Sergio
06-08-2000, 06:41 PM
The tackles were flying on Monday when Adriano Galliani, the Milan vice president, took on the media at a club convention in Sicily. And what started out as an open press conference turned into an in-depth discussion of the transfer market.
Galliani was adamant that the Rossoneri would avoid the obvious signing in their pursuit of success. "You don't win the Scudetto by spending big in the close season," he stated. "Fans must understand that the big transfer is purely a means to an end. A player's return to his club can only be evaluated at the end of his first season. Recent examples have clearly confirmed that whoever spends the most money does not necessarily win things. We feel that we have a competitive squad at present - a squad that has achieved a first and third place in successive years - and on that basis will only be able to win if the players have a strong sense of allegiance to the jersey they put on."
So rather than join the search for established superstars, Galliani prefers would-be signings to fit into the young, gifted and well, erm, much-coveted bracket. Witness the club's determination to add the likes of Jose Mari and Mattia Graffiedi to a payroll already including homegrown talents in Demetrio Albertini, Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini.
"Every club in the land wanted Comandini but we got him; similarly Saudati was wanted by half of Serie A but he has returned to base. Furthermore we have José Mari, Shevchenko, Graffiedi and Aliyu. For the moment, we will not be letting anyone go until October, after the Olympics, which by the way will wreak financial havoc on all the clubs."
But Galliani admitted that a defender could be joining the club in the not-too-distant future. Christian Panucci is one possibility. "He began as a central defender and at Milan he converted into a wing back. To buy him we would have to let one of our defenders go to Inter but the Nerazzurri are not interested in this option." The vice president continued: "We need cover for the seven or eight players who will be at the Sydney Olympics. The ideal would be a squad of 26 players but we will have 35 at our disposal when the first-teamers return for pre-season training. They will come in handy for the three Champions League games and the two Coppa Italia fixtures to be played in September."
Galliani also hinted that Milan would be widening the net in their hunt for a top-class midfielder. With Massimo Ambrosini, Francesco Coco and Rino Gattuso all planning to go to Sydney, the Rossoneri have been linked with a number of potential reinforcements for the central department. Bayer Leverkusen's Brazilian midfielder Emerson is one - "He does not come into the equation and I think that if he doesn't go to Roma he'll stay at Bayer Leverkusen" - while Francisco Farinos of Valencia looks the more likely option: "He is our number one target."
However, Galliani ruled out the arrivals of Luis Figo and Manuel Rui Costa: "We may conceivably look into it next season when a playmaker will definitely come to the club. For this year we have Boban and Leonardo."
Galliani insisted that "good results on the pitch go hand in hand with a stable financial base", which means that Milan will be developing their commercial interests. "We are working in perfect harmony with Inter president Moratti. A complete revamp of the stadium is in the pipeline and this will include private boxes, shops and conference facilities. We will also have the use of areas adjacent to the Meazza and shall also replace the present seats with more comfortable ones with back supports even in the orange, blue and green areas of the ground." The San Siro will also see a colour change: "The black will not change but the red will turn to blue when Inter play." All in the name of progress.
Galliani was adamant that the Rossoneri would avoid the obvious signing in their pursuit of success. "You don't win the Scudetto by spending big in the close season," he stated. "Fans must understand that the big transfer is purely a means to an end. A player's return to his club can only be evaluated at the end of his first season. Recent examples have clearly confirmed that whoever spends the most money does not necessarily win things. We feel that we have a competitive squad at present - a squad that has achieved a first and third place in successive years - and on that basis will only be able to win if the players have a strong sense of allegiance to the jersey they put on."
So rather than join the search for established superstars, Galliani prefers would-be signings to fit into the young, gifted and well, erm, much-coveted bracket. Witness the club's determination to add the likes of Jose Mari and Mattia Graffiedi to a payroll already including homegrown talents in Demetrio Albertini, Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini.
"Every club in the land wanted Comandini but we got him; similarly Saudati was wanted by half of Serie A but he has returned to base. Furthermore we have José Mari, Shevchenko, Graffiedi and Aliyu. For the moment, we will not be letting anyone go until October, after the Olympics, which by the way will wreak financial havoc on all the clubs."
But Galliani admitted that a defender could be joining the club in the not-too-distant future. Christian Panucci is one possibility. "He began as a central defender and at Milan he converted into a wing back. To buy him we would have to let one of our defenders go to Inter but the Nerazzurri are not interested in this option." The vice president continued: "We need cover for the seven or eight players who will be at the Sydney Olympics. The ideal would be a squad of 26 players but we will have 35 at our disposal when the first-teamers return for pre-season training. They will come in handy for the three Champions League games and the two Coppa Italia fixtures to be played in September."
Galliani also hinted that Milan would be widening the net in their hunt for a top-class midfielder. With Massimo Ambrosini, Francesco Coco and Rino Gattuso all planning to go to Sydney, the Rossoneri have been linked with a number of potential reinforcements for the central department. Bayer Leverkusen's Brazilian midfielder Emerson is one - "He does not come into the equation and I think that if he doesn't go to Roma he'll stay at Bayer Leverkusen" - while Francisco Farinos of Valencia looks the more likely option: "He is our number one target."
However, Galliani ruled out the arrivals of Luis Figo and Manuel Rui Costa: "We may conceivably look into it next season when a playmaker will definitely come to the club. For this year we have Boban and Leonardo."
Galliani insisted that "good results on the pitch go hand in hand with a stable financial base", which means that Milan will be developing their commercial interests. "We are working in perfect harmony with Inter president Moratti. A complete revamp of the stadium is in the pipeline and this will include private boxes, shops and conference facilities. We will also have the use of areas adjacent to the Meazza and shall also replace the present seats with more comfortable ones with back supports even in the orange, blue and green areas of the ground." The San Siro will also see a colour change: "The black will not change but the red will turn to blue when Inter play." All in the name of progress.