The Dutch striker FULLGRUK is the first hit of the ‘repair’ market which starts on January 2nd and will last until February 2nd.
Milan hopes to fill the gaps in the center of the attack, as Roma would like to do as they chase ZIRKZEE and RASPADORI, Inter are thinking about the return of CANCELO while Paratici makes his first entry to Fiorentina with SOLOMON. But the other teams are also moving secretly and for now they are not revealing their cards to avoid auctions. The winter session is always more difficult than the summer one due to the short times and limited budgets.
The past teaches us that sometimes you find champions like THIAGO SILVA, STANKOVIC, NAINGGOLAN, CAVANI, JORGINHO and VLAHOVIC, but it is easier to fail as with EDMUNDO, J.MARI and FABIO JR. It takes acumen, but the bin is lurking.
The chiaroscuro panorama is broad: Milan made a splash in October 1993 (when the second transfer market was in autumn) with DESAILLY (Scudetto-Champions pairing). In 1994 there was the FIGO mess, he signed for Juve and Parma and FIFA banned him from Italy for two years. Then Milan sold DAVIDS to Juve in 1998 and the Dutchman loomed large in Lippi’s Italian flag. Trap’s Fiorentina fared less well when they spent 13 billion lire on EDMUNDO. A year later ‘O animal’ leaves everyone out of nostalgia for the carnival and the Viola lose the championship bus. Flop then also in Naples in 2001, the Neapolitans fall to Serie B.
STANKOVIC’s parable is different: Lazio has to sell him, he joins Inter and with Mancini and Mourinho he wins everything. The transfer from Roma to Real Madrid of a CASSANO who gained weight in 2006 was not very auspicious. His move to Milan went better in the winter of 2010. In his thousand lives RONALDO the Phenomenon arrives at Milan from Real for 7.5 million euros: it is January 2007 and he silences everyone with 7 goals in 14 matches. In the same session Palermo hit: CAVANI arrives from Danubio for 5 million.
Then the Matador flies high with Napoli who sells him to PSG for 64 million. Two important Brazilians randomly started in January: Milan blocked PATO for 22 million in 2007, but according to Fifa directives the debut was in January 2008. In the following December Galliani captured THIAGO SILVA for 10 million, but the places for non-EU players were full so he made his debut in September 2009. In the 2010 championship fight Inter and Roma have been counting on PANDEV and TONI, who respond with little luck in 2011 at Juventus.
In January 2012 things went well for Inter (GUARIN), Lazio (CANDREVA), things went badly for Milan (MAXI LOPEZ), Genoa (GILARDINO), Juve (BORRIELLO) and Napoli (VARGAS). Two blows in 2013 which, in the long run, don’t pay off for various reasons: BALOTELLI from City to Milan for 20 million, ROSSI from Villarreal to Viola for 16. KOVACIC goes to Inter, then makes his fortune at Real.
The following year, a great coup by Roma who hired NAINGGOLAN to replace Strootman, OKAKA did well at Samp, HERNANES did badly at Inter and ESSIEN at Milan, while it took a year for JORGINHO to settle in in Naples. But patience pays off: the director becomes a protagonist, goes to Chelsea for 63 million, wins the European title with Italy and comes close to winning the Ballon d’Or.
In 2015 BROZOVIC arrives and consoles Inter for the flops of SHAQIRI and PODOLSKI, Fiorentina makes the SALAH coup which they then fail to hold back. The following year Roma celebrate, with EL SHAARAWY and PEROTTI, and Samp with QUAGLIARELLA. Many recriminations instead in 2017 for RINCON at Juve and PAVOLETTI at Napoli and in 2018 for SAPONARA at Fiorentina. None of them leave a trace. Things went better in 2020 for Milan as they brought in IBRAHIMOVIC, KJAER and SAELEMAEKERS, with ERIKSEN moving to Inter on a free transfer.
The following year, Milan were always far-sighted by taking TOMORI from Chelsea, who they then bought in June for 30 million while Torino brought in SANABRIA and MANDRAGORA. But there is the downside of the negligible contribution of MUSACCHIO to Lazio, KOKORIN to Fiorentina and MANDZUKIC to Milan. The movements of 2022 are much richer: VLAHOVIC betrays Florence and goes to Juve for 70 million, RICCI arrives at Turin while BOGA’s moves to Atalanta and GOSENS to Inter are lacking. The following year few movements, thanks to the off-season World Cup in Qatar: ILIC to Turin and NGONGE to Verona are business, unlike SOLBAKKEN to Roma.
In the 2024 market, Atalanta strengthens the defense with HIEN, Roma the wingers with ANGELINO and Genoa the attack with VITINHA. Last year Napoli and Lecce monetized the sales of KVARA and DORGU, Como discovered DIAO, Juve took advantage of KOLO MUANI, who then failed to confirm, but there were many mistakes: Fiorentina gave ZANIOLO a chance in vain, Milan was full of disappointments with GIMENEZ (35 million), JOAO FELIX and WALKER.
But it could be much worse. Serie A is still licking its wounds for many meteors: the Brazilian GILBERTO to Inter in January 1999, the Argentine COLOCCINI in 2004 and the Spaniard JOSE’ MARI costing Milan 40 million in December 1999. Juve had the Argentine striker ESNAIDER on their conscience in 1999, taken for 16 million. But it is the year of hoaxes because Roma spend 30 million on FABIO JUNIOR, the presumed heir of Romario and Ronaldo. ‘Fabietto’ toured ingloriously on all the B-series stages on the planet, bringing with it Zeman’s death sentence: ‘He doesn’t know how to do anything and doesn’t have the slightest desire to learn.’
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