Quick News Roundup
•A final few details on Osvi's move to Bologna: He'll make €800,000 this season, a figured that will gradually climb to €1.3 million/season over the course of the five years of his contract, and will be wearing #99.
•As everyone probably knows by now, Cesare won the Best Coach award at the Calcio Oscars [video], and was gracious as usual, thanking the city, the fans, the team, and his staff for their support. &hearts Seb finished second behind Buffon (but ahead of Julio Cesar) in the Best Keeper voting, while Mutu was voted third-best foreigner, behind Zlatan and Kaka.
•Just so we don't slight anyone with our birthday wishes, Papa Waigo, Zauri and New Guy Bonazzoli all had birthdays yesterday. Wahey!
•Jojo was in the press room yesterday [video|audio], saying his usual eager, positive things. Despite C4's report that he's screaming for more playing time, he didn't seem to have actually said anything of the sort -- instead he talked about not being intimidated by the San Siro, beating Juve (but being scared of Amauri), and his desire to become a symbol of Fiorentina. He also said that, given the choice, he'd rather play striker than in the hole, but denied that he's a more important figure now that Pazzo and Osvi are gone, because Bonazzoli has arrived, and he is "a good player." Aw, sweet Jojo.
•Vargas just got done talking to the press [video|audio], and he expressed his regret for the departures of Osvi and Pazzo, as well as his disappointment about the Milan match, because Fiorentina so played well. Like everyone else, he says he doesn't care where he plays (there's been some talk about moving him into the midfield, where he played last season with a lot of success) or whether he scores, as long as Fiorentina win. When asked about his own performances, Vargas says he's learning more every week, but is yet to play his best game.
•In press rooms that don't belong to Fiorentina, there's been a lot of very indecorous bitching about referees over the last couple days, primary from Dainelli (who Monday was at the regular, mid-season meeting of captains, coaches, and referees) and ADV. I never think that sort of thing helps much, but who knows.
•Even though Pazzo and Osvi are both gone, the transfer window IS still open, so there are still rumors floating around. The person most likely to follow them out seems to be Papa Waigo, who press reports put closer than ever to Lecce. If the latest stories are true, he could move as soon as today, possibly on loan, with the right to buy at the end of the season.
•There are also surprising, new stories about Donadel dropping down to Serie B to help Parma try to get promoted. Right now, it sounds like if he went, it'd be sale worth €5 million, plus some sort of rights to Parma midfielder McDonald Mariga, of whom Cesare is apparently a big fan.
•As far as Da Costa is concerned, there are new teams associated with him every day. Over the past 24 hours, there have been reports of interest from Toro and their new DS (who also wants Zauri, allegedly), as well as stories about the possibility of sending him, along with €7 million, to Chelsea in June for Branislav Ivanovic. (Seriously, how much do you think Da Costa ads to the value of that deal? Like a dollar?)
•Almiron, meanwhile, has reportedly been sitting on a move to Bologna for a few days. All reports indicate it's up to him whether he moves or not, and that he may not be convinced about it being a good move for him.
•And, finally, injury news: Seb is training with some pain, but it's manageable, and we're being told (like we were last week) that he looks likely to play this weekend. Adi, for his part, refused to have surgery -- recovery time would have been three months -- and is seeing a specialist against tomorrow. There are hopeful stories about him playing in the Juve match with a heavy wrap on his arm, but a more likely target is probably the Napoli match, which is a week from today.
•As everyone probably knows by now, Cesare won the Best Coach award at the Calcio Oscars [video], and was gracious as usual, thanking the city, the fans, the team, and his staff for their support. &hearts Seb finished second behind Buffon (but ahead of Julio Cesar) in the Best Keeper voting, while Mutu was voted third-best foreigner, behind Zlatan and Kaka.
•Just so we don't slight anyone with our birthday wishes, Papa Waigo, Zauri and New Guy Bonazzoli all had birthdays yesterday. Wahey!
•Jojo was in the press room yesterday [video|audio], saying his usual eager, positive things. Despite C4's report that he's screaming for more playing time, he didn't seem to have actually said anything of the sort -- instead he talked about not being intimidated by the San Siro, beating Juve (but being scared of Amauri), and his desire to become a symbol of Fiorentina. He also said that, given the choice, he'd rather play striker than in the hole, but denied that he's a more important figure now that Pazzo and Osvi are gone, because Bonazzoli has arrived, and he is "a good player." Aw, sweet Jojo.
•Vargas just got done talking to the press [video|audio], and he expressed his regret for the departures of Osvi and Pazzo, as well as his disappointment about the Milan match, because Fiorentina so played well. Like everyone else, he says he doesn't care where he plays (there's been some talk about moving him into the midfield, where he played last season with a lot of success) or whether he scores, as long as Fiorentina win. When asked about his own performances, Vargas says he's learning more every week, but is yet to play his best game.
•In press rooms that don't belong to Fiorentina, there's been a lot of very indecorous bitching about referees over the last couple days, primary from Dainelli (who Monday was at the regular, mid-season meeting of captains, coaches, and referees) and ADV. I never think that sort of thing helps much, but who knows.
•Even though Pazzo and Osvi are both gone, the transfer window IS still open, so there are still rumors floating around. The person most likely to follow them out seems to be Papa Waigo, who press reports put closer than ever to Lecce. If the latest stories are true, he could move as soon as today, possibly on loan, with the right to buy at the end of the season.
•There are also surprising, new stories about Donadel dropping down to Serie B to help Parma try to get promoted. Right now, it sounds like if he went, it'd be sale worth €5 million, plus some sort of rights to Parma midfielder McDonald Mariga, of whom Cesare is apparently a big fan.
•As far as Da Costa is concerned, there are new teams associated with him every day. Over the past 24 hours, there have been reports of interest from Toro and their new DS (who also wants Zauri, allegedly), as well as stories about the possibility of sending him, along with €7 million, to Chelsea in June for Branislav Ivanovic. (Seriously, how much do you think Da Costa ads to the value of that deal? Like a dollar?)
•Almiron, meanwhile, has reportedly been sitting on a move to Bologna for a few days. All reports indicate it's up to him whether he moves or not, and that he may not be convinced about it being a good move for him.
•And, finally, injury news: Seb is training with some pain, but it's manageable, and we're being told (like we were last week) that he looks likely to play this weekend. Adi, for his part, refused to have surgery -- recovery time would have been three months -- and is seeing a specialist against tomorrow. There are hopeful stories about him playing in the Juve match with a heavy wrap on his arm, but a more likely target is probably the Napoli match, which is a week from today.