus? And what kind of form or shape is he in having not played in 7 months?
#2- Zapater: I think this is the media's alternative to Ledesma, but I don't see this happening at all. A young promising Spanish central midfielder, he's had a pretty good start to his Genoa career. I don't see Genoa giving him up (for cheap) and it's just hard to see this move happening.
#3- D'Agostino: The move is back on the cards, so says the media. What do I think? Not-on-your-life, unfortunately. I think he'd be great for us, and both of us have kind of paid for the failed transfer this summer. His price tag has fallen, though Udinese won't release him for cheap and they'd loathe to sell him to us, having taken a hard stance in negotiations this summer.
#4- Guarente: A powerful midfielder from Atalanta, his name has popped up in the press. Fast, strong, and a pretty decent passer, he's been one of the few bright lights for Atalanta this season. But is he an Almiron, or a Felipe Melo?
What moves do you see us making? Should we sign Ledesma?