Genoa Club Amsterdam

Our new technical director, Mr. Rino Foschi did it again. After Sokratis Papastathopolous he again bought a central defender to please Mr. Gasperini. Matteo Ferrari is 28 years old and arrives from A.S. Roma where his contract ended this summer. A lot of teams in Europe wanted the experienced defender that already played 11 matches in the Italian national team, but Matteo decided to stay in Italy and to return with the club he already played for in the season 1997-1998 at the beginning of his career. 

With Matteo Ferrari the playerslist of Mr. Gasperini seems complete, because he wants a maximum of 2 players for every position in the team:

Rubinho/Scarpi (+ Lanza)

Potenza/Papastathopoulos; Ferrari/Biava; Criscito/Bocchetti

Mesto/Rossi; Milanetto/Vanden Borre; Paro/Domingo; Modesto/Juric

Gasbarroni/Sculli; Figueroa/Olivera; Palladino/Di Gennaro (+ Di Vaio) 

Enrico Preziosi did it again! Our 14th new arrival was wanted by Ajax, Inter and several other big teams in Europe, but the young Greek international chose Genoa. Yesterday-evening at 21.30 hours the 20 years old Sokratis Papastathopoulos (1.83 high by 82 kilo’s) signed his 5 years contract and he arrives in Genova - to have his medical test - next Wednesday after which he goes to Acqui Terme to meet Mr. Gasperini and his new teammates that beat him yesterday by 1-0. In Greece they say he is the best Greek defender of the last 20 years and unless his age he already plays in the national team.

 

Today Genoa presented the 13th new arrival this summer: talented midfielder Nicolas Domingo. The little 23 years old Argentinian player (1.74) played with River Plate. It looks like Genoa finally has found a subsitute of defender Cesare Bovo who returned to Palermo. In the battle with Ajax, that offered € 3,5 million to AEK Athens, the rumours say that Genoa did the best offer with € 4 million, so the very talented central defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos will wear the Rossoblu shirt in a few days. Will be continued ….

Today Genoa played the second friendly match against the Italian Serie C-2 team: AC Rodengo Saiano. The Gasperini-boys scored 4 times: Sculli and Olivera (twice) before halftime and Palladino after the break. Rubinho and Scarpi stayed unbeaten, so Genoa won by 4-0. The next friendly match is Friday 1st August against AEK Athens, the (ex?) team of Papastathopoulos.

Tonight both father Enrico Preziosi and son Fabrizio Preziosi spoke in an interview about the situation with Genoa, 1 week before the first training at 16th July in Liguria. Both confirmed that another 2 new players will arrive: a stand in to central forward Lucho Figueroa which will be 99% sure the Uruguayan player Ruben Olivera. The old player of Juventus and Sampdoria is 25 years old and 1.82 meters high. He arrived from Uruguay in Italy at the age of 19 in the Juventus Primavera team of Mr. Gasperini who still believes in the capacities and mentality of the international player (22 matches with Uruguay’s national team) who had some bad periods the last years. 

The other new arrival certainly is a big and experienced central defender. 2 players are favorite: Maurizo Domizzi of Napoli and Dario Dainelli of Fiorentina. Will be continued..

Unless the fact he played only 14 minutes in the first team of A.S. Monaco we can say that Genoa bought a very talented striker. Thanks to Federico Pastorello, son of the technical director of Genoa, our Rossoblu club surprised A.S. Monaco and Manchester City that both wanted to offer a contract to the 20 years old youngster. With the Monagask team Pinau only had an ending youth contract, which means that Pinau arrives without a transfersum in Genova. A.S. Monaco is not happy with the clash of Genoa and annulated the arranged friendly match that should take place next month.

Today was finally the presentation of our biggest transfer so far this summer: Raffaele Palladino signed his 4 years contract with Genoa. The very talented wing-striker is now 50% owned by both Genoa and Juventus. The 24 years old player was raised in the youth of Juventus in the hands of Mr. Gasperini. Despite his 24 years he already played 48 matches in Serie A (26 with Juventus, 22 with Livorno) and 64 in Serie B (25 with Juventus, 39 with Salernitana). Till now Raffaele scored 4 times in Serie A and 23 goals in B. 

Also today new arrival Abdelkader Ghezzal was sold to Siena within the deal that also brought Manuel Coppola to Siena (Thanks for all Coppolino, our Genoano of the year 2005-2006) and did return the complete ownership of 19 years old toptalent Fernando Forestieri to Genoa. Forestieri will be hired to Siena next season.

The coach of the Italian Olympic team Casiraghi today published his list with the 22 players that play in the Azzuro shirt at the Olympics. On the list are the 2 talented defenders of Genoa: Salvatore Bocchetti and Domenico Criscito. It is almost sure that Anthony Vanden Borre also will be convocated in the Olympic team of Belgium, which means that 3 Genoani are present in China at the Olympic games.

   

After our central-defenders Bovo (Palermo) and De Rosa (end of contract) left Genoa, Mr. Gasperini and his staff are searching to find 2 substitutes. Youngster Bocchetti is the first arrival, so the second one should be more experienced.

The first candidate is Maurizo Domizzi, the central-defender of Napoli who wants to return to the North of Italy because of his family. Untill now Napoli asks too much money, but today the old team of Maradona went without Maurizio to the trainingscamp in Austria. Maybe this is a sign that the transfer is nearby.

The second candidate is Dario Dainelli, the tall and experienced captain of Fiorentina. This year Fiorentina wants to make the step to the top of Europe and they think they need a new central defender with more international experience. At the moment Fiorentina contracted their international player they sell Dainelli. 

The last option is Marco Rossi, indeed the player with the same name as our captain. The young defender plays with Parma that relegated to Serie B last season and the youth-international wants to stay in Serie A. Maybe Marco Rossi can be changed with Leon because our forward is very popular with Parma.  

Yesterday a Genoa-supporter wrote on the internetsite: www.grifoni.net that he would buy 2 season-tickets if Genoa after the 9 already bought players also would buy Giandomenico Mesto of Reggina. Tomorrow he can go to the ticket-office in Stadio Luigi Ferraris, because this afternoon Mr. Preziosi again made coach Gian Piero Gasperini happy. Mesto is 26 years old and can play both as right defender and right midfielder. The experienced player (the last 5 years he played 165 matches in Serie A) played last season with Udinese after 4 years with Reggina that bought him back of Udinese (with the money of Genoa ?) yesterday. Besides 165 matches in Serie A, Giandomenico also played 3 matches in the Italian national team. As a part of the deal defender Santos and midfieldplayer Fabiano leave Genoa to play with Reggina next season.

Tonight on the radio Pinuccio Brenzini told the listeners that in a short time Genoa hopes to buy the last (?) 2 players of this summer: a big central defender (Dainelli, captain of Fiorentina ?) and a stand in to Lucho Figueroa. Will be continued …

After weeks of speculation and problems between the player and Juventus, today Raffaele Palladino finally arived in Genova to have his medical test and to make the transfer official. Genoa now owns 50% of one of the most talented strikers of Italy and payed around € 5,5 millions for that. The 24 years old player is the 9th new player this summer. Untill now Mr. Preziosi brought the following players to Genoa:

defenders: Giuseppe Biava (31), Salvatore Bocchetti (21), Alessandro Potenza (24)

midfielders: Francesco Modesto (26) and Francesco Renzetti (20)

strikers: Andrea Gasbarroni (26), Davide di Gennaro (20), Abdelkader Ghezzal (23) and Raffaele Palladino (24)

Besides the above mentioned players Genoa also bought back the last year sold 50% of Fernando Forestieri. Genoa now again completely owns the big talent that is hired to Siena next season. Probably Abdelkader Ghezzal goes with him to Toscany.

 

The 20 years old talented Belgium defensive midfieldplayer Anthony Vanden Borre who arrived last January with Genoa and played only 164 minutes in the Rossoblu team last season stays with Genoa. Today Genoa’s president Enrico Preziosi bought the other 50% of the player which was still in the hands of Fiorentina. Coach Mr. Gasperini believes in the progression of the French-speaking ex-player of Anderlecht and Fiorentina. Let’s hope as the official Genoa supportersclub in Belgium (and Holland) we can have an interview with big Anthony next season.

 

As written before also Raffaele Palladino, Matteo Paro and Domenico Criscito play with Genoa next season. The new team of Mr. Gasperini at the moment, 3 weeks before the first training, only misses a big central defender (Domizzi of Napoli ?) and a substitute to central-forward Lucho Figueroa (Olivera of Juventus ? Cacia of Fiorentina ?)

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