"Calcio Fever" is your Bleacher Report guide to the news of Italian football.
The transfer window has now passed, but a lot of excellent deals were completed this summer. This is my top 10 list:
10. Olof Mellberg (Aston Villa to Juventus)
The Swedish central defender signed for Juventus from Aston Villa on a free transfer. Considering he signed for no fee and will be an important part in Juve's defense, Mellberg's signing is one of the best in Serie A this summer.
9. Marco Amelia (Livorno to Palermo)
One of the best young Italian goalkeepers of Serie A, Amelia left recently relegated Livorno and signed for Palermo. He will offer Palermo the safe hands they want on goal.
8. Sulley Muntari (Portsmouth to Inter)
The £16 million signing qualifies for No. 8. He is one of the top signings this summer and will fit very well in Jose Mourinho's 4-3-3 formation.
7. Matthieu Flamini (Arsenal to Milan)
Flamini joined Milan on a free transfer from Arsenal. The talented midfielder is surely one of the best summer acquisitions.
6. Julio Baptista (Real Madrid to Roma)
Baptista comes to a very good team. However, since Roma do not have many striking options, he will be an integral part of Roma's title push.
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5. Amauri (Palermo to Juventus)
The talented Brazilian striker is a deadly finisher who is also impressive with the ball at his feet. Amauri is an impressive header of the ball in front of the goal.
4. Antonio Cassano (Real Madrid to Sampdoria)
Cassano was very impressive last season when he joined Sampdoria on loan in August last year. This summer, he signed on a permanent basis. Cassano played excellently in his first match this year with Sampdoria against Inter, and will undoubtedly guide Sampdoria to a good place this season.
3. Alberto Gilardino (Milan to Fiorentina)
Fiorentina fans lost a hero when Luca Toni left Italy and signed for German outfit Bayern Munich last summer. However, Gilardino fell out-of-favor with the Milan staff and fans last season after an unimpressive campaign in 2007-08.
2. Ricardo Quaresma (Porto to Inter)
Quaresma signed for Inter on the final day of the transfer window. He should fit well in Jose Mourinho's 4-3-3 formation, where two classy wingers are required to play on the flanks. Quaresma has the speed and dribbling abilities to be a success on the right flank with the Italian champions.
1. Ronaldinho (Barcelona to Milan)
The former World Player of the Year is looking to revive his career, and Milan truly was the most appropriate choice for the Brazilian. Ronaldinho should be able to play well with the host of Brazilians who currently play at Milan. With Pato, Kaka, Pirlo, and other talented players at Milan, Ronaldinho should feel he is in the right place.
Other Good Signings
Andriy Shevchenko
He returned to Milan in order to revive his career where he earned the reputation of a deadly striker. Milan needed extra reinforcements to improve their strike-force
Gianluca Zambrotta
He was an excellent capture for Milan. He will bring them extra power in defense after they had a relatively bad season defensively last term with Barcelona.
Amantino Mancini
He was an impressive capture for Inter. He will probably be a first-team player and will serve as a left winger in Mourinho's 4-3-3 system.
John Arne Riise
He should prove to be a decent acquisition for Roma. He will surely fit well with Roma's attacking football.
Diego Milito
He signed for Genoa after snubbing an offer from Tottenham and should prove himself well with his new club where he enjoyed a good stint a couple of years ago.
Felipe Melo, Christian Poulsen
Melo was signed by Fiorentina, and midfielder Poulsen was signed by Juventus. They should prove to be two decent captures.
Click on the link below to view my latest "Rumors & Realities" article:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/53562-rumors-realities-see-you-in-january
comments (15) write a comment »
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2 months ago
I think poulsen will be a great signing for juve... well he cant be much worse than tiago can he?
ronaldinho is a risk but i think it will pay off for milan, but im convinced sheva is past it!
Julio Baptista could be a very good signing for the giallarossi if he can refind his sevilla form- he was deadly there!
nice read, zahi- didnt know that Amelia had moved, but do you think that Palermo willstruggle after losing Barzagli and Zaccardo?? They were huge defensve players for them.
from 2 months ago
yeah i think Palermo will struggle a lot. They got hammered from Udinese in the first match of the season.
Amelia is a good signing for them though.
LOL.. yeah nobody can ever be worse than tiago... It's a shame he played awfully with Juve, he was excellent at Chelsea and Lyon, I dont know what happened to him..
Thanks for the comment :)
from 2 months ago
and about Sheva, I think he can go back to being a deadly striker..
With Chelsea, he didnt play well, but it was all psychological.
Now I'm sure he feels that he's back home, so I'm sure he will perform well... Well, hopefully he will.
It's sad when you see a great player fail to live up to his potential.. I hope he returns to his best.
from 2 months ago
yeah I Saw that result actually, not being arrogant or anything I pay attention to other leagus around the world lol. No but seriously thats a shame because I always liked Palermo, i think it was just the kit tho... so different and pretty much unique. It was a strange move for barzagli and zaccardo tho to wolfsburg wasnt it? they cud have played for milan, juve or inter i think!
from 2 months ago
yeah i thought barzagli would join fiorentina.. he would have been a first team player at a very good club and increased his chances for a call-up for the AZZURRI national team..
it was a weird move for both.. a shock actually. A lot of players make stupid moves, I think Robinho is the latest. I guess it's now more about money than making a move to improve a player's career.
I accept Italian arrogance if people only watch serie A it is ok... LOL (kidding, I don't want more angry comments haha)
2 months ago
Great list, Ronaldinho was definitely one of the biggest coups from La Liga even though there was interest from clubs in the EPL, which you have very strong views on!
Mancini is a quality player who I like the look of and Riise at Roma suits their style.
from 2 months ago
that English arrogance article brought me a lot of angry comments.. LOL
yeah i agree with you, mancini, riise and ronaldinho are excellent signings.. Im sure calcio's going to be the best league this year!!
from 2 months ago
Yeah Riise was a great player and I hope he can rediscover his form in the "Eternal City"
maybe a visit to the vatican will do him some good lol!!
2 months ago
Take a look at this: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/53562-rumors-realities-see-you-in-january
2 months ago
cassano actually joined samp in august last year on a year-long loan. they made the move permanent this summer.
from 2 months ago
ok. thanks for the correction, will fix it.
2 months ago
Good list, Zahi. But the rankings are maybe off balance. Ronaldinho was just the "best" transfer because of his name. He hasn't played quality soccer for over a year. I think you have the top 2 transfers right, but Alberto Gilardino ... I don't know.
My list would probably go like this, for the top 3:
1- Quaresma
2- Ronaldinho
3- Muntari
But again, everyone is entitled to their opinion. The list is immaculate. I am just not sure that Baptista should be 6th. I would put him instead of Gilardino.
Good article man, and your Rumors and Realities will be missed...temporarily.
from 2 months ago
Thanks for the comment Khalid..
I think Ronaldinho is the best summer transfer because he is looking to revive his career and Milan need a player like him. Plus he fits in their system. So it's a great deal for Ronaldinho and Milan.
2 months ago
Great list Zahi..Ronaldinho, Muntari..Quaresma..Amauri top drawer signings..but you missed out on Monaco's Jeremy Menez who went to Roma..hes pretty unknown but he will prove himself this season, I think..
Great Work.
from 2 months ago
yeah i know he is classified as a huge signing for 10.5 million Euros.. but i didnt include him in my list cause i never saw him play...
THanks for the comment :)
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