07-16-2016, 06:54 PM
I've generally been following the news on the market the last few days, but at this point treating most as hearsay. The rumours on Rugani though are of interest to me. I've said before that bringing him to partner Romagnoli is a big risk, I don't think it would be a disaster by any stretch, but it would be very unrealistic to expect it would instantly blossom into the potential that's there. If there's any truth to the Rugani rumours, and a part of me really wants it to happen, I think we immediately need to understand that expectations for the coming season cannot be more than aiming for EL.
A part of me wants us to spend this summer laying out the foundations for the next generation. I'm fine with aiming for EL for next season if it means we bring in guys like Rugani, Berardi (another who I'm a big fan of) and say Zielinski (most likely midfielder at this point). They're all 21-22, but along with Romagnoli, DES, Donnarumma and hopefully Locatelli in the not too distant future, you can see the spine of the team being built. Around them, for this season we have a generation of more senior players that I'd be ok with giving trust, guys like Bonaventura, Montolivo (I don't think he'll be anything less than a regular starter), Abate, Antonelli and Honda. Add a couple more solid experienced names to that list, given I don't expect us to just buy young talents, and I think we'll be set with a nice balance. If we spend to lay the foundations this summer, then what I'd like to see is when we have both money and time, we go all out and start pushing for more senior stars to fill in the gaps we have and really elevate this team.
I think we've seen at times, most recently against Juve in the Coppa, that this team on it's day, even with all its limitations, can play good football. I don't see the young names I mention offering anything less, I'd fully expect they can come in and bring quality. With them and a couple of more senior additions, I don't think we'd be a bad shout for EL at the least, I'd probably hope that we could push towards a CL spot if we can find a good balance.
A part of me wants us to spend this summer laying out the foundations for the next generation. I'm fine with aiming for EL for next season if it means we bring in guys like Rugani, Berardi (another who I'm a big fan of) and say Zielinski (most likely midfielder at this point). They're all 21-22, but along with Romagnoli, DES, Donnarumma and hopefully Locatelli in the not too distant future, you can see the spine of the team being built. Around them, for this season we have a generation of more senior players that I'd be ok with giving trust, guys like Bonaventura, Montolivo (I don't think he'll be anything less than a regular starter), Abate, Antonelli and Honda. Add a couple more solid experienced names to that list, given I don't expect us to just buy young talents, and I think we'll be set with a nice balance. If we spend to lay the foundations this summer, then what I'd like to see is when we have both money and time, we go all out and start pushing for more senior stars to fill in the gaps we have and really elevate this team.
I think we've seen at times, most recently against Juve in the Coppa, that this team on it's day, even with all its limitations, can play good football. I don't see the young names I mention offering anything less, I'd fully expect they can come in and bring quality. With them and a couple of more senior additions, I don't think we'd be a bad shout for EL at the least, I'd probably hope that we could push towards a CL spot if we can find a good balance.