From David To Goliath

By: cathal | July 30th, 2009

Never underestimate the power of 5million euro. While many fans mourn the loss of what most believe to be our best centre-back, it appears Lotito and Tare have been hard at work behind the scenes putting that cash to good use. If you believe the rumours, that sum of money will pay the salary of one Julio Cruz and also obtain the services of young, Swedish centre-back, Rasmus Bengtsson. Confused? Let me try and explain.

Our mercato depends heavily on two conditions; that we replace what we sell and we spend when the money is there. Since we secured Zarate and Matuzalem on long-term deals, the money has not been there. However, Claudio can make 5million go a long-way and I think too many people jumped the gun and were quick to criticise our president. Obviously Rozehnal is a significant loss but in this case, the profit we make on him can acquire an experienced goalscorer and a young talent for the future. That is probably too good an opportunity for Claudio to pass up.

I am genuinely excited about Julio’s supposed arrival. I think he is the missing piece in our attacking jigsaw and if we can keep Pandev, our frontline is impressive. In fact, I think even if Goran departs now, we will still bring in a talented hitman so goals shouldn’t be too hard to find next season. As for Bengtsson, my Swedish friends tell me that he’s no great shakes but for a reported fee of 400,000 euro, we can’t go too far wrong. I am surprised we are considering a defender as Stendardo is more than capable of filling David’s boots but perhaps the Swede’s arrival indicates the departure of another centre-back. Palermo’s resident nutcase, Zamparini has been talking up a potential swap involving Radu and Simplicio and while I believe a move for the Brazilian could still be on the cards, I was initially hoping the young Romanian would not be included. However, Bengtsson cannot be here to replace Rozehnal; as I said, we already have Stenny and Lugano would also be a natural replacement. One would have to think that Rasmus is set to take over from one of our younger centre-backs. Maybe there is something in that swap rumour? Either way, the mercato is hotting up and with David’s departure, Lotito’s wallet could well make the adjustments to help us become a giant once again. Forza Lazio!