Bologna, Saputo is convinced of keeping Thiago Motta: in the event of the Champions League, the coach will renew

“I’m fine here in Bologna. I’m happy, I’m happy.” There must be something behind Thiago Motta’s total smile after the Olympics. A sort of promise, they whisper, something that makes Joey Saputo feel convinced that he can still keep Thiago. That something would be the Champions League. Yes, the whispers say that Joey Saputo is convinced that he can keep Thiago Motta if he gains access to the next Champions League. Here is the background, which will then – if successful – have the inevitable adjustments for the coming year, in terms of programming and the market. At the basis of everything there would be one of the many chats, more or less informal, between president and coach: should the Champions League arrive, the Italian-Brazilian coach would remain in the city that he took to the Moon. An unexpected moon. Then, at the right time, the parties will talk about it definitively.

2026

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The will of the Bologna number one further strengthened the enthusiasm of the owners just as the pitch made the system that Thiago created dominant. The two members are waiting for the last 5 championship matches to give themselves a definitive future but there could have been a sort of pact between the parties, in the name of the Champions League. Bologna would like to lock down Thiago until 2026 and Thiago – who has earned everything – dribbles questions relating to the future: why it must be lived “one match at a time” and why every match is worth the future. Together or not, we’ll see.

PROGRAMS AND XABI

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The numbers give credit to a beautiful and iron-clad Bologna: in the last 10 matches they have conceded only 4 goals, lost once (against Inter) and drawn two matches, against Roma they have scored three goals, one better than the other, they have scored 62 points which is a record in the era of three per game and Thiago has scored 110 points in 65 games since he took over the rossoblù bench. A totem on the bench, which all of Bologna would like to keep. It seems trivial to say it but it will obviously be Saputo who will give the definitive swerve: and the fact that in circles not only in Bologna there are whispers that the Italian-Canadian n°1 is convinced he can keep Motta with the Champions League, well, it smacks of an appetizer for the future. So everything is automatic? Certainly Thiago would like more centrality in the choices, a market even more shared with the director Sartori and the director Di Vaio, always considering that the man of corporate balance remains the CEO Fenucci. «Our way of playing honors the Bologna shirt» says Thiago. The city hopes for a second Xabi Alonso: “deaf” to the big names.

And what does Thiago think? He thinks that perhaps achieving more than one Champions League placement next year will not be possible but he is also attracted by the idea that playing a competition like this, with a machine shaped by him and in a known territory could be worth more than any other attraction. Motta is not content with being part of the project, he aims to be at the center of it, contributing to raising Bologna’s competitiveness without impoverishing a “squad” that will inevitably also experience farewells. His ambitions are those of the club. And if that chat with Saputo has a sequel, well, we’ll understand. Race after race, obviously.