Volume 1: Heroes Appear, People Pay Attention Chapter 160 Cristo (First Update Guaranteed)
Chapter 160 Crichito (first update guaranteed)
For ordinary fans who can only watch Serie A on TV, the new season starts from the day the first round of the league starts. For players like Chen Yingxiong, the new season starts from the day training begins. For head coaches like Mazzarri and team managers like Bigang, the new season begins on the day the old season ends.
Naples has entered the Champions League for two consecutive years. Although they are all qualifying rounds, it also means that Naples is qualified to pursue bigger goals. In the future, entering the Champions League every year may just be a goal that must be achieved, rather than a task that the whole team can accomplish by giving everything it has.
In this case, investment in all aspects of the team will also increase.
The team building strategy must be based on the standards of a wealthy team that can handle multi-front operations.
It is no longer enough to gather eleven outstanding players.
So Naples' transfer work started very early.
In fact, before last season was over, Naples had already started poaching people. Their first target is left back Domenico Criscito (domenico_criscito), who was unable to dig out last season.
Last summer Mazzarri looked like he was poaching this young left-back who was well-known in Italy. Unfortunately, Criscito's ownership still belonged to Juventus at that time. Although he played in Genoa, he was loaned there.
Criscito himself really wanted to come to Naples, because he was a Neapolitan and was born in Cercora in the Naples area. But Juventus, as one of Naples' mortal enemies, will certainly not give a strong support to their mortal enemy.
A lot can happen in one season, not to mention Juventus's miserable management.
Genoa bought out Criscito's ownership from Juventus. From that time on, Criscito, even as a Genoa player, had no relationship with Juventus.
In this way, it will be much easier to buy in Naples.
Although Criscito started his football career in Genoa, compared with Naples, which has entered the Champions League for two consecutive years, and Genoa, which can only rank ninth and does not even qualify for the Europa League, normal people have no idea which one to choose. Will hesitate.
But Naples is not the only one who wants Criscito at the same time. AC Milan and Fiorentina have also been observing this player for a long time. They all decided to take action this summer.
Genoa just watched the fun and excitement, just watching the three families fighting. In the end, whoever bids the highest price will be the one I sell to. As for keeping Cristo? They haven't considered this matter. Once a small team like Genoa fails to qualify for the European competition, it will be extremely difficult to retain those ambitious players in the team.
In the 2008-2009 season, Genoa worked hard for a season, but was eventually squeezed out of fourth place in the league by Naples and could only play in the UEFA Cup. Even so, it's better than not even qualifying for the UEFA Cup now, right? You can't play in the Champions League, but if you can play in the UEFA Cup, the players are still willing to stay in the team. If all qualifications for the European competition are gone, who would want to stay here? Those with connections and capable agents naturally looked for other options. Those who remain are either emotionally attached to this team, or they are incompetent and have no connections.
Compared with Naples, the two teams AC Milan and Fiorentina have a slight advantage, especially AC Milan.
Fiorentina was also one of the seven sisters in Serie A that year, a veteran and strong team. Naples has always been a grassroots team. It only got rich once in Maradona's years, and then it quickly returned to its original shape. In the eyes of the northern powers, Naples is inferior.
What should I do if I want to compete with teams like AC Milan and Fiorentina for Criscito? On the one hand, it shows one's sincerity. This sincerity is not expressed to Criscito, but to Genoa Club.
The Genoa Club is now a rare commodity, and of course the price is sky-high. They say they don’t have 18 million euros to take Criscito away from us.
How much was AC Milan's initial offer? Five million euros.
Genoa was furious: You are sending beggars away! Want to buy Crichito for five million? Then if I buy your Pato for five million, will you do it?
Florence offered seven million.
Genoa still disagrees.
How sincere is Naples? Ten million euros.
It's twice as high as AC Milan.
But Genoa was still not satisfied. But Naples' position in the opponent's mind is much more important than the other two. You can really tell your sincerity by how much you bid. If you are really sincere, even if you know you are being cheated, you still want to be a cheat. Why? Because you really need this person, you really need it sincerely...
Anyway, several companies continued to bargain. Anyway, the season was not over yet, so no one was in a hurry. It really doesn't work anymore, Genoa can still immediately declare, "Our Criscito is not for sale, who said we have to sell him for money? He is an important member of our team, and Genoa football depends entirely on him!" He said this with great justice! The transfer window has been closed.
Naples first showed sincerity, and the other was to play the emotional card.
How to play the emotional card?
As mentioned earlier, Criscito is from Naples. Although he was not born in the city of Naples, his birthplace of Cercola is in the Naples area, so he can be considered a Neapolitan.
Since he is from his hometown, it is easier to talk to him. Wouldn't you like to play for your hometown team? Don't you want to be the hero of your hometown team? Don’t you want to dedicate your youth to your hometown and elders?
In the end, Naples used a two-pronged approach, with full sincerity on the one hand and emotional play on the other, to finally lure the future star of Italian football to Naples for 13 million euros.
Criscito was selected into the Italian national team lineup for this World Cup in South Africa, which is enough to illustrate his future prospects in Italian football. So 13 million euros is really not expensive, and this deal is very worthwhile.
Naples fans also praised him because Criscito is a native of Naples. Everyone always hopes that their team will have more local players, which will make them feel more proud to support. No one wants to face a team whose starting eleven are all foreigners and call them the home team, right? Especially someone like Naples...
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On July 16, after the World Cup final, Criscito's transfer was finalized.
From the initial interest to winning, Naples spent more than a season and finally got what they wanted.
But Mazzarri was not too happy. Because Criscito was a planned signing, part of the group that was supposed to come to Naples.
He was not surprised at all and had no surprises. After more than a year of tireless hard work, Criscito was originally more inclined to join his hometown team. Everyone can see that the hometown team is on the upswing now, and he will be the main force when he comes. If you go to Florence, you have to face competition from the Chilean Vargas. If you go to AC Milan...it's a wealthy club. Once you join a wealthy club, you may have to sit on the bench before you can get ahead, not to mention that it is famous for liking to use old men. AC Milan. Criscito has also been to Juventus. He doesn't know what it's like to be in a wealthy club, so it's impossible to just rely on the reputation of a wealthy club to coax him to join.
After taking Crichto, Mazzarri had another headache.
forward.
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Cassano suffers from a heart disease. Although it is not serious, we don't know how long it will take to recover, how much condition he will be able to have after his comeback, and whether it will relapse again.
Now Cassano is still recuperating at home, and it is said that it will take half a month before he can start physical training. When he plays again, I really don’t know when it will happen...
Anyway, just be prepared that he won't be able to play this year.
Cassano is no longer there, but he still has Sanchez and Arshavin, one on the right and one on the left, and they can still cope with it. At most, they are just supplementary substitute players.
Another position gives Mazzarri a headache.
Chen Yingxiong's center position.
This position has always been filled by Sarayeta as a substitute. However, after the end of last season, Sarayeta's contract with Naples expired. Mazzarri does not intend to renew his contract, and now he has left the team. It stands to reason that if a center is needed, Sarayeta should be kept.
But Mazzarri knows very well that the battlefield where he needs a center is not in the domestic league, but in the Champions League. Sarayeta simply can't handle events like the Champions League group stage. Don't expect him to score any goals if you let him play the main role.
What he needs is a center who can perform well in the Champions League, who can ensure that the team can qualify in the Champions League group stage without Chen Yingxiong. Such a center is not something that Sarayeta can do.
However, since Chen Yingxiong was only suspended for eight games and not permanently, that means that once he enters the knockout stage, his replacement will be useless once Chen Yingxiong returns. Therefore, he cannot yet consider those centers who are young and talented, or who are famous in their prime. Not to mention the high price and low cost performance of those people, they would never be willing to come to Naples to serve as a substitute for Chen Yingxiong. They are all famous players. Why should I come here and be labeled as "Chen Yingxiong's temporary substitute"? hat? I can’t be the main player in any team I go to? Why would you come to a small country team like Naples to serve as a substitute for a 22-year-old guy?
Mazzarri doesn't like those substitutes that other teams don't want. If you come here, you might not even be as good as Sarayeta who left the team. Should I buy you and get a free salary?
After such a calculation, in the end we can only consider veterans who are somewhat famous and capable.
A very old veteran who is about to retire will definitely not be able to play the main role throughout the season due to physical and other reasons. Because they are older, they all know that their position in the team is as a substitute. In this way, there will be no positional conflict with Chen Yingxiong.
But when it comes to a specific person, who should be chosen as Chen Yingxiong's replacement?