Now that the fuss for the disappointing showing at Euro 2008 has died down, the focus is slowly shifting towards the next Serie A season.

Juventus have been possibly the most active club signing Amauri from Palermo and Knezevic from Livorno as well as being linked to a host of other not least Xabi Alonso who has been on the 'verge' of signing for the past three weeks now.

A surprising feature of their transfer strategy has been the willingness with which they've been getting rid their young players. A year back the likes of Rafaele Palladino, Davide Lanzafame, Cristiano Paro, Domenico Criscito were being mentioned as the future of the club, now they've all been sold. Something that cannot be said of Tiago with no one apparently interested in him no matter how hard Juve try to pimp him.

Inter have been surprisingly quite, with their only notable arrival being that of Jose Mourinho. They've been linked to quite a few players - Frank Lampard and Riccardo Quaresma in particular - but haven't realy made any serious moves.

The opposite applies to AC Milan. They started off well by getting Mathieu Flamini and then were linked with Ronaldinho in Berlusconi's usual pre-election ploy. The 'deal' promptly fell through once Berlusconi was elected and since then they've been linked to a number of top level strikers only to drop their interest as soon as they are told that they're going to cost them anything more then a fiver. They have signed Marco Boriello from Genoa, even if they don't seem to enamoured with him.

AS Roma have permanently signed Mirko Vucevic along with Chelsea favourite John Arne Riise. Napoli have discovered that buying Argentines makes their fans happy so have been focusing on that, although the arrival of Cristiano Maggio will be a good one.

The summer has also been livened up by the fans' protests at Atalanta where they weren't too happy at the return of Cristian Vieri who the claim two years ago used the club to regain full fitness before going off to Fiorentina. Similar protests have been going off in Turin after the news of the club's potential interest in Inter's Dejan Stankovic.

Finally, the Lega and FIGC have agree to allow one more non-EU player (extra-comunitario) to play in the Serie A. Takes me back to the eighties when each summer there would be talk of whether clubs would be allowed any more foreigners.

Ah, very glad someone started this.

Though you have somehow omitted the club that virtually all observers (including those much more impartial than I am) consider to have had the most successful mercato to date.

Fiorentina: Gilardino, Vargas, Melo, Jovetic. Now all they have to do is agree extensions for Frey and Mutu (though if Corvino is actually able to convince Roma to part with Perrotta and 13 million euro for the latter, I will be happy to drive Mutu to Trigoria).

The future is bright. The future is purple.

another viola fan here

any word on any uk tv deals next season now that channel 5 have dropped their coverage ?

QUOTE:
The opposite applies to AC Milan. They started off well by getting Mathieu Flamini and then were linked with Ronaldinho in Berlusconi's usual pre-election ploy. The 'deal' promptly fell through once Berlusconi was elected

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=553566&sec=europe&cc=5901

Fiorentina: hope springs eternal!

Palladino and Criscito are probaly not quite good enough for Juve, he said somewhat arrogantly. Sorry.

Lanzafame's is a comproprietà deal so if he does the business in Palermo I hope he will still end up a Juve man one day soonish. It will benefit him playing regularly, if he does, of course.

I think Juve may have sent him out on loan this season, like they did with Marchisio and Giovinco last season, but wanted Amauri very much so had to make a different type of deal. Hopefully.

Matteo Paro, I personally liked quite a bit when given a good run in serie B by Juve and I was disappointed he went.

Giovinco and Marchisio are back and should get a proper chance this season, if Cobolli Gigli is to be believed. I hope so, especially Giovinco, as I am very keen on Juve starting to give young'uns a good go in numbers.

Palermo have been the most active though in Seria A, losing the likes of Amauri, Barzagli, Zaccardo and replcaing them with Liverani, Lanzafame and a host of others.

Surprised Barzagli and Zaccardo ended up in Wolfsburg, did they get a major injection of cash this summer? I heard they are after Di Natale aswell. Apperently Barzagli picked them over his hometown club Fiorentina.

pengedragon wrote:

QUOTE:
any word on any uk tv deals next season now that channel 5 have dropped their coverage ?

They've done WHAT?! They were even quieter about that than when they bought the bloody thing last year!

After one season? Are you sure? What are we meant to do with our Sunday afternoons now?

yes, definitely true

hopefully someone will pick it up soon

Celtic have been linked with a move for a young Roma left back, Vitornio Antues. Is he any good?

Aren't Setanta going to screen it now?

Milan have never really been very sure what to make of Marco Borriello have they. I think there is a mentality at the club that he's not really their sort of player - i.e. pretty to look at with a bit of elegance with Inzaghi given an honourable exemption for his long service.

I'd reckon they are probably a little bemused at his progress and probably not all that enthused they are pretty much compelled to recall him and give him a shot. Expect him to be a regular on the bench next season except for Coppa Italia matches and then sold on next summer when his name is still strong enough to command a decent fee.

DingDong, Wolfsburg are controlled by Volkswagen, which has again decided that that building a successful football club is a relatively cheap way to "build their brand", especially outside of Germany. And Luca Toni's success at Bayern has made Italians the flavour of month in the Bundesliga; thus the exodus to Wolfsburg (which is pretty much nothing but the VW headquarters and factory).

Is it wolfsburg or Duisburg that is the centre of calabrian mafia activity in germany? I can vaguely remember an article about how for some reason the Italian team felt compelled to base their 2006 wc training camp in a city where a large number of calabrians were gunned down at dinner.

pawlu wrote:

QUOTE:
Aren't Setanta going to screen it now?

Setanta in the UK? Don't think anything to that affect has been announced, has it?

aiatl, it's Duisburg.

And the executions were more than a year after the World Cup.

There wouldn't have been any point going there after everyone was dead i suppose. I was talking to someone from the next village over from san luca (?) at a party about four or five months ago. What an exciting life they lead in the south of italy.

You have an interesting circle of friends.

This particular feud, which allegedly dates back to an episode of egg throwing during the traditional procession on the patron saint's name day, has been going on for more than 30 years, and has now claimed several dozen victims.