The certainty is that by tomorrow evening at the latest the torment over Alessandro Nesta’s future will end, in one sense or another. In fact, Reggiana can no longer wait. The planning of the new Granata season dictates it and it is also suggested by the pride that is understandably starting to make some veins pulsate among the club’s top managers. The former Milan defender, it is no mystery, has reached the final ‘head to head’ with Marco Baroni to become the next coach of Monza. CEO Adriano Galliani – after greeting Palladino who has signed a two-year contract with Fiorentina – will dissolve his reservations today. Fluid and precarious situation, with the former Verona trainer also holding Cagliari’s offer. A domino effect which however only ‘partially’ affects Reggiana who have already given the ultimatum to their coach and have started to look around. As already anticipated last week, the first choice for Nesta’s eventual succession is the name of Alberto Aquilani. The former Roma midfielder had bewitched both president Salerno and sporting director Goretti in the first leg, so much so that both went to congratulate him in the locker room at the end of the match. He is an emerging, innovative profile, but he has broad shoulders and has already gained very good experience at Pisa too. He is the chosen one. However, other teams have also set their sights on him and the ‘problem’ could be the timing, with Aquilani intending to take another week before accepting the offer he deems most appropriate. Sports director Pizzimenti has therefore also made contact with other profiles, each of whom has credentials that could be right for Reggiana. Among these is Roberto Breda who took Ternana in the running, after Lucarelli’s disastrous start, and brought them to within a hair’s breadth of safety after a good comeback, losing only in the play-off against Bari. Serious, concrete and prepared, he knows the pitfalls of the category perfectly and could ‘bring with him’ the best young players (in particular Distefano and Raimondo) who he has developed in Umbria. The outsider, however more remote at the moment, could be Ignazio Abate who did very well in the Milan Primavera, which took them all the way to the final of the Youth League (the youth Champions League) which they lost to Olympiacos. His name is highly quoted and there has been contact between the parties.
At the moment, however, the hottest tracks are elsewhere.
