The transfer windows slammed shut across Europe on Thursday night and in Serie A there were some contented owners as the dealing came to a close and they can now concentrate on matters on the pitch.
According to the early Serie A 2022 betting odds Juventus are second favourites to lift the 2022/23 Scudetto, at odds of 4.00 here at SBOTOP and behind only Inter Milan at 3.00. The Old Lady has made a decent start and is in fifth place with eight points from four games. And that after making a tidy profit on their dealings during the window.
I Bianconeri have offloaded big earners Matthijs de Ligt, Arthur Melo and Denis Zakaria while bringing in some serious talent without breaking the bank. Paul Pogba has returned from Manchester United after six underwhelming seasons in the Premier League. He arrived as a free agent, while another former Red Devil has joined the club. Midfield ace Angel di Maria has left Paris Saint-Germain to join Juve as well as Leandro Paredes and Gleison Bremer.
Juventus face Fiorentina this weekend and a win could take them top if results elsewhere go their way. And they’ll go into the game in a much healthier financial state than they were in at the end of last season. A report by Football Italia reveals the Old Lady has made 30m Euros in net transfer fees and reduced the wage bill by 20m Euros.
Good work.
Leao stays at Milan
The best bit of business done in Milan was Stefano Pioli’s success in keeping hold of I Rossoneri’s crown jewel Rafael Leao. Premier League big spenders Chelsea were sniffing around, right up until the deadline, but AC Milan remained steadfast and repelled any last minute approaches.
The 23 year old Portuguese forward is now set to make his 100th appearance for Milan against Inter this weekend, and his boss is clearly delighted, saying: “I have never been worried about the possible departure of Leao, I have always seen him fully involved and determined. The Derby di Milano takes place on Saturday and Milan are the marginal favourites at a SBOTOP price of 2.57 with Inter at 2.68 and the draw at 2.97.
I Rossoneri had a couple of incomings on deadline day, most notably the capture of Barcelona defender Sergino Dest on loan, with an option to buy at 20m Euros at the end of the 2022/23 campaign. And the player says he is moving to Milan to increase his chances of appearing at the World Cup: “I need to get minutes for the World Cup. I need to play. Not only for the World Cup, I just want to play always,” he said. “They gave me a great opportunity. So I didn’t even think twice. I was like: I have to do it. I want to play. So it was an easy decision to make.”
Dest was joined on deadline day by former Wolfsburg midfielder Aster Vranckx who is also hoping to break into the Rossoneri first team. The 19 year old is also on a loan to buy scheme and he may be a long term replacement for the departed Franck Kessie, who left the San Siro for Barcelona.
In other Serie A 2022 news Milan were rumoured to be keen to bring Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli to the San Siro. I Rossoneri were reported to be preparing a £43m offer for the Brazilian but the Gunners have high hopes for Martinelli, who is improving year on year and is one of the most exciting players in the Premier League. But Milan’s interest probably cooled once they knew Leao was going nowhere.
Alba angered by proposed Inter move
Inter Milan did most of their business earlier in the window, notably bringing Romelu Lukaku back to the club, but there was almost another big name incoming at the 11th hour when Barcelona offered wing back Jordi Alba to I Nerazzurri. The Catalans have been working hard to reduce their wage bill so they can register all their summer signings and, apparently, they agreed a loan deal for Alba to move to Inter.
But the player was not amused!
33 year old Alba has been at the Camp Nou for ten seasons and he flatly refused to make the move, angered at the club’s attempt to offload him without first speaking to him. Blaugrana head coach Xavi has accepted Alba doesn’t want to move and his immediate future remains in Catalonia.
Another big name staying put is Manchester United’s want-away striker Cristiano Ronaldo. His agent seems to have been busy offering CR7 to pretty much everyone this summer, including both Milan clubs, but nothing has materialized for the former Juventus and Real Madrid star. Napoli were tipped to snap up the Portuguese legend on deadline day but the club’s sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli said there was ‘never anything concrete’ and now the window has closed.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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