Relaxation Period

By: cathal | August 1st, 2009

After that hectic 24 hours or so, now is the time to take a deep breath, kick back and relax. One of the joys and burdens of being a laziale at present is that, while you can make an educated guess as to what may be happening in Rome, you can never accurately predict when it is all going to unfold. The reality is, should my internet go wonky for the weekend, I could tune into the Supercoppa this time next week and not recognise the team I love. Anything can happen at Lazio; and it usually does.

Therefore, despite my best attempts to keep you in the know, I feel the need to clarify the situation. Cruz is official but Bengtsson is not. There are varying reports as to how close Rasmus is to making a move; one minute he’s in Rome on a tour around our facilities, the next he is boarding a plane in Amsterdam. Very confusing scenario but I tend to believe his agent. I reckon he is simply looking for a new club and we are the frontrunners. The deal could be virtually complete, it could be nearing completion but whatever the status is, it is certainly not finalised. Another potential issue is the difference in our season and the Swedish equivalent. He is currently in peak condition, in the middle of his season and while that could be an asset for Beijing, he needs a break at some point. The logical solution would be to sign him now and have him move over in January when he has had a sufficient break. Many factors need to be taken into consideration and the complexity of his case demands additional time.

The Beijing squad was also announced yesterday and I believe Aldo was gracious enough to post it in the comments section of the previous post. If you have taken a quick look, you will notice that the dissidenti have been left behind. No Ledesma, no Pandev, no De Silvestri, and most surprisingly, no Stendardo either. I would assume he is considered good enough and fit enough to travel. Thus, I can only draw one conclusion; he is in negotiations with another club. In fact, the whole procedure is strange as we have a certain Cribari who announced his desire to leave and is yet a part of the travelling squad. Perhaps there is a catch; two spots have been left vacant and I have a gut feeling that these are reserved for players whose negotiations may end in time for the big game. That is purely speculation though, I have little evidence but to think the players are being left behind due solely to their behaviour is naïve. There’s more to it than that; there has to be.