Genoa are a club with high ambitions, and it’s been shown this transfer market that they want to contend for a Champions League spot with big name arrivals. It’s Genoa president Enrico Preziosi who continues to revitalize the club with intelligent signings like Diego Milito and Thiago Motta from last season, and Preziosi is also a president who keeps youth and financial fair-play in mind.
But to buy you have to sell, and Genoa have made some smart decisions in who to keep, and who to get rid of. The two biggest transfers which left Genoa this transfer window were Papasthathopoulos who was bought by AC Milan, and the goalkeeper Marco Amelia, who is on loan at AC Milan. A few other youngsters like El Shaarawy and Lazarevic have left the club, but they will probably return after a season of playing for teams in the Serie B.
Genoa have reinforced with some great signings which replace the losses and provide more tactical depth for coach Gianpiero Gasperini to utilize. Luca Toni was bought from Roma to give last season’s 3-4-3 a big center-forward with experience and height. And as backup for Toni Genoa were also able to get on a loan deal Inter Milan’s 18 year-old striker Destro, who is currently playing for the Italy under-19s.
Genoa also paid attention to the World Cup in South Africa, and they spotted 27 year-old goalkeeper Eduardo who was playing for Portugal, the perfect replacement for Amelia. Genoa bought Eduardo from Sporting Braga for about 4.5 million Euros, concluding what seems like a smart deal right now considering that the player had a positive showing in the World Cup.
Genoa also got a replacement for Papasthathopoulos to play in the middle of the defense, Ranocchia who was playing for Bari is now partially owned by Inter Milan and partially owned by Genoa, and will play for the rossoblu this season. After the promising Italian defender, Genoa got Franco Zuculini, a young Argentinean on loan from Hoffenheim who plays as an attacking midfielder.
The cherry on top of the cake of Genoa’s signings has to be the central midfielder acquired from Sporting Lisbon, Miguel Veloso. While the transfer hasn’t been officially announced, the deal is done, Sporting will receive 6.5 million Euros from Genoa along with Zapater. Miguel Veloso is just 24 years-old and is one of the most promising center midfielders around, he was being tracked by Inter Milan and other big clubs from around the world, but in the end Genoa were able to get the Portuguese international’s signature.
With these signings, Genoa looks to fight for a spot among the top clubs in Europe, but they don’t want to be thought of as a team who bought their position, here’s what Enrico Preziosi said regarding Genoa’s transfers,
“I’m not working to make star signings, and I don’t want the medal for Genoa as king of the summer market. For some fans it might seem incomprehensible, but I only want to secure Genoa’s future… Our work seeks to reinforce the spine of the team: goalkeeper, central defender, midfielder, and striker.”
Genoa seem to have covered all of the positions with their signings, now all that remains is that the players do well and fight for a spot among the best in Italy. What are your thoughts on Genoa’s trnasfers? Share your thoughts below by commenting!
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Hi Niccolo,
I remember early in 2010 there was speculation that Fiorentina would sign M. Veloso but nothing took place.
I am interested in seeing how he manages to adapt and play in Serie A. Genoa have good players but the question will be whether they can create the winning mentality and cope with the big matches. That will ultimately decide whether they finish in the top 4 or below.