MAURO E’ TUTTO NOSTRO!!!!!!!!

Yeah! So who saw that coming?

Put your hand down, Pinocchio. Yes, co-ownerships were supposed to be resolved, but I certainly did not expect Massimo Cellino to wake up to his morning Folger’s and think, “hey, I might just like to get bent over by Roma today”. Obviously Espo’s greatest performance came during the Genoa home fixture when rumor has it he picked a whole four splinters out of his ass, but he’s a guy who knows the system, has a track record of being way better than decent and…they paid 350K. Plus he’s a potential buy and move guy. Hell, even a loan move to hope he pulls a Tavano (big fish, small pond) would be fine by me. Because they also sold half of Daniele Magliocchetti (Roman youth product), who played a whole two games for Cagliari this year, for a little over a half mil. So essentially they got Espo, trade bait/decent 3rd winger, plus 150K for a kid who couldn’t crack Cagliari’s rotation. Sure?

Now, don’t be shocked if Mauro is moved. And don’t be shocked if he isn’t, either. Mauro’s not a like for like replacement with Giuly, but he’s got some quality and can certainly fill some of his role as a backup. Spal has said he’s been the unluckiest person this season because the squad was simply closed (this is me saying bullshit, because if he was really that good the squad’s doors can be miraculously blown open by a strong gust of wind, but whatever), so maybe there is something behind this for the 2008-09 Roma squad. Or maybe Spal’s just planning on drawing ManYoo once again.

Great start in filling out the squad.Guy’s got talent and he deserved more of a look last year, may get it this year. And if he doesn’t, Conti will be on the lookout for a new coach by November and Espo will be doing 25 to life.

I Love Brazilian Keeprs

I’ll get to the “big signing” (the poor man’s Materazzi-Panucci hybrid) in a second. I just want to know what genius has been watching Brazilian goalkeeping for the last, well….ever, and thought, “One’s nice, but how about three?”. Sometimes less is more, gentleman. Is Pietro Pipolo ready yet? Because I’m not sure my heart can last the day I see a third Brazilian keeper run out in a Roma kit over the span of a month. Therefore, I’m boycotting friendlies.

In all seriousness, I hear this Artur Moraes cat is a pretty decent and a worthy backup. But I don’t get a good feeling when I google image his name and the first two pics that show up are dead bodies. Although sometimes a cadaver would be an improvement over Doni. I’ll take it.

On another note, I realize why he was dumped by Siena: not enough characters in his name.

1 MANNINGER Alexander
31 ELEFTHEROPOULOS Dimitrios
50 JAAKKOLA Anssi

Say the second one three times fast.

(Still haven’t seen a picture, but I get the feeling he looks like Julio Caesar and Mancini had a baby and JC went on regular alcoholic binges during the latter two trimesters. Don’t know why.)

A Poor Man’s [Insert once good, now shitty defender's name here]

Simone Loria’s being billed as a backup CB, which is true, but chances are he’s going to be the 4th CB. Grumpy Old Man River has pretty much locked down that 3rd CB spot (if you’re starting for the Azzurri, you’re at least 3rd for club) and will be the first choice off the pine. However, it gives Spalletti more freedom to use both on the pitch at the same time, because Matteo Ferrari doesn’t need a defender to man mark him in front of the Roman goal anymore. (Enjoy him, Viola, Inter, Milan,etc etc etc.) So that’s nice. Plus Panucci at RB more often. Lots of options.

Now I’ll be 100% honest: I don’t pay much attention to AC Siena. Shocked, I know. My Tuscan team of choice is actually Montevarchi Calcio, because I still get nightmares every time I hear Toscana in any language after Spalletti tanked the team back home this season. So I root for a Serie D Tuscan team. I figure if Siena is beating Roma 3-0, they can at least draw with Montevarchi and I’ll be all set.

Can’t say I know much about Loria’s defending, but I can say I doubt Spalletti would’ve given the go ahead ere he not a solid defender at the very least. (Checking to see if Loria played under TGIP at Udinese…..nope. He’s good to go.) What I do know, however, is that he has this penchant for scoring goals, and bullshit ones at that. So he’s like a poor man’s Matrix-GOMR hybrid with a tinge of Fab Quags. In other words, he’s the guy you want leading the back line when you’re running a 1-1-9 in FIFA.

I also love the fact that, as he said, this will become living a dream for him. As a Juventus youth product, he’s obviously seen the dark side and knows that to truly summit the (untainted) calcio mountain he must go to Rome. Now he’s here and he’ll fight like mad to prove he belongs. I like it.

Loria is mostly known for that goal a few years back which fills “Bullshit Goal” highlight reels all across the internets. This one…

…but I loved the goal he scored against Palermo this year.

Remember those old Larry Bird – Michael Jordan McDonalds commercials where they took turns attempting to make Fabio Qualgirellas? (These.) That’s what’s going to happen this season between GOMR and Loria. By about the 17th giornata, Panucci’s going to be flicking the ball up to himself for audacious header attempts from about 40 yards out. And when he actually nails one, he’s going to run over to Loria and give him the Spalletti/Aquilani/Doni treatment. Is it August yet?

But I really like these moves for depth (the less than elite, won’t complain type guys that every team needs in certain areas) at the expense of….

Hey, Why Don’t Ya Develop our Youngsters For Us? Peaches. Thanks.

Sending Curci out was both inevitable and a necessary move. Kid needs games and we’ve talked about that ad nauseam. What the co-ownership aspect does is give Siena a bit more incentive to play the kid than they would if it was a straight loan. They can consider his development a part of their future, whether it be on the pitch or financially, and thus allow the most important thing to Roma, Gilu’s growth as a player, to be first on everybody’s wish list. It’s really a win-win.

As another part of the deal, Ahmed Barusso was sent on loan while his co-ownership was renewed (put on layaway), both moves I also give an enthusiastic thumbs up to. Rimini isn’t bending over at this point because one, he’s still a talent, and two, they don’t have too many talents ripe for the selling like Ahmed. Both teams want him to develop further, but he won’t do that at Roma, so it’s silly to pay Rimini the money they want if he goes out on loan once again and looks to be a flop. Everybody wins here. So essentially Roma fills out their needed squad depth in return for Siena allowing two prized Roman prospects regular playing time. Sounds like a steal, yeah?

Galloppa

Daniele Galloppa’s Roman half being sold was a separate deal, and one which stuffed roughly 1.75m into Roma’s pocket. I’ve got mixed feelings on this one because I, like everyone else, hates to see higher level Roman talent sold, but this also seemed inevitable, much like Curci. Central midfield is far from a need position for Roma and it’s highly unlikely it’ll be a need position anytime soon, leaving Daniele in no man’s land in Rome for now and the future. Daniele had a good year by all accounts, but De Rossi or Aquilani he ain’t, and he needs to further develop himself in a consistent setting, which he can do at Siena.

Have no clue about any type of buy back clause, but I’m not sure they need one. In the event that he wants back to Rome and Spalletti & Co. want to mutually rub all up on him, it’ll happen. We’ve seen players force their way to certain destinations before and we’ll see it again – particularly those of the hometown variety. We can only hope he continues to develop and someday is worthy of coming back, but today is just not that day. Til then, may birds shit on you often.

Amantinooooooo

Sitting down? Good. Inter doesn’t value him nearly where Roma does.

No. Way.

Welcome to Mancinigate. Kill me now. (Hourly updates once this goddamn tournament is over.)

Spreading Lies

I saw this little news blip flash across my screen and perked up a bit for some unknown reason.

Diogo, who plays for Brazilian team Portuguesa-SP, has already had two offers for him by the Gunners turned down. Portuguesa director Andre Heleno has also confirmed that the Italians bid was turned down, with it also not meeting the clubs valuation of the player, although it is thought it was not by far.

“So far the best offer has been from an Italian side who I cannot name,” Andre Heleno told the press.

“They have bid around £9million, but we want closer to £11million.”

There aren’t too many teams looking to spend that kind of cash on a striker in Serie A right now. Juventus? Maybe, but doubtful. Amauri’s hair is enough to turn anyone off of Brazilian strikers for the foreseeable future. Milan? Adebayor seems to be more their taste in men. Inter? Well they’re always looking for South Americans and strikers, no matter what the squad looks like, so it’s possible. Fiorentina? Strongly doubt it. Samp? Napoli? Ditto.

Roma? It’s not exactly unfathomable, is it? They’ve got the cash, they need a striker and they love them some Brazilians. I’ve heard much worse theories in my day, like global warming and that the earth revolves around the sun (bollocks – the sun revolves around the Premiership).

* – I used one source before reading another because I’m freakin’ exhausted. The Siena deal may have included up to a million more for Loria & Artur, but it’s really a good deal any way you look at it for what it is. That is all.

Think there’s more, but that’s it for now. The news tomorrow will be about the return of Lippi and I need my beauty sleep if I’m to look my best while streaming the press conference from a website like 2 hours after it happens. Bless the net.

 The Roman Derby was Lazio’s most important game of the season. Francesco Totti even laid flowers in front of the Curva Nord, purely because he’s classy. Add to that the fact that Lazio’s European ambitions ended a long time ago and the death of Gabriele Sandri and you have all the ingredients necessary for a major upset. (Did you see Delio Rossi run after the winning goal? The emotions displayed on his face demonstrated just that)

Lazio stopped hovering above the relegation zone just recently and are now in an Intertotto-esque position in the table. This is the best they can hope for under Lotito’s management.

You can’t fight faith my friends. Roma were not outplayed, just that Lazio couldn’t afford to lose the derby this time out. Karma worked its magic and there was nothing la Magica could do to modify the script. At least we’re still fighting for European supremacy…

Chris will prolly have something on the game eventually (Once he crawls out of the foetal position we’ve all  been holding since Wednesday night)

Seeing I’m an eternal enthusiast, let’s talk about the future;

Mercato/Speculation time:

Doni seems to be on the verge of renewing his contract. Personally, it pisses me off that Roma have a Brazilian keeper. I know Doni came on the cheap but he isn’t exactly a world beater. A team like la magica has been working hard on all 3 fronts for the past 3 seasons now and we would like that to continue. A team Ambitions like Roma needs a keeper that can single-handedly win you a game once in a while. Unfortunately, Doni isn’t that keeper. That’s were Marco Amelia comes in once again. The Roman-bred keeper stated this week that: He would NEVER play for Lazio, NEVER! His blood runs giallo and rosso and has even offered Roma to pull a Damiano Tomassi style return at the end of his career! Cash in on the heart attack generator and bring in Marco now!

The Livorno Stopper has been magical all year and deserves some Champions League Football but please don’t let him got to England or Russia.

Ando Cazzo e il centravanti ?

I’ll just start taking for granted that Roma’s looking for a Centre Forward. It’ll be simpler if you do the same.

We know about the KJH and Mario Gomez links, The Amauri/Totti love fest and the Gila possibility (By his stock while it’s low!). All of Europe wants a piece of these strikers (ok, maybe not Gila) so Roma needs to prioritize its striking priorities

KJH is looking at Real Madrid, Mario Gomez is drawing interest form Milan as well, so basically the only rumour that has picked up some speed his the Gilardino one. It seems TGIP and Totti think they can convert the Gila into a bona fide born-again Calcio player.

I’m all for trying it out, if he comes cheap. But seeing Ancelotti pick Palloschi, Pato and Inzaghi before the Biellese bomber has surely caused Gila’s price to drop. Hell even Sampdoria are inquiring.

The new name that needs to be added to the Centavanti list is: Sevilla’s Luis Fabiano
The Brazilian Bomber’s claim to fame was the penultimate Copa America. Before moving to La Liga in 2005, Fabiano was drawing interest from Roma and Palermo, he finally chose Sevilla.

Luis Fabiano has scored 48 goals in 102 games in Spain and has 8 goals from 14 games when he’s wearing the VerdeOro. Fabiano’s fairly young, cheap and has only one year left on his contract, which makes him a realistic target. Not to mention that no one can throw a better looking bitch slap!

Centre Forward, Brazilian and affordable; what more can Roma ask for !

Marc Borriello a.k.a. the STD farm

Some echos of Marco Borriello are reverberating around Rome. I will reiterate what I have already said on the Italy page; Marco Borriello is the Fabio Quagliarella of the 2007/2008 season. Milan still owns half of the STD farm and his cartellino will probably make its way to le buste. Roma will be keeping a close eye on the situation as it unfolds.

The Young studs

Roma are seemingly keeping an eye on Tijani Belaid a 20 year old Tunisian part of Inter’s Vivaio. The kid is on loan at Slavia Prague and managed to score on his Champions League debut. I don’t know much about him, but let’s keep an eye out.

Speaking of players I know nothing about, Roma are testing out the ‘’new Kaka.’’ Fabrizio Messias (1990) has been training in Trigoria for the past week. He looks like Ronaldinho but he plays like Kaka(the player, not like shit), or so his agent says.

A decision should be made in about a week or so.

Outgoing:

TGIP, Aquilani and De Rossi are drawing interest all over Europe ! Thank You Captain Obvious!

How is this news? Who wouldn’t want them in their team? NEXT

Barcelona has singled out Amantino Mancini for next season. The Catalan club thinks Amantino would be a perfect addition to their Fantastic Four.

Amantino hasn’t signed yet; Sara Varone ! You need to work your Magic because this is starting to smell like Chivugate all over again…

Forza Ragazzi! Andiamo a prendere l’Europa intera !

Juan (Bayer Leverkusen): Despite the fact that he has only player a handful of minutes thus far, he is the buy of the summer for many a Giallorossi fan. For a few, he is the reason Chivu was deemed expendable. Basically handed over on a silver platter by old boy Rudi Voller for a paltry €6.3m, he will likely have the most impact in the squad out of any of the buys this summer over the life of his contract. Yeah, even more than that other Brazilian defender. Grade: A

Cicinho (Real Madrid): It took an act of Congress to get him from the Jaws of Life grip Real had on him, but The Grand Imperial Poobah finally got his Brazilian. The price was relatively fair, and Roma was able to get Mijatovic & Co. down from their moderately absurd valuation (as is usually the case). Still, he’s a little imperfect and coming off a year derailed by a major injury. It’ll take a little while to see how much value Roma will get for the price. Grade: B+

Ludovic Giuly (Barcelona): The French Pocket Rocket has already begun to show his worth filling in for Simone Perrotta, and displayed his greatest trait: being just an all-around annoyance for opposing defenses. Which is a far cry from Christian Wilhelmsson last year, who was an all-around annoyance for Roma. Lulu Gulu has scored his first goal and will score plenty in the Champions League. For €3m, a great value purchase. Grade: B+ (Could easily eclipse this but due to his age the biggest question will be how his speed holds up over the course of the season, so we’re keeping it conservative for now)

Mauro Esposito (Cagliari): Somewhat incomplete at the moment, but the form of Lulu Gulu and Mirko Vucinic ascending to Mancini backup has turned Espo’s uphill battle into climbing K2. Last year was largely lost due to injury, and this year is starting out no better. Two years ago he was It, and he’ll need to really earn his way back to that type of status. Still, on a relatively cheap co-ownership he’s a gamble more than worth taking. Grade: B

Adrian Pit (Bellinzona): He was on a free, which is nice. But he signed a one year contract after spending the last few years in the Swiss Mentally Challenged League. Quite strange. Anyway you look at it, he should have been loaned out. He has a long way to go before being Roma caliber with adequate experience. Hard to argue against a free and the scouts have been right on more than one occasion, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Grace: B-

David Pizarro (Inter): €12m for a bench player. €12m. (Feel free to insert a reference to any prison gang rape scene here) Grade: F–

Mirko Vucinic (Lecce): Steep price, but his talent could have easily dictated much more. He has been kind of hit or miss thus far on the left wing, but now that Il Capitano has only Mirko behind him, it’s fair to say Mirko will get about 10 or so starts up top this year, and how well he performs there will largely dictate a lot in the future of the club. Let’s face it, in 2 years if Mirko progresses as expected, the one striker system will probably have to go. Grade: A-

Keivan Zarineh (Rieti): Free transfer, which is good, but the next Luca @#$%ing Toni had an awesome record of 9 goals in 2 years in Serie C2. And he’s 22. Now he’s learning the way from Paolo Di Canio at Cisco Roma. Basically, everywhere you look there’s a red flag. Grade: D+

Julio Sergio (FA): Most people forget his contract ran up last summer. Well, he’s a good third keeper and a good guy in the locker room. But that’s not what’s important: he played a large role in convincing Cicinho that Rome was the only place for him. With his miniscule salary, that’s what you call bang for you buck. Grade: A-

Ahmed Barusso (Rimini): It’s only a co-ownership at the moment, but Ahmed probably has the highest potential value proportional to price paid from the summer. His physical gifts are glaring, and if he progresses as many expect him to over the next 2 years, he will be one of the best and most devastating central mids in the game. My pick for transfer of the summer. Grade: A

Marco Andreolli (Inter): Still only on co-ownership, but already one of the more naturally gifted players on the squad. He’ll be eased into the squad (that’s code for “enjoy the pine”), and his pricetag probably won’t fluxuate much before le buste next summer, so his grade could be considered incomplete at the moment, because there’s a very real possibility Massimo will offer up silly scrilla to bring him back next year. Either way, Roma will make a profit from his sale or they have a guy considered on par with Nesta’s talent on their hands. That’s a win-win situation. Grade: B+

Vitorino Antunes (Pacos de Ferreira): Vice-Tonetto was a value buy with a look to the future. Even though he’s only on loan, his option at €1.2m is so small he’d really have to fall flat on his face to force The Grand Imperial Poobah to tell the powers-that-be not to pick it up. Right now it’s a very cheap evaluation period for a talented player. On paper it sounds like a shrewd move. Grade: B

Marco Cassetti (Lecce): The remainder of his contract was picked up for less than seven figures. No matter what he lacks defensively, he’s well worth it. Grade: B+

Daniel Unal (Bellinzona): The U-17 Swiss superstud is only on a loan, but was poached from under the waiting arms of Inter, Juve and Milan. That alone is stellar. Plus, he scored a goal in his Primavera debut. However, could Rosella really not afford the pricetag to buy him outright? Does she have too many handbags on layaway? It’s not like he’s Pato or anything. Grade: C- (Strictly for the loan)

Transfers Out

Cristian Chivu (Inter): Is it over? Is it really over? I still have nightmares about the saga that was Chivu this summer. If we’re looking at this from a perspective of: Roma should have handled this a long time ago, then no, it wasn’t a wonderful deal. But it would be naive to think this was about finances or lack of an extension or that Rosella put her foot down and said, “I’m selling him and that’s that.” However this decision was made, it wasn’t just about finances. The not-so-secret impending arrival of Juan makes this quite obvious, and also makes you wonder who was the boss of it all when it came to making this decision (I’ll say it, I think it was Spalletti – in fact I’m relatively sure of it). So did Rosella & Co. do a good job of getting maximum value for a player who had limited his options to one suitor? Yes. Did they replace him – at the very least – adequately? Yes. Grade: B+

Stefano Okaka Chuka (Modena): If he wasn’t playing in Rome, he had to play somewhere. He will never be a bench player waiting for his time. Good move, although Serie A would have been preferable. Grade: B+

Ricardo Faty (Bayer Leverkusen): I like the loan move, but is two years really necessary? Sounds like it might have been a gift for the Juan thievery. Grade: B-

Aleandro Rosi (Chievo): Yes, Chievo has an option to buy clause when his loan ends after the season, but Roma also has a buy-back clause so this makes it tolerable. Rosi just needs to play right now, although Serie A would’ve been the preferred route (and we know there wasn’t a dearth of suitors). Grade: C+

Christian Wilhelmsson (Bolton): Addition by subtraction. Grade: A++

Vincenzo Montella (Sampdoria): Quite simply, he deserved it. Grade: A

Shabani Nonda (Galatasaray): I understand Shabs may not have been in favor of sitting in the stands and waving the flag for most of the season, but they couldn’t say “no thanks” the €1.3m they got for him and stick him on the pine as a backup forward for at least half the year? That’s nothing more than rainy day money. Grade: B-

Edgar “Burritos” Alvarez (Livorno): Yes, he was surplus to requirements, but why can’t they get anybody to buy him? It’s not as though he’d cost an arm and a leg. Or more than a pack of juicy fruit and a signed lithograph of Marco Amelia (conceding a goal, of course). Plus, the team asked if he could stay around. I’m not sure it was that important he be moved. Grade: C

Valerio Virga, Simone Palermo, Daniele Magliocchetti, Pietro Pipolo, Gianluca Freddi, Keivan Zarineh, Alessio Cerci: All had to go out on loan, all good moves. Grade: B+

Overall, it was a very good summer for Roma. The key not so much the additions, but how many quality players they picked up while only selling off one player who actually factored into the team. Rosella & Co. spent €34m on the mercato, which was second only to Juventus, who had to make sure everybody knew they were back at the party by showing up all blinged out in a chinchilla coat. Much of the mercato centers around the personal feelings on Chivu, and whether or not Rosella royally screwed it up last summer/winter by not signing him to an extension. But at this point all the evidence points to it being a) a good move, and b) coming from someone other than the money managers. He’ll be forgotten before long. In fact, it looks like he may be already.

The only new boy to really have an impact thus far is Lulu Gulu, and we’ll have to wait for the season to kick into full swing before we know how prudent the purchases actually were. In fact, we’ll revisit the summer mercato midseason to see how some of the buys made out. For value and bang-for-your-buck, it looks really good right now (except for that one purchase). I’m more than happy with it, as it provides one of the biggest weak points from last year: quality depth. Hopefully this will go a long way in avoiding point drops at the hands of teams like Torino and Cagliari, thus vaulting them into contention for the scudetto. If initial form is any indication, then it’s going to be a very good season, and the new buys – when healthy – should only help.

My Grade: B+

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Who:

Real Name: Vitorino Gabriel Pacheco Antunes
Fake Name: Antunes
DOB: 01.04.1987
Country: Portugal
Place of Birth: Freamunde
Height: 1.76 m
Position: LB
Senior Caps: 1 (0)
U-21 Caps: Quite a few (not a clue)

Finances:

It’s a very cheap loan deal, with an option to buy by April of 2008. Roma pays €300,000 right now, and can then buy him back for €1.2m, making the total purchase price €1.5m (for those who failed first grade math). For a kid garnering interest from half of European footy, that’s pretty decent, and will easily be made up by the sale of Shabani Nonda, Edgar Alvarez, Samuel Kuffour or any other cast of characters TGIP deems “surplus to requirements” (I’ve decided I’m going to just start telling people I don’t like they’re “surplus to requirements” and see how they react). Being so young and supposedly so promising, I completely expect Roma will pick up that option and move him unless he starts defending like Paris Hilton’s chastity belt. Even if he doesn’t earn a regular rotational spot, he could easily be loaned out for more experience to a team than can absorb some suckitude. Defenders typically take a little longer to ripen, anyway.

The Player:

Honestly, he sounds just like every other European fullwingback thrown into the mercato hype machine: good attacker, excellent defender, pacy, good crosser and a stellar left foot (as evidenced by this, and a half a goal for the guy taking the responsibility of throwing a Orlando Pace-like block on the entire Mexican wall). There really isn’t much on him other than that, but I’m sure more and more will begin to leak once he starts training with the fellas. No matter what, he sounds talented, and being thisclose to a move to Juventus is usually a good sign (scumbags, but scumbags with enough money that they can afford much more than €1.5m, so this kid must be pretty good-ish).

Place On The Squad:

The moniker “vice-Tonetto” is fairly misleading, as he’ll probably be the first in line behind old Max in only a percentage of the games. He’s still young, and isn’t coming from one of the big leagues or anything. Actually, he’s coming from what appears to be a relatively small club in a league that produces basically three good teams on a yearly basis. The thought here is this: He’ll be worked into the squad to begin with, and probably only see minor, inconsequential time for the first month or two; after that point Spalletti will determine how well he has adapted, but will probably only see time against mid-lower table sides and very little, if any, Champions League time. It’s probably safe to say the first half of the season will be more of an evaluation period than anything, and if Max goes down with an injury for an extended period of time or for a big game, we’ll see Chritian Panucci, Marco Cassetti or even Cicinho filling in at LB.

Overview:

I, for one, like this move from the vantage point of having a talented body. I think it’s safe to say Max going down is one of the most difficult positions to fill on the squad behind Il Capitano, Doni and Daniele De Rossi (I hesitate to put Simone Perrotta in this list because Ludovic Giuly has been a very good backup thus far – despite the sensational impact of Simone when on the pitch). Only time will tell how much impact this kid has, though. I’d expect him to be decent against some relegation contenders to begin with, and aside from that anything else is gravy, with the expected progression of any player. Anyway, having a left-sided body at the very least will be huge and good to give Max a few breathers every now and again. For the money, A- from me.

Mancini Extends?:

Knowing full well that extension talks with Mancini are close, it was also reported yesterday by sky italia that Mancini has re-upped to 2012, which coincided with the arrival of Gilmer Veloz, his agent. There is still yet to be official word emanating from the Roma camp, but with all this talk from Lyon (and now West Ham – seriously, West Ham?) it may have put Rosella’s ass in gear and whisked Amantino into her office to tie things up once and for all. Did the contract actually get signed? I’d doubt it, but the probability is quite high that it has been agreed to and is only awaiting the official stroke of the pen. We shall see, but I don’t think this will take too long to play out. I’d expect a deal signed, sealed, delivered (oh yeah) soon.

* – I’m supposed to be traveling/out of the country for much of the next week and when I’m back I have a very ill family member so I won’t be around much. I may get something out before/after the Siena game but I can’t promise anything. Enjoy the game, draw and end of the mercato. If Roma picks up Lionel Messi at 11:59 tomorrow night be assured I’ll be here in spirit, and you can just imagine what I’d be writing.

You sitting down? If not, sit down. Not there. There. Good? Cicinho is official. Yeah, that’s right. Official. After only four score and seven years, Rosella, whose closing ability has been replicated by Eric Gagne lately, has given The Grand Imperial Poobah his man. Let the man crush and ass slaps begin.

Considering the amount of rumors we’ve been bombarded with since last year, we should know everything about Cicinho right down to his preferred boxers (I’m guessing boxer-briefs, I don’t know why) and last blood panel results. But I’m going to introduce him formally anyway. Why? I don’t know. Just am.

The Stats:

Real name: Cícero João de Cézare
Fake name: Cicinho
Date of birth: 24/06/1980
Weight: 68 Kg
Height: 172 cms
Nationality: Take a wild guess
Place of birth: Pradópolis
Position: RB, damnit. And don’t ask him to play anywhere else.
Shirt Size: XXXL (seriously, have you seen those things?)

(Cici’s gangsta)

The Deal:

Still sitting down? Rosella got her price – or close to it. The deal is €9m sent to Real whenever she gets around to it, and not a penny more. As we all know, Rafa Benitez and his Spanish Armada of American dollar$ drove that price up to €12m (uh huh), with Rosella standing firm at €7m and a pack of Junior Mints. If you failed 1st grade math, that’s why I’m here. Real dropped their price €3m, while Rosella only rose €2m to meet them 2/5th of the way. Advantage: Rosella. The price paid was fair considering his past two seasons since jumping across the pond from Sao Paulo, but it has the potential to skyrocket. This is the same guy whose future starting spot on the Selecao was all but written in permanent marker and had Dani Alves being touted as his future backup – now Dani is being sold for half the GDP of Lithuania. Moderate risk, potentially massive reward ( a common theme this summer).

Cicinho will also make some decent bank, around €2.2m per annum, which will leave some significant room for an extension under the cap once Daniele De Rossi smashes the current salary cap to smithereens. He also penned a five year deal, which will keep him in Rome until he is 32 years old. Also the minimum age needed to get onto the Milan super ride over at the San Siro (you know you can totally see it happening).

The Player:

Cici is like Marco Cassetti on an 8 ball (that’s 3.5 grams of cocaine for anybody who hasn’t seen a movie in the last 17 years). Offensively? He’s all that and a bag of chips. Defensively? You might as well throw a Wallbanger* up there. He’s elicited comparisons to that Cafu guy Roma fans heard so much about a few years ago,but Cici is still a long way from that type of lofty status. Yes, he’s got all the talent in the world, but he’s thisclose from knocking down that door and becoming the superduperstar he’s supposed to be. The bad news? He’s 27 and reaching that point in his career where it’s fairly difficult to teach an old dog new tricks. The good news? He just arrived at Stadio Olimpico. Home to one of the few managers and tactical systems in Europe almost tailor-made for his skill set, presumably the reason he is lucky enough to be the recipient of one of those vaunted Spalletti man crushes.

As far as that skill set goes, it’s based around one main ingredient: speed – and lots of it. In addition to The French Pocket Rocket acquired from Barca earlier this summer, we now have the Brazilian Pocket Rocket – so Roma can be cultured by all sorts of speedy international types. A lot of players are characterized as fast, or pacy, or speedy – but Cicinho is fast. And he knows how to fly up and down that right flank to contribute offensively. Aside from the speed, he also has a cheeky bag of tricks not usually found up the sleeve of defenders. He can certainly take guys on 1 v 1, and plays more as a winger than a wingback. On top of that, he has a Howitzer for a left peg and can cut in from the wing and shoot from distance. Not to mention set up his beach chair in the opposition’s penalty box if the situation calls for it.

Defensively? Uh. Don’t know what to tell you. It’s going to be an adventure to say the least. But he wasn’t acquired for his ability to take teams out single-handedly like Canna pre-Madrid. Of course, there’s also that whole “the Santiago Bernabeu is a graveyard for defender’s careers” thing, so who knows? Maybe he’ll shock the world and suddenly turn into a world conquering defender once he exits stage right in Madrid. Not that you should bet the house on it. Nor would I recommend betting the change in the couch, either. But it’s always fun to dream.

* – If you’ve graduated high school and still have a Wallbanger, I don’t know what to tell you. I’m still not sure if that’s the coolest thing ever or you seriously need to re-evaluate your life. I think we’ll go on a case-by-case basis. Steven Gerrard? Totally acceptable. Theo Walcott? Seek professional help. Landon Donovan? Kill yourself.

The Ramifications:

Here’s where it gets tricky. It’s kind of hard to justify having Cassetti and Cicinho on the roster together, but those Monaco rumors are completely dormant, and there hasn’t been another name linked in the last 1-2 months. Obviously they could find a buyer for Marco in two weeks, but I wouldn’t be 100% shocked to see him stick around, even in the event that Rosella proves she has at least evolved beyond Homo Erectus and picks up a quality back-up/apprentice LB. He isn’t making that much cash, he wasn’t going to play all that much anyway, there are a ton of lingering injuries along the back line and they can always sell him in January when the depth chart is stacked once again. Of course that’s using logic, which isn’t exactly prevalent in the Roma management offices.

As far as playing time goes, I suppose we can consider Cici the starter as long as Christian Panucci is giving us all heart palpitations while in central defense, and then a platoon situation once Juan and/or Matteo Ferrari returns. As mentioned thousands of time by Panucci, there will be 50-60 games this year and he can only play 98% of them, so somebody will need to be there to play in the other game. Prediction? 25-30 games for each Panucci and Cicinho. Yeah, I’m a fence sitter. So what.

What It Means For Roma:

The unique Spalletti attacking-style has always been considered very good. Now it’s scary good. This isn’t one of those “oh, well now Roma is the Scudetto” favorite type moves, but it does improve the squad greatly and therefore set the bar a little bit higher. Should they finish within the Champions League spots? Absolutely, especially after that impressive display yesterday. Are they the favorite? No. Should they contend more so than last year? Without question. Inter’s class and depth will still be a difficult carrot to chase (apologies for that uber-corny reference), but this is a squad that can beat any given team in Europe on any given day. This move may reap more dividends in the Champions League immediately than it will in Serie A. But it’s huge no matter how you look at it.

The Videos:

Apologies for the repeats but, well, he’s a RB damnit.

Best of the Lot (5 stars):

I need a hero.

Welcome to the greatest club in the world, Cici.

Chivu: €16m total, paid over three year increments by Moratti, as well as the proceeds of a friendly (one would assume to be played next summer)
2007/08 - €6m
2008/09 – €5m
2009/10 – €6m*

* – At which point Chivu will be playing in the Romanian 2nd division because Inter is where careers go to die.

Andreolli: 50% ownership at €3m paid out this season. His contract will average out around €750,000 per annum.

Whether or not Roma is locked in at €3m for next summer is another question, but €6m is a very fair estimation of this kid, at least based on talent alone. You’ve got to wonder what this means for Juan and Matteo Ferrari should this kid progress substantially this season. Neither are really up there in age, especially for central defenders, and Andreolli’s talent dictates that should he progress as expected, he’s going to be due a starting spot within a few years. But that’s a ways away and I’m sure not really something Spalletti is really concerned with right now.

* – He loses points with me for that really awkward thumbs up.

Shopping Spree:

Also, in case you missed it yesterday, asroma.it beat inter.it to the punch to announce deal sending Chivu to the lesser side of Milan next season, only the first of many times Inter will get bent over at the hand of AS Roma this season. Like a teenager jetting off to the mall after they get their bi-monthly paycheck, Roma did not waste time by diving into their vault and swimming in their coinage a la Scrooge McDuck. No sir they did not. As soon as the €13m straight cash was guaranteed, they started flashing it in the face of Borussia Dortmund, in an attempt to lure yet another Brazilian who can’t get Selecao caps to the Olimpico. This time it’s Dede, or Leonardo de Déus Santos, BVB’s 29 year old marauding left back (Steve beat me to the punch though). That picture makes me an instant fan. There are a lot like that, and he seems to be a really fun-loving guy, and could obviously add to the Brazilian feel in the locker room. Also floating around are a few with the captain’s armband on, which is typically a good sign (as vice-captain I would assume, Christian Worns is BVB’s long-standing captain). That sound in the background is Francesco Modesto crying into his pillow after Roma decided they weren’t ready for a committed relationship and said “maybe I should just play the field.” Nice guys finish last, Francesco. Get used to it.

However, it’s not time for Francesco to make up a dartboard with Rosella’s picture in the middle just yet, the Roma offer was still well off BVB’s asking price. Supposedly Roma called up immediately and offered €6m for Dede, while Borussia Dortmund want €10m. However, there is always the great equalizer – the player. Dede wants to come to Rome and make big lira, and believes after his many years of loyal service (in Dortmund since ‘98), the club owes him this reward. Fair enough if you ask me. 9 years is a long time for a high-class to play for a foreign club which hasn’t exactly been considered a world beater at any point in recent times. It’s a lot different than Chivu demanding a move to one of Roma’s greatest competitor for the domestic trophies. Big difference. His quote:

“I can sign for four years in Rome and earn a multiple of that which I could earn in Dortmund,” Dede was quoted as saying. “I have been in Dortmund for so long that I believe I have earned this chance.”

As for Dede as a player, it makes sense from some angles and not so much from others. His playing style and class seem to fit Roma’s system very well, and he is considered a pure wing back, but with outstanding defensive abilities – being especially strong in the tackle. Great on the dribble and a very good on the ball presence, and I also read that he is the most fouled player in the Bundesliga. If that’s an official stat I’m not sure, but set pieces are always welcome. Especially considering he has a deadly left foot, a strong option combined with the current and newly acquired free kick talent (I’m lookin at you, Ahmed). Not to imply Totti shouldn’t take as many free kicks as he so desires. But just in case. On top of all that, he reportedly has Perrotta-like stamina, a valuable asset for anyone. And I mean anyone.

The whole Max Tonetto situation is confusing also. Ole Max was one of Roma’s most solid players last season, and has done nothing to warrant being replaced in the starting XI now that Chivu has left. Dede is quite obviously starting XI quality and then some, and is not really young enough to be considered “the future.” Modesto was one thing. He is obviously being looked at as an apprentice, which is not the case with Dede. Max probably breathed a huge sigh of relief when Chivu was moved, because he just got back his starting spot, but he couldn’t exactly stay worry-free for long. But I’m certainly not complaining. High-class depth is always welcomed and never discouraged. Just like world peace and black tar heroin.

Considering Dede’s recent statements and somewhat reliable info coming out of Germany, this surely has legs. As for the plausibility, I say it still looks like the LB coming in will be Modesto. But who am I to say.

* – I don’t think that €6m was just a number Roma floated off the top of their heads. The first payment coming from Inter, of the 3 installments from Chivu’s deal, is €6m. Also, the rumored sponsorship deal agreed to with Wind was for €6m per annum. So it looks like more than just a coincidence. If the Wind transaction pulls through, it would seem Roma has just landed €12m real scrilla for next year. Whether or not Rosella plans to use it on players or Lee press-on fingernails is another story.

The Weekend Update:

I) The Wind telecommunications deal is reportedly €6m for two years, as reported above. In case anyone missed the logo yesterday, here ya go:

I actually like it, provided it comes in white on the home jerseys. I suppose color wouldn’t look bad on the undergarments aka away kit, but it would look a tad funny on red. Not to mention the black kit currently being hemmed by thousands of underpaid child laborers in southeastern Asia.

II) Speaking of the kits, more pictures of the 3rd/CL kit (black), the GK jersey (lime green) and the 2nd keeper jersey (oranje). I wish I was still standing between a pair of sticks just so I could pick up one of those green keeper shirts. Sexy.

I’m a big fan of that black on black with the orange Kappa logo, too. Kappa can be expecting a quick €60 from me soon.

III) Francesco Modesto is on Roma’s roster in wikipedia. I love wikipedia. I think it’s one of the best things that’s happened to the internet in recent years. There’s a lot of great information on there. But it might be completely made up. It’s like the Massimo Cellini of websites.

IV) Just a reminder, as part of the Juan transaction, Roma will be playing a friendly against Bayer Leverkusen tomorrow. Not that you can stream it on the internet or anything – from what I can tell. Just thought I’d remind you not to forget a friendly you can’t watch anyway. Because I’m a nice guy like that.

V) For those desperate to see an American at the Olimpico, a glimmer of hope was just opened. According to the Columbus Dispatch (that just screams reliability and legitimacy, doesn’t it?), Roma is one of a horde of teams interested in Danny Szetela, whoever that is. He’s in the same group as Giuseppe Rossi and that Zizza/Zizzo/Zizzu/whatever guy who’s been pimped around here in that he is American, but born to immigrant parents – in this case Polish.

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again – if I see a single player make the jump from MLS immediately to a Serie A Roma squad I might vomit and will join the legions ready to behead Rosella at dawn. EPL/Bundesliga is one thing. Serie A is a whole different league, different style, different world. Nuh uh. No way no how. Especially when the other teams on the list read like this: Parma, Siena, Everton, Middlesbrough and Galatasary. All mid-level teams at the very best. No thank you.

VI) Aleandro Rosi is drawing significant interest from Livorno, to the point that a deal of some sort may be concluded as early as today. What kind of deal hasn’t been said. Just a deal. So, uh, thanks for the heads up.

VII) Napoli wants Matteo Brighi. Still. Meeting to take place Monday. Reggina wants him in part for Modesto. Roma wants to keep him.

What a freaking ruckus over Matteo Brighi, huh? Who saw this one coming?

VIII) Cicinho is doing his best to voice his displeasure with Bernd Schuster’s nefarious positioning. Apparently Mr. Cici doesn’t take kindly to playing out on the left. Which makes you wonder, does Roma really want a guy who refuses to play a “different” position? Or the same position on the other side of the pitch. Judging by Spalletti’s “no one is bigger than the team” stance, it’s possible this might have affected his thinking somewhat.

There is also a rumor saying that Cici might be available to Roma on loan, which would be very appealing to Rosella. To me, not so much unless there is a concrete clause to buy after the year. Considering the injuries and relative lack of playing time last year in Madrid and his still fairly pricey valuation, if he shows any type of good form next year I’d be frightened to see what pricetag Real will slap on him next summer. This is, afterall, the same club that paid €30m for Pepe. And in about a month their nickname went from ‘Club of the Century’ to ‘Club that paid €30m for Pepe.’ God knows what they’d want for Cici next summer.

Either way, this will take awhile to play out. Now that Roma has the bank, they want to look around and check their options, which is the smart move – as opposed to just blindly throwing €8-10m at Real Madrid. But I think they’ll still wind up with Cici. Europe isn’t exactly teeming over with readily available, highly talented wingbacks/fullbacks.

IX) For anybody still having lucid dreams of Roque Santa Cruz dancing at the Olimpico, you can forget about it. He signed for Blackburn today. Group hug.

* – This deal isn’t official, but I think it’s fair to say Chivu is on the out very very soon. The details are obviously subject to change, but I’ve had enough of this whole mess. Prade and Cristina Mazzoleni just left Trigoria together, so who knows what that means. If Andreolli doesn’t arrive in the deal, I could care less. But people close to both camps say he is involved in the deal, so I’m going to believe it at this point. If it changes, you’ll be the first to know. If it doesn’t happen, fuck it. I don’t care anymore.

Stadio Olimpico’s Revolving Door:

In case you’ve been living in a cocoon, Christian Chivu has been up for sale for the last 87 months, or so it seems. Yesterday, reportedly terms were agreed and an official announcement is pending. Now, considering Chivu reportedly knocked down his own personal demands to facilitate a move to Inter, on top of his refusal of a move to La Liga based strictly on contract demands, there will be nary another word spoken about him here for the remainder of the Roma Offside days, unless Ahmed Barusso plows through him like Francesco Coco plows through transsexual pygmies (either or). He’s dead to me now – if you hadn’t noticed.

Due to the impending transaction between Massima and Rosella, there will be a newfound influx of talented defenders and EU banknotes freshly inked from the basement of the San Siro heading to the eternal city. So, we’ve got a couple new names to introduce to the rest of the Giallorossi faithful.

Marco Andreolli

The Stats:

country: Italy
born in: Ponte dell’Olio
born on: June 10 1986
height: 187 cm (6′1-6′2)
weight: 81 kg
position: Defender

I honestly thought he was a little bit taller (like 193cm), but that’s still good height for any footballer, the same as Philippe Mexes. He hasn’t had much of a chance to play in the Inter senior squad – 4 Serie A games last year – but he does have some pretty special abilities. Special enough to net him a pricetag of €7m with next to no experience. He’s still on co-ownership, which means this year could amount to nothing more than a loan, but even if thhat’s the case, they should be able to net at least that €3.5m in return should Inter want to buy him back.

As far as a footballer, he’s one of those commanding CBs in the Alessandro Nesta mold, who has good abilities but reportedly exceptional awareness and positioning sense. My No. 1 desired attribute in any defender, so I’m thrilled that he was included in the deal. I will admit, however, that I really haven’t seen him play much, and the U-21 tournament is not a good medium upon which to judge anyone’s abilities.

He won’t be asked to do much from a playing stand point, he’s well behind Mexes, Juan and Matteo Ferrari on the depth chart. But he should get some early Coppa time, possibly partnered with Ferrari, and may even get some time against some relegation battle bound teams early on if Luciano Spalletti wants to try out that 3 back defense.

All in all a very good move from Roma to net this kid. They filled what is basically a ‘depth chart’ position on the roster with an extremely talented kid, and if he doesn’t stick around for the future, will net them a profit in return next season. Low risk, potentially large reward, which seems to be the theme to this summer’s mercato (see: Barusso, Esposito, Giuly). And dare I say, someone who, along with Juan, could make everyone forget about Chivu all together within the next 2 years.

Francesco Modesto:

The Stats:

country: Italy
born in: Crotone
born on: February 16 1982
height: 177 cm (5′10)
weight: 73 kg
position: Fullback

This one has been the worst secret of the transfer market over the last week or two. Modesto is in Rome on another co-ownership (or will be), this time for around €2.25m, which is a fairly significant €1.5m drop off his original full pricetag of €6m. Still, everybody knew this was coming if Chivu moved, and it’s a good move, especially considering Spalletti feels like he will be a great boon to his system, which we all trust him on.

Francesco will slot in behind Max Tonetto, and will probably work himself into more of a platoon situation as the season progresses. I’ve heard rumblings that he can also play the wing if asked, but I’m not sure how adaptable he will be to the Spalletti wing. Anyway, the fullbacks in Spalleti’s systems get up far enough into The Roman Clusterfuck that his positioning can even be considered negotiable now and again. How many times do you remember any of the fullbacks parking themselves in a lounge chair in the 18 yard box last season. And Tonetto was taking over the entire left flank of the pitch at times. If he can adequately get back to fulfill his defensive duties, he can do whatever the hell he wants offensively.

Festivus For The Restivus:

I) Nearly every media market is now running with the idea that the Chivu sale means the inevitable acquisition of Cicinho, with or without Real picking up Dani Alves or a similar RB. Bernd Schuster’s recent comment saying Sergio “HAB” Ramos’ talents dictated he must play on the right probably had something to do with that. It’ll take awhile for this to play out, but it’s becoming more likely Cici finds his way to the Olimpico. Again. He’s the new Modesto. And the old Modesto.

II) One of those names continually tied with Cicinho has been Jeremy Mathieu of Toulouse, and whaddya know? He’s back again. Kinda. Reports state Daniele Prade called up whoever is running the show up in France and asked about him, and was met with a firm pricetag of €7.5m, which is actually relatively fair. I’d assume this was one of those “we’re going to call just to see what’s going on but we’re not really interested, it’s just kind of a feeler offer to see if we can get him for a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger and a pack of Skittles.” Kind of like every single phone call Prade is fielding about Samuel Kuffour.

As much as I’d love to see Mathieu in Rome next year, outside of the CL, I don’t see it happening unless something strange happens. He could play RB, but he’s a vastly different player than Cicinho, and considering Spalletti’s interests in RW/RBs thus far (Faubert, Mesto), it seems he wants someone a little bit more wing and offense oriented. Of course I’m probably wrong and he’ll be announced as Roma’s future RW at a press conference in a few days.

Food for thought: Mathieu’s contract with Toulouse has one year to run (I’m pretty sure), and he has stated in the past he would walk to Rome sight unseen to play at the Olimpico. I’m going to go ahead and predict he signs a pre-contract agreement with Roma in the spring.

III) Juan arrived in Rome yesterday, fresh off a 10 day break post Copa America. Not much to say other than one thing. I vote that they bench Doni and put Juan in net. Look at the size of those fricken mitts. He’s got a tennis racket for hands. Juan’s now got the title of “Roma’s official bitchslapper.” Becali brothers are first.

IV) Christian Panucci had a nice interview yesterday where he said diplomatically that Chivu is replaceable and he thinks Giuly will thrive in Rome. My favorite was this though:

“I’m nearly 35 and it’s right for the club to look for my replacement as we have to play 50 or 60 games and I can’t guarantee I’ll play them all.”

So he means to say he’s actually thinking about playing them all, but he’s not sure if he’ll be able to? Is he planning on developing a Lindsay Lohan like cocaine addiction? Does he wake up and snort lines of Viagra? Maybe his blood is straight Red Bull? If he plays 50, he deserves the Ballon D’Or, the Nobel Prize and Country Music Television Lifetime Achievement Award. For whatever. And he will probably be snatched back up by Milan at the end of the year. Because you aren’t eligible for Rossoneri backline duties unless your diet consists of Ensure and mashed peas. The contract also comes with a free lithograph of Maldini and a colostomy bag.

V) Much to the dismay of many Roma fans, Graziano Pelle (that guy), has decided to sign with European giants AZ Alkmaar. Wait, what? AZ Alkmaar is the best team he could get? Apparently Lecce didn’t get any offers from Serie A teams so he was offloaded to the Eredivisie. Not a single fricken Serie A team could find a spot for the new Luca Toni? I’m baffled. I’m befuddled. I’m flabbergasted. This is almost as confusing as the day I found out Orlando Bloom is straight.

* – I think that was Barry from Life with Mikey going crazy in that video. In fact, I’m sure of it.

VII) Also in the realm of news that may or may not directly impact Roma, Maurizio Zamparini has offered up Mark Bresciano, Leandro Rinaudo and €6m for Alessandro Rosina. If Roma is going to take care of that whole buy up Rosinaldo now and loan him to Torino for next year they’d better get on it ASAP. (Ok I made that up, but it works)

VIII) Oh yeah, and Old Whiskey Nose has ruled out a Serie A return for Giuseppe Rossi. Basically, if you’re a Roma fan with a ridiculous dream you knew was never going to happen, you just had it crushed anyway. Kind of like Franck Ribery’s modeling career.

I’ll take a one way ticket to hell, thanks.

IX) This is in no way a shameless self-promotion, but you absolutely must see this advertisement. Especially for Kubrick fans. Which should be everyone who has ever seen a movie, but that’s neither here nor there. Nor here.

X) I’m not trying to get any hopes up, but there is reportedly a surprise signing to be announced tonight as a part of the festivities. There are supposed to be two, one obviously being Modesto, but the other isn’t Andreolli. I’m very intrigued. But like I said, don’t get your hopes up, could be rumors.

I actually wrote a little bit of a post on this but never ended up publishing it. Remember back when Roma was going after Fred? He was going to cost €15m and the deal was set financially, only Spalletti didn’t want that type of investment riding the pine (Spalletti, meet Mirko – Mirko, meet Spalletti). And this was before Chivu had turned down his offer and when buying up Vucinic, Pizarro and Juan was a foregone conclusion. Which makes me think, have they earmarked a significant amount of money for someone else? Did they just end up pocketing that €15m? Or is at least a large part of it still in play? Obviously a far-fetched and flawed theory, but maybe it plays into the “mystery player” who will supposedly be unveiled tonight. Food for thought.

No, I don’t like tossing out ridiculous theories that have your minds wandering only to be squashed later. Why do you ask?

Strangers waiting, up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night
Streetlight people, living just to find emotion
Hiding, somewhere in the night

AS Roma 2007-08

It’s not official yet, but it’s done, and I would assume Inter’s website will announce it shortly. As we all know, Roma takes care of official announcements whenever they damn well feel like it.

After two hours of negotiations today, Rosella and Moratti finally came to an agreement over the transfer of Chivu to the lesser side of Milan. The deal is €14.5m and half ownership of one Marco Andreolli. The co-ownership is tricky. It seems that his total value is €7m, which makes half €3.5m (trust me here), with Roma only having to pay €1.5m. So basically Inter gave Roma €2m towards Andreolli’s co-ownership. It’s confusing, but Roma wouldn’t be involved if it didn’t leave you scratching your head. Also included may be a friendly, and the profits will benefit Roma. I don’t think we’re too far from the day when Roma starts camp in mid-June and just plays 28 friendlies in order to finance the mercato. I wouldn’t put it past Rosella. Anyway, this isn’t all that far off of the €18m deal they agreed to with Real Madrid. (And this is all subject to change. If it isn’t true, I could care less. I’m sick of this Chivu crap.)

This is a great deal from Roma’s standpoint (considering the options). They got rid of a player who didn’t want to be here, got close to his relative market value with one year remaining on his contract and only one suitor to speak of, and filled a need with a massively talented and promising youngster. One who could even approach or surpass Chivu’s status in the future. While this may have been handled more smoothly in hindsight, Rosella and Prade did a fantastic job with this transaction. They weren’t pushed around, didn’t panic and got a very good return. Standing ovation from me. Hell, standing ovation for the entire mercato from me, especially on their funds (excluding that whole being bent over for Pizarro thing). And they’re not even done yet. Bravo.

What It Means:

Francesco Modesto will be announced very shortly. One might assume during the festivities tomorrow night, but it should be within the next 24 hours or so.

Now, Modesto is only going to take out a small chuck of the Chivu bank – we can say it might bring the budget down to €12m remaining from the sale of CC. In fact, he may not even take out any if they had a few million lying around after the original allotment to begin the mercato. Or even itself out with some future sales. Point is, the Modesto money is largely a non-factor.

So where does the rest of that money go? Cicinho is one option, and there is a lot of speculation floating around regarding him right now. People have been floating around the name Jeremy Mathieu, and he is certainly possible, but I’m pretty sure he is more suited to the LB position than the RB position, even though he can play there in emergency. Both would probably command the same pricetag, and I’m sure nearly everyone would prefer Cicinho at his price. I’ve even seen Cristian Zaccardo’s name mentioned, but he’s been begging for a move all sumer and Maurizio Zamparini has been flat ignoring him. I can imagine he might be pretty pricey by Rosella’s standards also. Obviously the position on the pitch most in need of reinforcement right now is RB, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s where they will be focusing the money.

The 4th CB spot is all set now. It will also be interesting to see how Andreolli’s co-ownership works out next summer. If they do in fact lose him back to Inter, Roma could conceivably profit immensely from his sale, depending on the value he acquires throughout the upcoming season. Considering he is dubbed another Alessandro Nesta, this could prove to be a win-win situation. Either keep a potentially great player or sell him off for pretty much free money. And it looks like there might be a fight over the #77 unless Marco Cassetti is moved. Which is looking very possible.

Oh, and good riddance Chivu. I never liked you that much anyway.

More to follow when the details are released….

(Before I go ahead and make it official – everybody cool with officially calling him ‘The Pocket Rocket’? Because he’s small, he’s fast and he’ll undoubtedly give us short bursts of pleasure. Get back to me.)

So, it looks fairly official, after the on-and-off rumors between Barcelona and Roma, Ludovic Giuly will be announced within the next 24 hours as an official Roma player. He is in Rome as we speak getting ready for Trigoria and the Beckham-like festivities of his inaugural Roma press conference. The deal was reportedly for €3m with an additional €2m being paid to Barcelona should Roma make the Champions League next season. Apparently Barca had Jean-Michel Aulas negotiating on their behalf. Giuly will make €1.7m per season and will ink a 3 year contract, at the end of which he’ll be 34. However, I’m not sure he’ll be around that long. He wants to return to France, and it seemed a nostalgic return to France was his preference, but Monaco wouldn’t pay up for him. Oh well. Still a quality move on very very short money. And I really hope Roma has to fork out that extra €2m for him next year (they’ll figure any way to make sure things aren’t simply cut and dried, won’t they?).

For anyone who doesn’t know about Giuly, he’s a short (1.64m/5′5 – very generously), fast winger/midfielder/second striker who has played the last few years with Barca, after being a superstud in Monaco’s CL Final run. He played a sizable part in Barca’s CL success two years ago, so let’s hope this is a continuing trend. As we all know the CL Final is being held at Stadio Olimpico in ‘09 and the last time Rome held the final (1983), Roma was one of the participants. Good juju. Unfortunately, it looks like Roma is building a team of international rejects, as he is firmly entrenched in Raymond Domenech’s doghouse – although that typically means you’re a damn good player. The reported reason for his lack of recent caps is that he supposedly sent text messages of a romantic interest to Raymond Domonech’s slut wife, which is not exactly a new thing with her (which I don’t get, she’s got a massive schnoz). I guess he earns a couple points in my book for that. At least Mexes will have a buddy to talk shit about Domenech with now, while Mancini and Taddei cry in the corner over Dunga’s apparent misconception that he was hired to coach the U-21 squad instead of the senior Selecao. Maybe Taddei isn’t the type of player to be on Brazil’s roster regularly, but he undoubtedly deserves one cap in his career. Mancini, however, should be on that roster more often than not.

I’ll be the first to admit that I have a personal bias against Ludovic, and that I have no idea what it stems from, I’ve just never liked him. But I’ve also admitted that I felt like he would be a quality addition to the squad, but have wondered if it is somewhat unnecessary considering the limits of Roma’s budget. He’s a speedy runner, with dynamic bursts to goal and brings a shift in the opposition’s defensive philosophy when on the pitch, but isn’t that essentially what Mauro Esposito provides? Obviously Mauro is more of a pure winger, whereas Ludovic provides more versatility, but I would still like to see someone come in who was able to head in one of those crosses coming from the wing (yes, this means Roque Santa Cruz, who I will be fighting Gianfranco to the death over). Also, I would’ve liked to have seen someone who is a leap in class from Esposito and Taddei, rather than someone who has relatively the same level of ability. A lot of non-Romanista and people who don’t watch Taddei will say Giuly is far ahead of him, but Taddei is one of the most valued and important members of the team. He has those sick futsal abilities but plays within himself and the system and doesn’t go crazy unless he has to (See: Olympiakos). Esposito scored 16 from the wing. I don’t care what anybody says, that’s not a fluke. You have to have serious talent to do that even over just one season.

My main worry for Giuly is his age (31) and the fact that so much of his game relies on his legs, and we all know one of the first things to go with players is the speed. I think that once his huge acceleration starts to fade so will a lot of his effectiveness, but I will also admit I didn’t get to see much of his at Barcelona this season, so I’m not exactly his foremost expert. My original thought is that Giuly will be used as that burst of speed off the bench in the second half when defenses start to get tired and he can really be effective. However, I would imagine Trigoria will see significant competition from Taddei, Giuly, and Esposito. I suppose two will platoon on the right mostly with one earning the back-up duties behind Mancini. Giuly can also provide more options playing just behind Totti or even subbing in for Perrotta, so he may be primarily used as a change-of-pace sub and spot starter in case of injury or when Spalletti feels like he is the right option to exploit an opposing defense. Is he the difference over a whole season? Highly doubtful. But can he make a massive difference over the course of a few games? Absolutely. (Ahem, CL)

Wherever he does play, it’s obvious that the class of depth has increased considerably this season on the wings. Esposito is a much more effective player than Christian Wilhelmsson, and while Francesco Tavano is talented, he was playing out of position – a major problem for a few people at times last season. This versatility being brought in with Ludovic should be a big boost to the squad and Spalletti when he’s making out his roster. Also, he didn’t really cost all that much so it’s a fairly good risk-reward venture for Rosella. And if he can be valuable to Roma, then I will be putting personal biases aside and waving the Ludovic Giuly flag high. Though you can be assured I’ll have plenty of low blows regarding his height. I won’t be able to help myself.

The Requisite Internet Highlight Videos:

Definitely watch these if just to see why Barcelona signed him in the first place. He was an absolute demon for Monaco and was a big reason for their CL run until they ran into ‘The Special One’ and Porto in the final. And if you can’t tell which one he is, he’s the one who looks like a pre-schooler running by everyone. Also, let’s hope that he adopts Totti’s thumb-sucking celebration, I’m not sure I can handle him jumping into David Pizarro’s arms (if that did ever happen, you can be assured of a joke regarding Pizarro, Giuly and a homosexual midget convention in Las Vegas – that is if I don’t die of laughter). That’s way too French for me. As were all the really homoerotic songs for Giuly compilations. Mexes was enough of France for me – even though he isn’t bad – this is just too much.

Despite the insanely homoerotic feel of this video, Giuly had some sick goals for Monaco. I’ll go wherever you will go, Ludovic. (Hit mute now, trust me)

Giuly at Barca, much much better music selection. This guy must be a hero to all aspiring athletes 5′7 and under. I’ve never seen more homosexual overtures for one player in my days as a Roma blogger/video researcher.

This goal is in the first compilation, but it really deserves its own video. Just an unbelievably phenomenal goal.

Homoerotic celebrations galore. Christ. It’s going to be a long year.

Also, if you hadn’t noticed, he likes to open up his mouth real wide. Which Laurie, the offside’s resident Mom, will point out is also laced with homosexual innuendo. This signing is just one big fruit-fest. I feel like I should be wearing assless chaps and listening to Coldplay.

* – The last two battles of the GHD Round 2 (including Totti) will come a bit later as well as the rest of today’s news, notes and useless nonsense.

For those who don’t know Esposito, he was Fab Quags before Fab Quags. With Cagliari in 04-05 he scored 16 goals from the wing (3 more than Fab last year) and had Serie A buzzing about his pace, goal-scoring ability and bull-like mentality cutting in from the wings. Unfortunately, since then he hasn’t repeated the same record due mostly to injury (another big reason why I was originally skeptical of Fab Quag’s at €16m – it’s only one year – but I’ve since come around) and scored 6 goals the next year and only 1 in 18 games last season. He has a few Azzurri caps, including one in The Don Doni’s debut, so he could be in line for more call-ups if he recovers form. Though I’m convinced The Don Doni’s goal is to call up every single player in Serie A as well as a few sprinkled in Serie B. It can be the only explanation for many of his squads.

Roma beat out his hometown club Napoli for his services, and he made no bones about one of the biggest factors being Champions League football. Like Suazo, it has been said for many years he is too good for Cagliari, but recently he hasn’t progressed enough to become a major player for one of the big clubs. Looks like Roma will now give him his chance, though where he fits in remains to play out. Esposito isn’t the A-list player from the wings Spalletti has been coveting over the last two seasons, though if the chips fall right he can be. This also signals the departure of our buddy Christian Wilhelmsson…..

YYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

….which is mildly pleasant. Judging by the fact that Esposito was injured last season, had his form struggle as a result, and the fact that Spalletti outlined the need for at least two “championship” quality wingers (he wants two quality players for every position – on that budget? ha! Oh Luciano…) – I have a feeling Luciano isn’t done here. As he said, “At the moment we are lacking wingers and we need 3 of them.” Though I do like this signing a lot. Little risk, potentially huge reward (16 goals from the wing is just ridiculous any way you slice it).

Unfortunately the only videos I could find were of a couple penalties while he was with Udinese about 6 years back and one of his wedding, which was nice. Not too over the top, outdoor setting and casual dress. I enjoyed it. And yes, he can look a lot like Pippo at times. He’ll need to score many many goals for me to forget about that. Many.

Chivugate:

Roma has finally accepted €18m in compensation from Real Madrid, which is what they had been holding out for. The sticking point now is Chivu’s demands, and everything is saying he wants at least €5m per annum which Real is balking at. How is the world can he, or his agents, possibly think he is worth that kind of money? At this point I can’t wait to see his back as he rides out of town. (On the field, not so much)

That was nice of Inter to formally drop out of the race. More like, you didn’t dump us. We dumped you! Stay classy, Moratti. Stay classy.

As far as the proposed lack of Cicinho in the deal, I can understand why even though I still believe Spalletti wants him. Real have just begun their mercato and are now in the midst of a controversial coaching change, they have no clue what their staff or roster will look like on the first matchday of next season. They have to wait to see if they get a Dani Alves or the like and to see if they still need Cicinho on the roster. More should be known when Madrid has begun to finish more of their roster.

Festivus For The Restivus:

I) It’s a day late, but I’m sure the good majority of Roma fans have heard about the Graziano Pelle rumors. I am all in favor of Pelle, I’ve been a fan for awhile, but I don’t see how he fits into the current Roma one striker system. He’s a targetman, and though he has very good ball skills for a big man (but he’s no Zlatan), he doesn’t seem to have the versatility to play on the wing. He’s physically and somewhat technically similar to Luca Toni (better ball skills and mobility – doesn’t mean he’ll score 31+), so imagine Tonigol playing out on the wing. Eww.

Roma currently has Mirko Vucinic and Stefano Okaka Chuka as young strikers who are likely to spend beaucoup time on the pine. I understand Okaka Chuka may be headed out on loan to Modena, Chievo, Reggina or another squad, and that Mirko could be used as Fab Quags/Rosinaldo bait (not happening), but still. Unless they can poach him on the cheap and then send him out on loan ASAP I don’t understand why they make this move right now. They don’t have a budget like Milan to buy up elite talent for whatever cost and loan them out for a few years. They need to squeeze as much out of that Sensi scrilla as they possiblely can. Unless Spalletti is thinking about switching up the formation every now and then…..

In that case, go get him.

II) As expected, Pietro Leonardi has begun his attempt at poaching names off of Luciano Spalletti’s wishlist. First, Fab Quags. Second, Antonio Chimenti. Third, it looks like he’s going to get Giandomenico Mesto. Now, he’s after Francesco Modesto. Even though Mesto looks lost, Modesto is reportedly holding out for Roma and the full assault on Reggina should commence post-Chivugate (as I said before, the Chivu situation is really killing the mercato at this point). The deal will probably involve some sort of cash compensation as well as some form of Matteo Brighi. I’m assuming at this point we’re talking co-ownership just because that’s how Roma operates.

III) Fiorentina look to have eased off the pedal in the race for Franco Semioli, and are now focusing on a “big target” (heavily rumored to be Wesley Sneijder). That’s nice. I’m done talking about Semioli until he makes a damn move, but could we puhlease get somebody with a left foot on this squad. Pretty please?

IV) Assume at this point any goalkeeper who has at one point put on the gloves for the Giallorossi and who also has a heartbeat will be linked to Roma this summer. Heartbeat optional.

* – The GHD debate will return tomorrow. I’m strugglin today.