The Price Of Success

By: cathal | April 26th, 2009

There’s been so much transfer talk in the past 48 hours, I am seriously struggling to keep up with it. Since our euphoric victory over Juve, the rumour mill has gone into overdrive with a number of our big stars linked with big clubs. I will try and round it up as best I can but as ever, this is Lazio and you never know what’s round that corner.

The name on everybody’s lips at present is Zarate. A statement was released on Al-Sadd’s website claiming that the Qatari club reserved the right to demand more money for his sale as other clubs (Liverpool, most likely) had shown an interest. The release was ambiguous as it didn’t specify whether we would have to pay more cash to secure his services. However, as many of you alluded to, we are believed to be in the process of signing him permanently for 22million euro. I am still wary of the situation, there were reports that he would be unveiled yesterday; that didn’t happen and in addition to that, the figures don’t make sense. I think the key is what we hear following the Atalanta game later today. I am guessing the media will hound everyone associated with this deal and each spoken word will be crucial. It is exciting times but we shouldn’t get too carried away yet. As always, until it’s official, I’m skeptical.

The rumours don’t begin and finish with Maurito. Pandev has been linked to Juventus and according to his agent, he is considering a move. Goran is worshipped by most fans and I think he is widely beliveed to be in love with the club so this news is surprising. Nevertheless, if he wants to go, we have to let him but we also have to rake in a reasonable pot of gold. As important as it is to keep Mauro on our books, we have to keep the nucleus of this team together and Goran is very much a part of that.

On the other side of the coin, it now seems that Ledesma wants to remain in Rome. In the last few days, he has once again been linked with Juventus. However, while his agent appears open to other possibilities, he has insisted that his client wants to stay at Lazio and is also wanted by the club. This news is encouraging. I know Cristian is not loved and adored by all fans but he is the best leader we have, a true midfield general and while his influence on the pitch may go unnoticed, his absence from the team illustrates obvious problems. We need this guy to stay whether we like him or not.

Our currents players are central to the transfer talk at the minute but not exclusive. In the past week, a return of Hernan Crespo has been reported, we are said to be chasing an Israeli kid called Buzaglo and a deal for Angeleri is supposed to have been done. I guess this type of talk is to be expected when you are on the path to success but success comes at a price and we have to ensure that we make the correct decisions. If we are to let go of big names then we need to find real gems out there to replace them. If we keep changing the squad, others will become unhappy. Stability is pivotal and success can upset the balance. It has been an excellent week, let’s hope it doesn’t change the team. Preview to come in a few hours. Forza Lazio!