They Say That “Knowing is Half the Battle.”

By: vin | July 18th, 2008

So what do we know at this point anyway? Not friggin’ much, to be honest.

While we’re waiting for news to break, here’s a quick rundown to kill some time:

We’re day two post-Mutufest, and Baptista is still *the* target, it would seem. At the time of my last post, La Gazzetta was speculating that The Beast’s price could drop from 15 million euros to 12 million, but now there’s talk of a loan once again. I’m not sure where they’re getting their info, but Corriere dello Sport is talking about three million euros for a year, followed by a full transfer for 10 million euros at the end of the term. I say do it. Then, buy us an Italian.

Speaking of buying an Italian, if anybody was thinking that Borriello was still a possibility, you might want to cross him off of your list at this point. First off, Galliani says that Marco’s staying. Second, his agent is spewing pro-dinho propaganda implying that the Brazilian’s introduction is great news for Borriello. Even though these agents can double-talk with the best of ‘em, I don’t think he’d spin it like that if he felt that there was any chance his man would do a 180 and run for the door.

Given my strong feelings on the Azzurri – Bleus rivalry, I’ll admit that generally speaking, I’m not a huge fan of France or its players. That said, I’ll also admit that I’ve come to greatly appreciate Roma’s ambassadors from France – Mexes and Giuly. Unfortunately, it sounds like one of them is just about out the door, with just minor loose ends (like signing a piece of paper) left to tie up before he bolts to PSG in a 3 million euro deal. Apparently, the impetus for this move boils down to a lack of playing time, and if that’s the case, I really can’t blame the guy. You have to admit; with the exception of his little goalkeeper impersonation, he showed some real quality. While I’m sad to see him go, I sincerely hope it works out for him.

Still no signature from Aquilani? I don’t really have any doubts regarding Aquilani signing eventually, but it really does put the icing on the (very stale) cake; Bronzetti says Trigoria is working 24 hours a day, and I can see why. They’re doing last month’s work now, along with this month’s. Meanwhile, other teams – who have been busier, mind you – are wrapping up their transfer periods, and Roma still have a key contract without a signature and at least one… maybe two major signings to put together. To top it all off, it looks like Rosina’s plea is falling upon deaf ears… well… almost. (I think Mr. Watson must’ve been eavesdropping on us.)

Ah.. well… I think this weekend’s gonna be big. Beastly, even.