Genoa seeks physicality and imagination: the identikit of Sagnan, Perotti and the others

Modibo Sagna

The Grifone negotiations: in midfield there are also Kucka and Fernandes

Valerio Arrichiello

03 July 2021

Genoa – The Rossoblù negotiations proceed, between old acquaintances in return smell (Kucka, Perotti) and new names (Fernandes, Sagnan) on which to accelerate. Hunting for reinforcements, in all departments. The sports director Marroccu and Ballardini are in constant contact. We proceed on guidelines drawn up with President Preziosi, in a scenario, after a year and a half of pandemic complicated for anyone. “We need players of good leg and quality”, said the coach, oriented to restart “from 3-4-2-1, but we will also work on the defense at 4”. From the profiles followed, some key concepts of the rossoblù strategy emerge: rejuvenate, increase physicality and dynamism in between, and increase the quality rate in front, obviously keeping an eye on the economic aspect carefully.

With a view to rejuvenation, the 2003 talent, Aleksander Buksa, arrived in attack. But we are also working in this direction for defense. With Balla last year the department did very well, based on the experience of Criscito and associates. However, a new Romero is missing, a young man who combines freshness, speed and physicality. Hence, for example, the idea Modibo Sagnan, 22, of Real Sociedad, central left-handed 187 cm tall, also followed by Montpellier and Augsburg. The Franco-Malian has just been called up by the transalpine Olympic selection. In Spain he began to gain experience between La Liga and the Europa League but now he is looking for a club where he can play more continuously. And even younger is Stergiou, born in 2002, Swiss-Greek defender of San Gallo and captain of the Swiss Under 21 team. While a little more experienced is the other central monitored, Macedonian national Musliu, 26.

In the middle of the field, a player is looking for who combines running, physical strength and skill in insertion, characteristics that were a little lacking in the median of the last season where Strootman had made an important contribution but with different peculiarities. It works for the return of the great ex, Kucka, who confirmed athletic vivacity at the European Championship, despite his 34 years of age. And always in this wake we think of the Swiss Edimilson Fernandes, 25 years old from Mainz called up by Petkovic. Very tall (190 cm), thin (70 kg), Fernandes is a midfielder with a propensity for insertion, who can play both in front of the defense and further on. In the last year in Germany he has not found continuity, and so, after the season at Fiorentina (29 appearances and 2 goals in 2018/19) he could try the Italian adventure again.

And up front? In the 3-4-2-1 hypothesized by Balla, the quality of those who play between the lines in support of the tip becomes fundamental. The track leading to Perotti-bis remains very hot, with the Argentine who is training at Villa Stuart, in Rome, authorized by Fenerbahce. Diez’s talent is unquestionable, but the last injury was very serious, so it will be essential to buy more reinforcements in the attacking department. Among the hypotheses is the return of Pjaca: Ballardini likes Croatian very much. In the last few days, an old ball has also reappeared, the 25-year-old Serbian Radonjic of Olympique Marseille andNitora carefully the 24-year-old Moroccan Sabiri dell’Ascoli, however, sought after by many clubs, even abroad. Outgoing, the young Cleonise, 19, has returned to the Netherlands, to Twente. Finally the door: in recent days an agreement had been outlined for the exchange of loans with Cagliari between Ghiglione and Vicario: the operation remains alive but there is a slowdown and so the alternatives come back to the surface,

SUBSCRIBE HERE TO THE ALL GENOA, ALL SAMP AND ALL SPICE NEWSLETTERS