TMW exclusive
Valerio Giuffridatogether with his brother Gabriele and their agency GG11, was one of the most active agents during the last summer transfer session. In their team there are players of the caliber of Albert Gudmundsson, Maduka Okoye and Hamed Traoré and coaches such as Stefano Pioli and Davide Nicola, but their work has also involved the intermediation of big names such as David De Gea, Artem Dovbyk and Vitinha. Exclusively for TMWGiuffrida himself told the secrets and background of the transfer market.
The summer market has closed with many investments. Is this a sign of recovery for Italian football?
“The Serie A clubs overall are in second place in the world in terms of expenses in the 2024 summer transfer market. A sign of great confidence and which is partly a consequence of the fact that many clubs participate in the cups and therefore have more income. Furthermore, even companies that had excessive labor costs compared to revenues have regularized themselves and now have a limited amount of wages. And this allows you to invest in the market. Let’s think of Juventus for example who chose to let go of key players like Rabiot and Szczesny who had high salaries, investing more and more in young players. A policy increasingly adopted by Italian clubs and which goes against the trend compared to the past.”
Equalized summer and winter transfer sessions at least in the 5 top European leagues. Could this be the right solution?
“Certainly closing the transfer market before the start of the championship would allow clubs to make more rational and strategic planning and coaches would not find themselves deprived of their players unexpectedly while the championship is underway. Equalizing the market sessions is a choice that is as correct as it is obvious. But not just the main leagues…others like Turkey should also adapt. Football has become globalized and all markets communicate with each other, even the most distant and unthinkable ones. It makes no sense to have windows that differ from one country to another.”
Growth Decree yes or no? Which side are you on?
“Absolutely yes. Its abolition, as we saw in the two market sessions of 2024, did not lead to fewer foreigners but to a higher tax cost for those who arrived. So the objective we wanted to achieve, of fueling the circulation of Italian footballers, was not achieved while the costs for the clubs, already suffering due to lower revenues from television rights, increased. However, if they have not increased it is because the clubs have not managed to sign the players they would have signed if they had been able to benefit from the relief. We could talk for hours about how many pros the Growth Decree brings and how many cons having removed it brings. There’s no point even discussing it. Luckily, in life it is permissible to change your mind. It’s always done on time.”
How did the Al Nassr-Pioli operation come about? Since he arrived, the coach has won 5 games in a row.
“When we thought we were now on holiday, the first contacts with Al Nassr began in early September. Not the first truth-telling Saudi club we spoke to this summer. When Hierro and Pioli spoke to each other, they also found each other both empathetically and from a technical sporting point of view, because they are two profoundly similar people. The negotiation was very simple and quick because on both sides there wasn’t the slightest doubt that it was the right choice.”
Nicola has shown in recent years that he is very good at resolving difficult situations, but this is a label that perhaps does not convey the correct value to the coach
“Nicola has accomplished feats that we humans cannot even imagine while for him they came almost naturally although impossible. He is a character surrounded by an aura of magic. One day I was feeling down about some personal issues and I found myself talking to him on the phone about some details of the contract he was supposed to sign at Cagliari. At the end of the phone call, having sensed my state of mind, he told me before hanging up “Valerio, what’s happening? Come on!”. And then he said goodbye to me. He transferred energy to me even with just those two words and gave me the incentive to face the day with new enthusiasm. I imagine how his players feel and why they give 200%.”
Gudmundsson acquitted. Everyone is very happy I imagine, you in the entourage and him first obviously
“I don’t want to express myself on the merits but sometimes this job doesn’t let you sleep at night especially when there are human events involved that concern your clients to whom you are personally attached. When I was an accountant I slept much better. However, yesterday Albert made us emotional again, this time off the pitch.”
The Fiorentina operation was born in January and took shape in August. He tells us a bit about everything, including the background…
“Fiorentina made their advances already in January but Genoa couldn’t afford to let him leave during the year, upsetting the balance that they couldn’t have fixed by intervening mid-season. He too did not feel like abandoning a mission that he did not consider completely accomplished. This summer both he and Genoa had the opportunity to metabolize this separation and the advances turned into a wild courtship that lasted months. There would be many backgrounds, starting from the days of mid-August spent fighting everyone against everyone because it seemed that the operation, after Retegui’s unexpected exit (in turn a consequence of Scamacca’s injury) could no longer be carried out . In football there is a lot of nervousness and there is a lot of discussion especially in certain periods of the year but then everything goes back to normal.”
De Gea at Fiorentina, a dream that has become reality for the Viola
“It’s very easy for me to talk now after what he’s doing and especially after the victory against Milan where we saw him do things out of the ordinary like the two penalties he saved. I will limit myself to saying that the ability of a sporting director also lies in seizing opportunities and being quick. Prade’ decided to focus on De Gea at an unexpected moment in the transfer market and did so like a bolt from the blue during an afternoon in which we were talking assiduously about Gudmundsson at Viola Park. The negotiation for De Gea lasted just a few hours. Club and player found each other immediately and fell in love at first sight. If all market operations were like this… but no.”
Dovbyk to Roma, is his will decisive?
“Now, this was a complicated transfer. My brother Gabriele knows something about it (he’s the one who managed the operation, ed.) who spent the nights first in Girona and then in the offices in Trigoria. Various Premier clubs wanted Dovbyk and, as is known, Atletico Madrid with whom a real sporting battle was triggered. His desire has always been to go to Roma because he felt an instinctive bond with this club. On the other hand, the Giallorossi club also had to make a great economic effort, having identified Dovbyk as the ideal striker for this championship”.
Let’s talk about Vitinha, good operation by Genoa, shame about the injury that will keep him out for a while
“Last year he showed what a player he can be and, during the 6 months at Genoa, the club had the opportunity to analyze him both as a footballer and from a human point of view and decided to make this great investment. Today at Genoa things aren’t going as well as last year and everyone seems to be affected. In 7 championship matches, the rossoblù have met Roma, Inter, Milan and Juventus. We hope that after the break the wind will start to change and that Vitinha will make a contribution to the cause.”
Inter wanted Okoye but Udine is the right place to grow further.
“Maduka is an intelligent and extremely humble boy who knows how to find strength in difficult moments. He is very critical and strict towards himself and this allows him to improve as he is doing. In a very short period of time he has climbed the ranks and now he knows that this is the year of his consecration”.
After his experience at Napoli, Traoré now plays for Auxerre
“He chose to get involved in France because he knew he had to find continuity and that’s what he’s doing. He is demonstrating what he showed in his time at Sassuolo, a value that made him one of the strongest players in the championship. Some unfortunate events such as a foot injury and an infection contracted in Africa affected his two-year career, preventing him from playing regularly. The footballer we knew and who had attracted the attention of important clubs such as Milan and Arsenal is returning.”