JUVENTUS AIMS TO RENEW VLAHOVIC DURING THE BREAK, MEANWHILE AFTER THE KO IN BREMER THEY THINK ABOUT KIWIOR FOR THE JANUARY MARKET. MILAN THINKS ABOUT VICE-FOFANA: THE CARDOSO HYPOTHESIS RETURNS. FIORENTINA-ADLI, REDEMPTION MISSION. TURIN, THE LATEST ON RICCI EXTENSION. GENOA, CEO BLAZQUEZ ANNOUNCES THREE STRIKES IN JANUARY.
Is Dusan Vlahovic at the turning point of maturation? Many, among Juventus and the fans, hope so because the Serbian center forward in the Champions League has finally put an end to the dark period that was devouring him: dry after 4 games, he took the situation into his own hands and shook himself off to score 4 goals in as many days. And the royal double scored against Leipzig, which kicked off the comeback and the subsequent winning overtaking by the Bianconeri, is only the latest photograph. Maintain a continuous pace in front of goal, without leaving the team and Thiago Motta, who believes in him blindly, in difficulty. It’s also time to focus on himself and the ‘9’ he wears on his back, moving away from the cumbersome comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo and the infamous 7 shirt, suggests today’s edition of the Gazzetta dello Sport. With Vlahovic in leading form – he demonstrated this at a 2-1 deficit and even after Di Gregorio’s expulsion – and a striker of rare beauty, it is inevitable for Juventus to start studying discussions for a contract renewal. At the moment the Serbian is bound by an agreement until 2026 and – we read – contacts with the agent Darko Ristic began last season, but will now intensify. Precisely in the middle of the national break in October, with bowls stopped, for which the Juventus club will offer a salary that will make it more sustainable, extending the duration until 2028. The operation has a greater chance of going through if bonuses are inserted to adjust the figures, highlighting the strong bond with the company.
The unexpected event that was not needed. The serious injury reported by Gleison Bremer in the Champions League inevitably opens up new scenarios at Juventus. Yes, because Thiago Motta will have to give up the Brazilian for at least 6-8 months after the injury to the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus suffered against Leipzig, just when the defense was traveling at an incredible pace. In fact, the Juventus team has not conceded a single goal in the league so far and has not managed any in Serie A, Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1. For 90 days, Juventus will have to find an immediate solution to make up for Bremer’s absence at the heart of the defense. But in the coming weeks, explains La Gazzetta dello Sport, the club directed by director Cristiano Giuntoli will ponder the choices to make in the winter transfer market. Perhaps a quality loan – suggests the newspaper -, which could be the aforementioned Jakub Kiwior from Arsenal, without excluding the idea of recalling Tiago Djalò to the fold on loan to Porto.
After the very serious injury, Bremer aims to return to the final matches of the championship to regain his rhythm and participate in the Club World Cup in June. In the meantime, Juventus and Thiago Motta are evaluating market solutions and, immediately as regards the coach, men. Having said that he intends not to resort to the free agent market, we are looking to January for reliable players and above all prospects.
Such as – Tuttosport reports today – the 23-year-old Frenchman Maxence Lacroix, who moved from Wolfsburg to Crystal Palace in the summer, but above all Jorrel Hato, an 18-year-old from Ajax on whom the director has been working for some time. It is not excluded, then, that he could ask Sassuolo for the return of Tarik Muharemovic, a promising central defender on loan from Next Gen. Motta, meanwhile, will have to ask Gatti and Kalulu, the pair of central defenders highest in his hierarchy, for overtime . Module changes seem to be excluded, but not the possibility of adapting some elements (Locatelli?) with a “Motta-style” move.
Paulo Fonseca seems to have found the game structure for his Milan with the derby win: a 4-4-2 that varies depending on the moments of the match which is making the team more balanced although with various aspects still to be improved and assimilated. However, what is worrying at the moment is the sustainability of this module throughout the season: in midfield, in particular, with the exception of Fofana, Reijnders, Loftus and Musah, the coach has no other weapons at his disposal. And it is for these reasons – underlines Tuttosport – that Milan are already thinking about how to overcome this problem. The most immediate intention, even if it will be necessary to wait, would be to strengthen itself in the January transfer window. In this sense there could be, we read, a flashback for a player that the Devil has already courted during the last summer. This is Johnny Cardoso, an American midfielder who plays for Betis Seville. To get him, the Rossoneri would have to get rid of a non-EU position: it would be a purchase in line with the company’s views which have often favored purchases from abroad, especially if they are of American nationality. The option of signing Italian footballers remains a little more remote.
One of the absolute protagonists of Fiorentina’s success with The New Saints in the Conference League was Yacine Adli, a French midfielder on loan from Milan. His debut as a starter with the Viola shirt was an excellent debut, embellished by the great left-footed goal on the first good ball of the second half which took some pressure off Viola’s back. A happy note in an evening ruined by Mandragora’s injury, however, so not many positive feelings filter through. But Adli’s performance gives Raffaele Palladino and Fiorentina hope for the future. It was thanks to the Frenchman that the lily team not only unblocked the match, but began to propose a series of illuminating verticalisations and potholes, a starter for the game designer that could be used on any occasion. Until yesterday the class of 2000 had played very little, only 63 minutes for a total of four matches in the championship. But the first seal for Fiorentina, found with the determination of those who do not intend to throw in the towel when faced with the first difficulties of a new experience in a different team, could represent his springboard. And by continuing at this rate, perhaps next June the Fiorentina management won’t think twice about exercising the right of redemption agreed with Milan.
Last season at Torino he showed flashes of quality, but in the new championship under Vanoli management Samuele Ricci is experiencing a new life. Between the appearances of character in the national team (against France and Israel in the Nations League) and the trust of Spalletti, the midfielder born in 2001 seems like another footballer: mature, courageous and aware of the choices made on the pitch, as well as an enviable continuity given the young age. The ability with which at 23 years old he can keep his head high always looking for the best play to make, even in moments of absolute traffic and in the face of difficult opponents, fully reflects the qualities of a point of reference within the Granata system. On the other hand, the farewells of Buongiorno and Bellanova have seriously damaged the Granata environment and now the players who have the spotlight on them are captain Zapata and Ricci himself. And now the test bench becomes particularly demanding. The next match in the league, tomorrow, is against Inter at San Siro: reigning Italian champions and fresh from an injection of good humor after the poker in the Champions League at Red Star. A match that could be a watershed for the 21-year-old given the direct clash for equal points in the standings (11), in the meantime, however, Torino does not want to waste time – Tuttosport informs – and is negotiating the extension of the contract expiring in 2028 and renewal to 2029 .
Andres Blazquez, CEO of Genoa, returns to talk about the difficulties that the Grifone is going through and does so in the room of the Italian Welding Institute, in Val Bisagno, for the meeting with the ACG clubs: “I went on retreat to stay close to the coach and the team – we read in Il Secolo XIX -, together with the general manager Ricciardella, the sporting director Ottolini and the club manager Marco Rossi. I spoke with Gilardino and with the players, it’s a difficult moment, but the will is there to get out of it.” And to do this the club will resort to the transfer market: “In January we will intervene to strengthen the team, we need ready players and with the coach we have already identified where to intervene. Malinovskyi will be out for a long time and we need a replacement, we will need an alternative to Messias on the attacking midfielders and maybe even a striker. Then we’ll see if there are other needs, but I’ve had reassurances from the owners about their willingness to invest and focus on new signings.” A delicate topic is that of Frendrup: “Many fans ask me about him, if it is true that he will be sold like Gudmundsson. They are completely different stories, Gudmundsson wanted to leave and he said it clearly. Frendrup will stay here. In the summer I never said that no one would have left after Martinez, he should have left as early as June, but the trial in Iceland had put a brake on everything. We probably made some mistakes, Spors had estimated that the squad was fine as it was, but in reality we were penalized by many muscle injuries, all in some departments. At the end of August I spoke to the coach and he told me that with Miretti the team could be ok, that at most the ownership could be missing a left winger it didn’t make us invest further.”
CAVANI WANTS TO END HIS CAREER AT BOCA JUNIORS: CONTRACT RENEWAL READY.
He is one of the best strikers of the last 20 years, he has made the fans of Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United dream and now he is preparing to face the final stage of a truly extraordinary career. Edinson Roberto Cavani Gómez could soon sign his last contract with his current club, Boca Juniors, before hanging up his boots. The Uruguayan center forward, who will turn 35 in February, has his contract expiring in December but could extend it for another season, convinced that Buenos Aires is the last club of his career. Olé reports it.