Genoa Club Amsterdam

Trainer Gian Piero Gasperini and his staff selected the following 20 players to open the Serie A season today against Udinese:

3 Goalkeepers: Eduardo, Scarpi and Perin

5 Defenders: Criscito, Dainelli, Moretti, Ranocchia and Tomovic

6 Midfielders: Mesto, Milanetto, Rafinha, Rossi, Veloso and Zuculini

6 Strikers: Destro, Palacio, Palladino, Rudolf, Sculli and Toni

Genoa misses Sassa Bocchetti (99% sure leaves to Russia: Rubin Kazan) and the injured Chico, Kharja, Fatic and Jankovic.

Mr. Preziosi again bought 3 players with international experience, 2 of them (Veloso and Rafinha) play in the team of Mr. Gasperini this season, the 3rd Kevin Prince Boateng of Ghana is rent by Genoa to A.C. Milan. 

Miguel Veloso is a 24 years old midfieldplayer of Sporting Lissabon and the National team of Portugal. After goalkeeper Eduardo another Portugese player in our team who played at the World Cup in South Africa. 

Márcio Rafael Ferreira de Souza is born at 7th September 1985, so he is almost 25 years old. The Brazilian defender plays under the name Rafinha and was bought of Schalke 04 in Germany which team he joined the last 5 seasons. Rafinha also played once in the Brazilian National team.  

In the friendly match against Athletico Bilbao (Spain) last week which gave Genoa the Tropheo Spagnolo (1-0 by a goal of Luca Toni) Giuseppe Sculli said goodbye to the fans because of his dreamtransfer to Inter. Happily for all Genoa-fans the transfer never became definitive, so Beppe stays another season with us.   

Nobody can stop our President Mr. Enrico Preziosi. After the last 2 arrivals: striker Mattia Destro (Inter) and defender Chico (Almeria) he now bought the young striker Gianmarco Zigoni of A.C. Milan and the “new Juric” Argentinan defensive midfieldplayer Franco Zuculini who played with Hoffenheim (Germany) last year. Both players are only 19 years old but very talented and ready to be part of the team of Mr. Gasperini. Later this week we hope that also the last new player, a midfielder, arrives in Neustift. The rumours say this will be or Veloso (Sporting Lissabon) or Boateng (Portsmouth) who both played for their country at the Worldcup in South Africa this summer.

 

Sokratis Papastathopoulus leaves Genoa towards A.C. Milan which pays € 4,5 millon and 50% ownership of 3 very talented players. “Papa” played the 2 seasons with Genoa, 1,5 years as substitute of Giuseppe Biava and since January the Greek was our right-defender. Today Genoa immediately bought his substitute: José Manuel Flores Moreno, named Chico. The 23 years old defender was raised in the youth of C.F. Cadiz and played in the season 2007-2008 in the 2nd team of F.C. Barcelona. Since the summer of 2008 Chico played with Almeria in the Primera Division. Chico is 187 centimeters tall and played 3 matches with the Spanish National team Under 21 years.

After goalkeeper Marco Amelia was hired to A.C. Milan 2 weeks ago, president Preziosi was looking for a new experienced goalkeeper to substitute Amelia. Goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino was very enthusiastic to join our team, but Chievo stopped him. Despite the transfersum of € 4.5 million by his club Sporting Braga our president choose goalkeeper Eduardo, the brilliant goalie of the national team of Portugal. This World-Cup in South Africa keeper Eduardo kept his goal clean in the first round against Brasil, North Corea and Ivory Coast, while he was beaten once by David Villa of Spain in the 1/8 finals. The 27 years old Eduardo signed a 4-years contract with Genoa.  

This week also arrived the striker of the Hungarian national team: Gergely Rudolf. Because his contract with Debreceni ended this summer Genoa did not had to pay a transfersum for this 25 years old player that was also wanted by Ajax.

Besides the new arrivals Toni, Eduardo and Rudolf we can also be happy that Genoa enlarged the stay of Palladino and Jankovic with another year. Also the defenders of the Italian national team: Andrea Ranocchia (renturned to Genoa after he was rent to Bari last year where a played a brilliant season) and Mimmo Criscito (now 100% owned by Genoa) stay with us to try to reach European football this season that starts next Saturday 17th July at the Pegli-trainingfield. The next day Genoa goes to Neustift Stubaital (Austria) just like the last years to prepare for Serie A that starts Sunday 29th August.   

Watch the presentation of the new Marco Borriello and Diego Milito: Luca Toni

As usual Genoa was very bussy at the tranfermarket. Last month Genoa bought and sold 14 players:

Goalkeepers: 

in: Alberto Frison (Vicenza)

out: Danilo Russo (Vicenza) 

Defenders:

in: Dario Dainelli (Fiorentina)

out: Giuseppe Biava (Lazio) and Andrea Esposito (Livorno)

Midfielders:

in: Robert Gucher (Frosinone) and Gergely Rudolf (Debrecen, Hungary; arrives in July)

out: Francesco Modesto (Bologna)

Strikers: 

in: Robert Acquafresca (Atalanta), David Suazo (Inter) and Aleksich (Vojvodina Novisad, Serbia)

out: Hernan Crespo (Parma), Lucho Figueroa (Rosario Central, Argentina) and Sergio Floccari (Lazio)

After all we can say that Genoa has become stronger with a real experienced central defender (Dainelli) that we missed the first half of the season after Matteo Ferrari went to Turkey. Also the fact that long time injured Jankovic, Palladino and Kharja are almost ready to play again makes us stronger. On the other hand it is a pitty we lost real Genoa-players like Beppe Biava and Lucho Figueroa. We wish them a lot of succes with their new teams, just as the other 5 players that left us this month. 

 

With the transfer of Diego Milito to Inter last summer Genoa already became the owner of one of the biggest talents of Italy: Robert Acquafresca. Because of his young age and the fact Genoa already had the central-forwards Floccari and Crespo in the selection, Acquafresca was rent to Atalanta Bergamo, the former team of Sergio Floccari. Now 5 months later Floccari is rent to Lazio, Hernan Crespo is sold to his first love in Italy: Parma and besides Acquafresca Genoa also hired David Suazo of Inter and bought the very talented striker Aleksich (18) of Vojvodina Novisad.

So far this transferperiod Genoa also bought Dario Dainelli (Fiorentina) and the yougsters Matteo Chinellato (also Fiorentina) and Alberto Frison (Vicenza). Besides Floccari and Crespo our President also hired out Andrea Esposito (Livorno), Francesco Modesto (Bologna) and goalkeeper Danilo Russo (Vicenza).   

After a lot of rumours finally our new strong central defender arrived: the 30 years old, 1.91 meters tall captain of Fiorentina: Dario Dainelli. The experienced defender costed Mr. Preziosi € 2,5 million and signed a contract till the summer of 2013.

Genoa plays tomorrow-evening at 18.30 hours in the 1/8 finals of Coppa Italia against Catania, the same opponent we beat last Sunday by 2-0. Mr. Gasperini selected the following 18 players for tomorrows match:

Goalkeepers: Amelia, Scarpi

Defenders: Bocchetti, Esposito, Moretti, Sokratis, Tomovic

Midfielders: Criscito, Fatic, Juric, Milanetto, Modesto, Rossi, Zapater

Strikers: Crespo, Mesto, Suazo, Sculli

Not Klaas Jan Huntelaar of A.C. Milan but the central-striker of Inter: David Suazo must become our goalscorer for the rest of the season. The 30 years old player of Honduras will be rent the next 6 months, while our present striker Sergio Floccari will be hired to Lazio for the rest of the season. Suazo can play his first match Wednesday 6th January in San Siro against A.C. Milan, the team that wanted to buy him 2 years ago.

Sergio Floccari after his goal in Valencia

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