Defiant.

“The transfer market campaign made by Juve is full of mistakes,” said Diego in an interview with Sky Italia. “They have lost so much money as well as stars. I hope that in the future they will have a winning project with the understanding that the quality not only belongs to Italian players and that you cannot exclude foreign champions. You cannot win like that. Del Neri was very clear with me, he said he wanted me to stay. During the Trofeo TIM, I scored a nice goal against Milan, I was very happy. Delneri called me into his room.” He said “Remember our discussion in May? I said you were part of my project. Now I am more convinced than ever.” “I interrupted. Mister, if you see me as a starter, I’ll stay at Juve, happily.” Delneri smiled and nodded. “Delneri said we’ll play 4-4-Diego-Striker, you are the man of quality in my system. Only if you played 10 bad games in a row would your position come into dispute.”

Marotta told me that per the wishes of Delneri, I’d stay. “However, I looked at Marotta and understood that he was working in another direction. He was doing everything possible to sell me. Then came the deal with Wolfsburg. A few days before the sale, Delneri came up to me with a disappointed face and said I had to go talk to Marotta. When Delneri told me Marotta wanted to talk, from that moment Delneri’s opinion didnt matter anymore. Marotta was not clear. I always said that I wanted to stay and the coach always told me that he would have played me. If Marotta wanted to sell me he could have done it two months ago (instead of three days before the final day of the transfer window) as it would have been simpler. If Marotta had comported himself in a different manner with me, then we both could have worked on a move and Juve would have netted more money The fact is that Marotta did not behave well with me or with other Juventus champions like Camoranesi or Trezeguet. “Marotta decided to sell me because he wants just Italians and that is the wrong road to go down. Juventus have made a mistake with their signings, a lot of good players have arrived but no champions. Juventus should have been much stronger. The players that have left would have been useful to the next technical project.”

D’oh.

“I received affectionate messages from everyone in the team, more or less. Buffon is a true captain, he will demonstrate again that he is the world’s greatest keeper. Felipe Melo needs to be kept close, and he will give his best. Chiellini is a champion defender, and I think Amauri will return to score many goals this year. As a Brazilian, it is strange to see him wear Azzurro, but you play for who loves you, not who ignores you. Del Piero was always very nice to me, he was a friend. He had nothing to do with my sale. With Alex, there was an incompatibility [in a 4-4-2, obviously] of us both being on the pitch, but this wasn’t an issue. There was no problem between us. When I left, Alex was the first to text me. He wrote, “I’m sorry you’ve left, I’ve never had a problem with you. I wished we could play more together. Best of luck at Wolfsburg.”

Strong words. Giovinco commented as well.

Interviewed on Sky Italia, Giovinco was asked to comment on Diego’s allegations that Juventus weren’t clear with him. “It’s true, the director should have been clearer and they should have been so from the first year that I arrived. Instead, it wasn’t like this. Amen, life goes on. I don’t know how the directors behaved with Diego I think about myself. I wasn’t treated as I expected, but I don’t think about it anymore. I am thinking about doing well here. We’ll see about the future. I hope to do well here to make Juventus change their minds with facts. What I have found here is better than Juventus, above all with respect to last year. Things went badly. It was a difficult period for me, for the team and for the club. It was the ugliest period Juventus have been through, so you can imagine what it was like.”

Z3BINA threw his hat in the ring as well. (Hmmm. Z3BINA, Diego, Giovinco, one of these things is not like the other.)

“It’s useless to rant against someone…..[but]… Although, I must say we didn’t expect any kind of recognition when we went to Serie B. But then we saw how they sent someone like Pavel Nedved home, and at that moment, we knew that we could not be able to expect anything from the club. Something at Juve last year didn’t go right [you think?], surely the players had some of the responsibility, but not as much as came out in the media. Why did the fans last year fight only with the typical players? I don’t know, I never understood it. [Giving the fans the finger doesn't help, JZ] I don’t think that there were only a few disagreements, perhaps it was under the influence of another.”

However, I am only looking to be happy. It only took 10 minutes to convince of Brescia’s project. I hope to follow in the footsteps of some other great Brescia players like Guardiola and Baggio.” [WHAT]

Evidently, there’s been some kind of communication breakdown.

Since we have the view of the market from one side (thank you MAD), I thought I would present it from the other – a view that is probably not as popular – but I feel just as valid. I cant help but feel a little frustrated at the club’s lack of foresight and almost total non participation in the incoming side of the summer market. I understand the need for fiscal responsibility and that one shouldn’t purchase just for the sake of making the fans happy. Still, I dont feel that those ideas and keeping the club competitive with a couple targeted signings are mutually exclusive. Also, what about the new coach? One has to feel for poor Rafa Benetiz. Here he thinks he has finally escaped Liverpool’s crippling economic problems only to find that he has no support at Inter either. Just like at Anfield, he is told to make do. Having to walk in Mourinho’s 50-foot-tall shadow is hard enough, add to that the total disregard for his requests by the club and it begins to feel like Benitez is being set up for failure. And Branca and Moratti aren’t helping matters. Saying things like Inter didn’t participate in the market because they dont need to and this market was a success because we retained Maicon just makes me more angry. I am willing to put up with quite a lot of double speak from club officials, but dont give me cat food and tell me that it’s pâté – that is just insulting.

Right here, at the very start, let me say that my anger and disappointment has absolutely nothing to do with the market of other clubs. This is a purely internal issue. I dont care who Milan or Roma or Juve or anyone has brought in. I am concerned solely with Inter and what this means for Inter’s furture.

Now that we have that out of the way…

The market results as tallied by La Gazzetta dello Sport:

This is slightly incorrect as it doesn’t show Obinna going back out on loan, but the numbers are probably right. Our most expensive purchase was the othe half of Biabiany while our biggest sale was Balotelli. In the end, Inter come out 48.8 million euro ahead. La Gazzetta gave the Inter market a grade of 6. They are being kind.

As we can see, Inter made some bank this market. Coutinho does not come into this tally as his contract was bought two years ago.

For anyone who has been watching Inter’s market this summer, it is clear that the club’s first priority was selling. The price was set on all the players (except maybe Zanetti, one hopes), and there was a take it or leave it stance. I got the impression that the club was not exactly happy when Manchester City and Real Madrid started haggling for players. Inter expected them to happily pony up the cash. I also think that if Milito had performed better at the World Cup, he would not be with Inter now (whether that is a good or bad thing is up for debate and largely beside the point here).

If not for the FIGC ruling, Matias Aguirregaray would be an Inter player now while Maicon would be in Madrid.

The next big blow in Inter’s summer market was the FIGC’s inane ruling that only one non-EU player could be transferred in from outside Italy. Inter had lined up a Maicon replacement from Uruguay and all they were waiting for was Real Madrid. With the ruling, that deal had to be abandoned and it became increasingly more difficult to work a deal for Maicon. It also meant that the demand for players inside of Italy increased, as lower and mid-table clubs were no longer allowed to bring in relatively low-cost South American replacements for the players they had developed and were now ready to sell on to bigger teams. With higher demand comes higher prices and many players we heard were in Branca’s notebook were effectively priced off the market. Similarly, due to UEFA’s Fair Play rules, many clubs are scrambling to pay down debts and so are trying to get top dollar for their assets. This effectively raised the price for other transfer targets (like Mascherano and Kuyt) to such an extent that Inter felt they just were not “worth it.”

I understand that it is foolish to buy players that are overpriced or “just because,” but the team (no matter what they won last year) is in desperate need for at least a striker. In the best case scenario, Inter would also pick up a left back and a midfielder. What did the club do? Not a whole lot. Rafa had very modest requests (considering). He wanted a defensive midfielder so the defense could play higher and a striker to replace Balotelli. If possible, specifically Mascherano and Kuyt from Liverpool.

Spoiled brat or not, his goals last season brought in 8 points. Who will bring home those points now?

There was a long, drawn out affair over Mascherano, in the end he went to Barcelona for 24 million euro. I dont know how much Inter offered, but according to Hodgeson, it was so low as to not even be considered a real offer. He speculated that Branca faxed the offer were “just to satisfy some manager.” They didn’t even respond because they “consider[ed] this offer ridiculous.” (and that some manager remark – ouch. Not nice, Hodgeson, not nice at all)

I think Inter also made some half-hearted attempts to bring Kuyt in, but those also felt like we were going through the motions just to say we had. Basically, if Liverpool would let them go for what we were willing to pay (which was Muntari and a small amount of cash), then Rafa would get his wish. If not, we would look elsewhere. There was talk of Sculli and Inler (Sculli even had a tearful goodbye with the fans), but for some undisclosed reason, they fell through. Similarly, Forlan came up a few times – surely he could make a difference off the bench for Inter, but Atletico Madrid didn’t want to sell him. Or at least not for what was offered.

This guy could help a bit. And at 4 million euro, it would be a steal.

On the last day of the market, rumor is that Real Madrid offered Rafael van der Vaart to Inter after a deal fell through, but Moratti had his heart set on Forlan or Aguero so said no deal. Let’s be clear here: van der Vaart went to Tottenham for 8 million pounds, about 10 million euro. Real Madrid gave Inter a 6 million euro coupon to use towards the purchase of a player as part of the settlement for Mourinho. That means Inter could have gotten a creative attacking midfield option for an outlay of 4 million euro. How is that not a good, fiscally responsible deal?

So where does that leave Inter? In my opinion, in a very precarious situation. The failure to act over the summer in any meaningful way means that not only do we have a new coach who may well feel abandoned by his management, but many of the fans are unhappy, at least one of the players feels let down, and Inter’s biggest asset (and a large part of our recent success) – our fabled depth – is no more.

This is not depth, this is mediocrity.

Inter’s starting 11 right now includes all three of our legitimate striking options. Suazo is still on the books largely because his salary in relation to his skill makes him unsellable. He is, for all intents and purposes, a 3.5-million-euro-a-year door stop. He didn’t make the Champions League list and and I hope he doesn’t see the field this season. Quite simply, he is not good enough and the fact that he has become an option demonstrates just how disastrous this market truly was. Inter’s only real off the bench forward is Biabiany. Last year with Parma he played 29 Serie A games and had 6 goals and 3 assists. He shows a lot of pace, but doesn’t have Balotelli’s physical presence and has no European experience at all. Basically, he may be someone to work in now and then, but as of yet, he doesn’t appear to be a game-changer.

In the midfield, we have a ton of players, but not a whole lot of real options. For creativity, there is Sneijder, Thiago Motta, Coutinho and arguably, Stankovic. Of those four, really only Sneijder is, for want of a better term, “world class.” Deki was and has his brief moments, but cannot be counted on. Thiago Motta could be but cannot stay healthy long enough to make a real impact. The knee injury that kept him from playing at Barcelona has come back and he will be out at least until October. After that, who knows. I think it would be a mistake to rely on him. Coutinho is very very young and has even less experience than Biabiany. He needs at least a season (probably two) to find his way. So, if Sneijder picks up another ankle injury during his time with the Dutch NT this weekend, the only option is Stankovic. If that doesn’t send a shiver down your spine, I dont know what will. By the way, I know that technically Mancini is an attacking forward/winger, but that man is even more of a waste of space than Suazo (also for 3.5 million euro). He is an embarrassment to the team and I am gobsmacked that he was included on the CL list. Joel Obi fits somewhere in here as well, and while he shows promise, I dont know how much actual responsibility he is ready for.

He has exactly 36 Serie A minutes. Let’s not crush the kid under the weight of our expectations. Give him a few games until you dub him the next great thing.

Defensive midfielders are a bit more tricky. Since we didn’t get a leftback or the defensive midfielder Rafa wanted, everything hinges on Santon’s and Maicon’s fitness. With both available, Zanetti would be free to partner Cambiasso in the midfield. Between the two of them and Mariga, I think we are pretty well covered. The only problem is, Santon’s fitness and play level are, at this point, a complete unknown. If Zanetti has to cover more in defense, that means most of our depth in the holding midfield role will have to come from the newley promoted Nwankwo. Once again, depending on a first-year youth player is an awful lot of pressure for the kid.

Inter’s defense is old. Under Mou, that wasn’t much of a problem but with Rafa’s new mystery system (of doom), it appears the defense will have to cover a lot more ground. Hopefully, Rafa will realize that this plays exactly to our weaknesses and not at all to our strengths. With Chivu stranded at left back for who knows how long, our youngest central defender is Lucio (May 1978) followed closely by Samuel (March 1978). Neither, though, are particularly boyish although both are still more than capable. Should anything befall either of them, though, there are only the old stand-byes of Cordoba and Materazzi – and in this case I do mean old – as backup. Either (or both) are ok for a game here or there, maybe even an appearance off the bench, but the thought of having to rely on either for any meaningful amount of time makes my stomach churn. I shudder to think of what will happen should Rafa get it into his mind to try his old rotation policy. Things look a bit better with the addition of Santon to the squad. Should that ever happen, Chivu could be used as cover for the central defense and we would not have to worry that Materazzi will inadvertently break someone’s leg.

Will this boy ever come back to us? Or has his body betrayed him?

And for the record, Nelson Rivas doesn’t count. For some reason, he turned down a move to Cessena on the last day of the transfer market. For what possible purpose, I dont know. He is not on the CL list and if I never see him in an Inter jersey again, it will be too soon.

Keeper is the one position I actually feel ok about. I am thrilled with Julio Cesar and I think Castellazzi still has a lot of catch left in his hands. That is, we have some actual cover here. Depth even. Yay!

Holy Cow! The club actually plugged a whole with Castellazzi’s purchase. Good for you, club. Now tell me again why we didn’t get a forward.

Ok after all that, you can see why I am just a little worried. Sure, we have some good players. Yes, they will most likely do at least alright in the league. Do we have the depth to mount a legitimate challenge again for the treble? Probably not. I am not at all convinced we even have the drive to win the league this year – which isn’t too much of a tragedy considering the last 5 years. I know that bothers many of you, but I cant help but think that the cold, hard truth is that between losing Mourinho and Balotelli, and hamstringing our new coach, we just will not have what it takes. I am not complaining, simply stating what I believe to be the truth. The sad state of affairs that sees players like Mancini actually making our champions league list is proof enough that real depth is a thing of the past for Inter. A poorly timed tackle or two on key players will see this whole squad come down like a house of cards.

Poor guy. Out of the Liverpool pan and into the Inter fire. I bet he isn’t smiling any more.

As for Rafa, who knows what that will do to him. Rumor is he is angry and I dont blame him. He may be perfectly adequate, but he is not a miracle worker and given that he will not even be afforded the opportunity to actually try his tactics (apparently we dont have the correct players), it sure looks like he is being set up for failure. Not to mention he was leaving a financial meltdown at Liverpool to come to a team where I would bet he thought he would be supported. Instead, he is in a very similar situation but with even less power. At least at Liverpool he could actually choose the players they wouldn’t bring in. At Inter, he cant even do that. I legitimately feel badly for Benitez. He isn’t known for being, well, a winner, and here he is being asked to start from two paces back. Not nice, not nice at all. I wonder if he will quit or stick it out and take the abuse (because the press will hammer him if he doesn’t win).

Look, I understand that Inter is in debt and we cannot go on forever spending. I applaud that the club is finally doing something positive for its financial future. At the same time, you cannot hope to actually win anything without moving forward, even if that move just provides the psychological boost the squad (and coach) require. The roster we have right now has about 13 players – 15 including Thiago Motta and Santon – who are good enough to challenge at the top. That leaves very little wiggle room. I would argue that when it comes to forwards that leaves no room at all.

I am ok with aiming for the top 3 in the league and maybe the quarterfinals of the champions league (and that is if we are lucky). What I am not ok with is having the club tell me that everything is moonbeams and roses and Inter is the strongest team in Europe so I should just sit down and smile like a good girl. Inter was the strongest team in Europe, but in football, things change quickly and teams must either keep up or they will be left behind. Dont talk down to the fans by telling us that no investments were made because there were none that were up to snuff or that keeping the players the team already owns is the same as investing in the roster. There are players that would and could help, and were available at a good price, they just weren’t exciting enough for Moratti to changes his plans of paying down as much debt as possible to comply with the new rules. Which is a great plan. I dont need big-name signings, but I do want honesty from the club and realistic goals. We had a great run and now it is time to hunker down and pay the price for all that glory. I get it. Just dont insult my intelligence by telling me otherwise.

Win or lose, I love this team. And hell, you never know, I could be 100% wrong. It has happened before.

FORZA INTER

A little Tripletta juice to help us get through the dry times:

Now that the transfer window is officially shut, we know what our team will be for the season. (Or at least until January) The real evaluations of the mercato will come in January, or more likely, by May, but here I will do some preliminary grading. I’ve put a poll for each player as well, so you can weigh in on your thoughts statistically, as well as verbally down in the comments section. For now, we’re going to ignore sales in this factor, so Diego, Giovinco, and Trezeguet won’t factor in.

What Rating Do You Give Marco Storari’s Transfer?customer surveys

Marco Storari: A- Given San Gigi is out until January, we knew we needed a new keeper. The fact that we signed one even better than Manninger, and one who was Serie A’s best performing keeper last year is excellent. The only demerit on my part is 4.5million seems like a hefty chunk of change to spend on a 33-year old reserve keeper.

What Rating Do You Give Simone Pepe’s Transfer?online survey

Simone Pepe: C Keeping Pepe’s rating from being a C- is the fact that he is one of the many that we signed on loan, thus, there is the hope he will not remain, although 2.5million for a loan is more of a “down payment” than a true loan. I understand we need depth, and Pepe fulfills that, but I have been more disappointed that I was expecting to be. Against Bari, seemingly none of his crosses or passes found their man, and he ran a lot, but that’s not good enough. Maybe he’ll come good…but I’m not holding my breath.

What Rating Do You Give Davide Lanzafame’s Transfer?customer surveys

Davide Lanzafame: B For all the talk and lament about Giovinco leaving, there has been little applause for the fact that another Juventus youth product has come home. And he’s grown a lot, too. Lanzafame has been traveling around the peninsula since age 20, when he played a very successful Serie B campaign with Bari. Last year, he had a solid season at Parma, scoring 7 goals in 27 appearances (and only 14 starts) and has returned home to Torino. I’ve watched him since his 07-08 season in Bari, and he has enormous potential. Has a good eye for goal, good pace, and decent dribbling ability. I think he’s been one of the better wingers in preseason, and we’ve only started to scratch the surface of his potential. Let’s just hope he gets playing time.

What Rating Do You Give Leonardo Bonucci’s Transfer?survey software

Leonardo Bonucci: A- His critics will tell you that Ranocchia was better last season, and has more potential. That’s true, and I would have loved to see Andrea come to the good side, but unfortunately Canna’s horror show and looming retirement meant we needed to sign the healthy one. He doesn’t complement Chiellini as well as Ranocchia would (Ranocchia more a ball-playing sweeper, Bonucci more of a hardman like Giorgio) but either way, he’s a very good young player. Bonucci’s had an average start to his Juve career, he makes some hasty/poor tackles, but this is his 2nd season in Serie A, and his 1st at a big club. It will take time for him to integrate. The price tag is high, but I’m f***ing satisfied that finally, we spilled out for a defender.

What Rating Do You Give Jorge Martinez’s Transfer?Market Research

Jorge Martinez: B Martinez has, in my opinion, come under the most unwarranted criticism this transfer campaign. 12mil is a large amount of money, but I would rate him around 10mil, not that bad of a deal for someone who has scored 22 goals in 86 games. Jorge has a nice amount of tricks here and there, and can play both wings. My concerns are primarily the fact that he’s been woefully out of shape at camp and is now injured with a knee problem, but I think he’s a quality “reserve” for the future otherwise. Considering he costs 2mil more than Simone Pepe would eventually cost…well, he’s far more talented. Decent pickup, I think.

What Rating Do You Give Marco Motta’s Transfer?Market Research

Marco Motta: B I’ve always questioned Marco Motta’s skill, it seems like Amauri his entire reputation is riding on a very good 3 months, with his fans ignoring the subsequent disastrous year and a half. I’ve been moderately impressed with what I’ve seen thus far, though. Both his attacking and defending need refinement, I think he’s an upgrade on what we had, and still has potential. It’s up to him to seize it, but paying 5mil for him overall is not a bad deal.

What Rating Do You Give Milos Krasic’s Transfer?online surveys

Milos Krasic: A In a tremendously overpriced market, Krasic is a good signing at 15mil. He’s no Pavel Nedved, but I think Krasic will come good. Adjusting to Serie A from the Russian league will take time, though, so don’t be surprised if he gets the Bidone d’Oro in December and then is widely acknowledged as a master signing next spring. Fast as hell, occasional eye for goal, good crossing, Krasic is a quality signing and one I am very excited about.

What Rating Do You Give Milos Krasic’s Transfer?online survey

Alberto Aquilani: A Of course this grade all depends on his health, but given the 9-hour medical he underwent, can’t blame Marotta for signing him. Very much the type of player we needed to add in midfield, someone with quality and skill, an eye for a shot and a good pass. Marchisio has been in relatively poor form recently, so maybe the Aquilani competition will jog him up, but either way, Aquilani is a creative central midfielder and that’s what we needed this summer.

What Rating Do You Give Fabio Quagliarella’s Transfer?customer surveys

Fabio Quagliarella: B- There’s a lot of questions about this move for me, for example, is Fabio worth 15million euros, and can he finally deliver consistent performances? Or the age old question, can he make it at a big club? Last year was a pretty poor one for Fabio at Napoli, it appears the weight of being the hometown boy and the refusal of certain members of the squad to accept him (Hamsik) hurt his performances. Can he deliver at Juventus, or did we just waste 4.5million euros (and his salary) on a loan?

What Rating Do You Give Leandro Rinaudo’s Transfer?online surveys

Leandro Rinaudo: B I know what some of you will say…Rinaudo is a rubbish player and not Juventus quality. Both are legitimate statements. He’s our 4th CB, which we needed, and on loan with no obligation to buy. Moreso, his poor performances at Napoli can probably be attributed partially to the 3-man defense which he is not cut out for, just as Bocchetti and Moretti look(ed) average at Genoa in their leaky defense. 5mil seems a bit high to sign him for, he’s not worth that much, but again, there’s no obligation and I’d rather see Rinaudo step in to play CB in February than Grygera or Motta.

What Rating Do You Give Armand Traore’s Transfer?online survey

Armand Traore: D Absolutely makes no sense to me. First, why would Wenger let a 20-year old go? Arsenal fans say he is decent going forward, but poor defensively. And that’s in the EPL. I could understand if we had a veteran player, the merits of signing a young inexperienced kid to learn from him, but why reinforce De Ceglie, aka “a defensively raw inexperienced left-back” with another one? Supposedly he played left-wing at Portsmouth to some acclaim, but all in all, this move just makes little sense to me. Not entirely writing this kid off, but from what I’ve been told, we’d probably be better off playing Grosso.

What Rating Do You Give to Our Overall Signings?survey software

Overall Signings: B+ Could the mercato have been better? Sure. But after Aquilani’s signing, I said ideally I’d like a left-back, a center-back, and a striker. We got 2/3, and I’m glad we didn’t sign Borriello in full…in addition to all the previous work Marotta did. The only signings I really do not like are Traore and Pepe, but thankfully both are on loan and should be considered reserves. In rebuilding the team, Marotta perhaps opted for “quantity over quality” but to take a team that finished in 7th place with record amounts of goals and losses, that’s what needs to be done.

What Rating Do You Give Overall to Beppe Marotta?online survey

Beppe Marotta: B- This category kind of meshes with the above, but the above is about signings, this is about overall work. I agree that there are questions over the quality in our squad, but there is no doubt this team should be able to get into the Champion’s League. And I agree that perhaps letting Trezeguet, Diego, and Caceres leave when they could have been influential was a mistake. However, remember Krasic, Storari, Bonucci, and Martinez are the only ones we own, the rest can leave if they don’t cut it this season. The squad is younger (youngest in Serie A), we rebuilt the wings, and offloaded high salary players like Tiago, Z3BINA (finally), Poulsen, Trezeguet, Camoranesi, Cannavaro and (d’oh) Diego, to create a lot more salary space for future signings. Marotta had a LOT of work cut out for him- defense, wings, bring down the age, and offload players, and he did them all pretty well, hard to expect a perfect record in each category. Marotta is in his first season at a big club. He’s got things to learn as well, though I think his negotiating and recognition of the team’s needs are encouraging.

The mercato closed tonight with little fanfare. Roque Santa Cruz remains with Manchester City, leaving our fourth striker job in the hands of the inexperienced and probably under-prepared Libor Kozak.

Emilson Cribari has joined Napoli on a permanent basis. In the end, we got 500.000 euro for him, which is about a third of what Lotito wanted. He has signed a one-year deal with an option for a second. I’d like to thank Cribari for his service to the blue and white shirt. He was once a relatively reliable defender, who famously put his well-being on the line when he played Champions league qualifiers with a broken cheekbone. In the end, it all went wrong for him, but he served the club well in his time.

Riccardo Perpetuini’s loan move to Triestina didn’t go through, meaning he won’t get the experience and regular football all young talents need.

Fabio Firmani is also staying meaning that, with he and Perpetuini, there will actually be two die-hard Lazio supporting gladiators in the squad this season. I like this. I like it a lot.

Albano Bizzarri is still around. The Argentine has gone from being one of the best ‘keepers in Serie A, to playing third fiddle to Nando Muslera and Tommaso Berni.

Riccardo Bonetto’s move to Livorno fell through, thanks to a difference of 40.000 euro in wages. There was no interest at all for Christian Manfredini. Alberto Quadri, Lucas Correa and Ivan Artipoli are still in Rome as well. In reality, none of these five will have any part to play at all this season, so the real losers of the mercato are the players (with the exception of Manfredini, who earns ridiculous wages for a player of his calibre which he wouldn’t get anywhere else.)

So, all that leaves us with a squad of 33.

Portieri: 86 Fernando Muslera, 12 Tommaso Berni, 1 Albano Bizzarri

Difensori: 26 Stefan Radu, 3 Andre Dias, 20 Giuseppe Biava, 21 Mobido Diakitè, 13 Guglielmo Stendardo, Ivan Artipoli

Esterni: 2 Stephan Lichtsteiner, 14 Javier Garrido, 81 Simone Del Nero, 5 Lionel Scaloni, 39 Luis Pedro Cavanda, 79 Riccardo Bonetto, 68 Christian Manfredini

Centrocampisti: 24 Cristian Ledesma, 11 Matuzalem, 8 Hernanes, 6 Stefano Mauri, 80 Mark Bresciano, 32 Cristian Brocchi, 15 Alvaro Gonzalez, 4 Fabio Firmani, 16 Riccardo Perpetuini, 23 Mourad Meghni, 55 Lucas Correa, Alberto Quadri

Attaccanti: 22 Sergio Floccari, 9 Tommaso Rocchi, 10 Mauro Zarate, 17 Pasquale Foggia, 18 Libor Kozak

Today was the final day of the transfer market, and that meant sporting directors from all over Italy crammed into the ATA Quark Hotel in Milan and scrambled to make last minute deals before the 7 pm deadline. Some directors found what they were looking for, others did not. If you missed any of the transfers from today, visit my Twitter. I updated all the most notable transfers today and you can go back and read what transpired. It was a busy day, so let’s see who were the winners and losers in today’s mad dash in Milan.

WINNERS

MILAN

The arrival of Ibra was enough to make Milan fans excited. But Robinho too? That was just icing on the cake. Milan went from easily having the worst transfer market to easily having the best. They managed to sell both Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Marco Borriello, making enough money from both transfers to autofinance the Ibra deal or even the Robinho deal (their choice). What was the best news for Milan though? Finally getting rid of Kahka Kaladze and his ridiculously large contract where he made millions to sit in the stands and watch games. Lots of optimism from a Milan point of view

MARCO BORRIELLO

Yes, he left Milan, but that was a winning choice. If he had stayed he would probably have been Ibra’s backup and wouldn’t see much playing time. That would have led to unhappiness and probably bad performances. The move to Roma reignites his morale and allows him to get consistent playing time. Roma finally get the big physical presence up front they need, and he’s not 150 pounds overweight. Roma fans should just hope his on-again/off-again relationship with Belen Rodriguez that’s all over the Italian gossip pages works out, or else he may get depressed and start playing bad.

LUIS JIMENEZ

Every summer we hear about this poor guy’s story and how he can’t seem to get out of his seemingly never-ending contract with Lega Pro side Ternana. He gets demoralized and threatens to leave Italy and never play here again and how he’s going to bring legal action against Ternana, but in the end he always winds up on loan at some club. And he we go again. New boys Cesena decided to give him a go this time around, and have obtained the Chilean’s services on loan with an option to buy in June for 8 million euro. If they don’t exercise that option, be prepared to hear Jimenez’s story all over again.

SAMPDORIA

Yes, they didn’t have a good transfer campaign at all, but today they fall in the winner’s column for not selling Giampaolo Pazzini. There were rumors that Juventus would make one last desperate attempt for Il Pazzo but that really would have made Sampdoria look really stupid. The blucerchiati’s main goal during this transfer window was to keep hold of Palombo, Pazzini, and Cassano and they managed to do that. Mission Accomplished.

PARMA

Tomasso “Fat Man” Ghirardi is really serious about making Parma compete for a Europa League spot. Today the Gialloblu signed Udinese midfielder and Italy international Antonio Candreva out of nowhere. Candreva will fit in nicely in Parma’s midfield, and caps off a spectacular transfer campaign by the Gialloblu this summer. This year’s squad is the closest thing Parma fans will get to the 90’s Parma that they admired for a decade.

LOSERS

JUVENTUS

Marotta went out looking for a big physical center forward today. He didn’t manage to find one. He tried to get Borriello and agreed to terms with Milan, but Borriello himself canceled the deal saying he didn’t want to go anywhere on loan, it had to be a permanent sale. He was looking for another central defender, and found Leandro Rinaudo. Rinaudo is not bad but not good either. If you asked me 2 years ago that Rinaudo would be a Juventus player one day, I would have laughed. It’s ok, I still laughed when I read it today. Marotta also got left back Armand Traore from Arsenal, but he’s an unknown quantity at the moment. Look on the bright side, at least Zebina is gone.

BRESCIA

Speaking of Zebina, terrible signing from Brescia. A few days ago Brescia owner Corioni said a player like Zebina would never come to Brescia. Well he was mistaken. Brescia’s defense is their weakness, and instead of signing someone that could help they sign Zebina, who is at Brescia to waltz around the pitch and collect his paycheck. What’s even more sad to say is that Zebina is actually better then any of Brescia’s current defenders. At least games involving Brescia will have goals.

DONI AND MARCHETTI

Both goalkeepers basically knew that if they did not go anywhere today, they would be benchwarmers all season. Result? They will be benchwarmers all season (or until January at least). Doni apparently was really close to signing for Fulham, but their wasn’t enough time to complete the deal. Marchetti had some interest from abroad but the only concrete offer came from Roma, who offered to take him on loan with an option to buy. Cagliari refused, and Marchetti stays put. So basically, Marchetti goes from playing at the World Cup to being Cagliari’s third goalkeeper, all because of a stupid argument with Cellino. This is going to be a long four months for Marchetti.

GENOA

Genoa were not a loser during the whole transfer market, because they had a spectacular transfer market. Today they were losers though, because Preziosi kept hinting at bringing in a surprise signing at the last minute but he never did. Usually when Preziosi says he’s going to sign someone he’s telling the truth, but this time he decided to lie. Unless that surprise signing was Kaladze, who may be the worst surprise signing ever.

From Juventus.com:

Juventus Football Club has announced the consensual rescinding of the contract of footballer Mauro German Camoranesi.

When football is an art

Just like an Argentine tango, made of rhythm, improvisation and passion: this is the football of Mauro German Camoranesi, the football which the Juventus supporters admired and loved for 8 seasons during which “Camo” delighted them with his class and fantasy. 288 appearances with Juventus and 32 goals scored and many more goals which he helped his mates score thanks to his precise crosses, assists and his intuitions which would have been science fiction to others but which for him were just one of the many solutions available within his immense technical baggage.

Three scudetti and 2 Italian Super Cups: these are the trophies he won in bianconero besides a Serie B championship which Mauro accepted to take part in notwithstanding the title of World Champion which he had just won in Berlin with the Italian national team which he was eligible for thanks to a great grandfather who emigrated to Argentina from Pro Potenza Picena at the end of the 1800s. Joyful and available with his team mates, reserved and well spoken with the media, Mauro was never the diva type and never liked to make big statements or public appearances. He always preferred to let his dribbling and his velvet like right-footed shot to speak for him. It will now be the turn of other stadiums to appreciate his right-footed shot but whoever loves Juve will always remember him with affection and gratitude.

Compared with:

Zebina’s contract rescinded
Juventus Football Club has announced that the contract of footballer Jonathan Zebina has been consensually rescinded

Rather different tributes, eh. And thus it will also be on the Juventus Offside. A tribute to the great Mauro Camoranesi will come up later, who has left for Stuttgart. Not sure whether trashing or silence is deserved for Zebina.

Grazie, Mauro. In bocca al lupo.

When asked if he’ll stay at the club, Borriello said: “I don’t know, I am at the height of my career. I have to make a decision. A great champion has arrived and so the space for me is limited.” Milan talisman Clarence Seedorf believes his team-mate should keep a cool head. “For me, Borriello must stay calm. There are still a few days until the end of the market. I don’t like this way of doing things. I would like it if the market were closed already in July. It’s not right that a season starts and you still don’t know where you might end up.”

What do I think about this move? Meh. Same as Quagliarella. It is proving that unfortunately, Beppe Marotta does not have a master plan, and we should seriously question his evaluation of some players quality. I don’t think Quagliarella or Borriello are “Juve-quality” players, nor do either of them merit a 16mil transfer fee.

However, is Borriello better than Amauri? Given the last year, in which Marco scored 14 goals and Amauri 5, yes. The biggest question for Borriello should be the same as Aquilani- injuries. In 08-09, Borriello spent nearly the entire season with Nesta on the treatment table. If he can stay healthy, well, Borriello is the best of a Serie A’s most profligate group of strikers. He’s no Pazzini, but considering it appears Marotta is unable to nab Pazzo, he might be the “least worst striker.”

The other question we should have about this move is it’s effect on future mercati. All these loan moves with right-to-buys are great, but between Pepe, Motta, Borriello, Quagliarella, and Aquilani, we’d have about 55mil in signings next summer. Which kind of precludes future signings. All of these players seem to be solid players for the current season of rebuilding, but can we create a future Juventus with these players?

Ideally, I’d take Borriello on loan…and then just not sign him next summer, unless he makes a hell of an impact. Or more ideally, rather than sign Quagliarella and Borriello, two strikers at their peak (and not real champions) we’d have kept Trezeguet, Diego, and our 30million in transfer fees…