There are a Swede (Holm), a Spaniard (Miranda) and an Italian. It’s not the incipit of a joke, but the physiognomy that Bologna is taking in defence. After having thrown open the doors of ‘Niccolò Galli’ to Holm, who in the meantime has become an official signing, yesterday Bologna welcomed another surprise ‘new entry’: the former Betis Sevilla left back Juan Miranda.
Surprise for everyone except Sartori, since the Andalusian, who also moved from Barcelona and used, in recent seasons, to play in Europe with the Betis shirt, was out of contract and arrived on a free transfer. You don’t pack a free agent overnight, you need a patient operation on the hips and in this Giovanni Sartori and Marco Di Vaio have been able to do bingo. Miranda is born in 2000, just like Holm: two already structured twenty-four year olds who will plow the external lanes in the rossoblù’s Champions League trips. The Spaniard, a native of Olivares, a municipality of 8 thousand souls twenty kilometers from Seville, had already been sought by Milan in January, who tried to snatch him from the Spaniards at a sale price (5 million) given the approach of the deadline of contract: nothing in fact.
Sartori has cleverly entered that gap, annoyed by the wall erected by Union Berlin for Robin Gosens. From the series: 9 million for the former Atalanta and Inter player are not enough? Well then, for the moment, keep him. Why for the moment? Because, as explained yesterday by Casteldebole, Gosens is no longer an option today but, we add, the ways of the market are infinite and from now until August 31st there is plenty of time to review the strategies.
The substance is that the new season starts with the left box occupied by Miranda and Lykogiannis, with Calafiori adaptable. Who is Juan Miranda? A left back with great running and a good foot for crossing. After spending six years in the youth team at Betis in 2014 he made the big leap to Barcelona, with whom he won a Youth League in 2018 and with whom, in the same year, he made his debut in the Champions League with Tottenham. A handful of appearances with the Blaugrana, however, and crumbs also in his loan experience at Schalke 04.
And here comes Betis, who in four seasons has definitively consecrated him, with the decisive penalty scored against Valencia in the 2021-22 Copa del Rey final. Yesterday morning Miranda was already in Casteldebole for medical visits. He will sign a four-year contract, but his suitcase is already packed. In the next few days he will join the Spanish Olympic team that will participate in the Paris Games. Translated: from July 24 to August 10, the new rossoblù will be in France and will join Italiano’s group only after the Olympics are over. Speaking of Italiano: perhaps the Sicilian coach’s eye fell on him in a Betis-Fiorentina 3-1 in August two years ago, a pre-season friendly played in Seville. One of the three Andalusian goals was scored by Miranda. One appearance and one goal (4-0 against Lithuania in 2021) in the senior national team.
