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  1. New CB in January?

    I know the Braintrust have said that they aren't bringing anyone in... but surely they need to bring someone in for cover in the CB/LB position now that Criscito is in Genoa... Boumsong is junk, and Ranieri has no faith in him... Andrade is probably not going to be useful until March, Molinaro's...

  2. New CB in January?

    I'd prefer a starter quality defender like Barzagli for 10-12m € and giving Criscito needed first team experience with a decent Serie A team, then yet another substitute/reserve quality player from the freebie bin. Though unless Chiellini is ready to return to LB... I don't comprehend the...

  3. New CB in January?

    Molinaro hasn't been bad at all.... he just hasn't been that good. He's an excellent substitute/reserve... but top teams don't have players like him as their first choice wingback. It was alright at first when he was Chiellini's understudy... but now we've found our centreback from within, a top...

  4. New CB in January?

    If Ranieri is a typical Italian manager... his wingbacks are absolutely crucial. Going forward, Molinaro and Grygera don't inspire me. However, Molinaro does show glimmers of having what it takes to be a prototypical Italian wingback. If Ranieri lacks faith in Zebina and Grygera (which it...

  5. New CB in January?

    Zaccardo is the same as Ivanovic, in the respect that both can play RB and CB. The difference is Ivanovic is a better CB and Zaccardo is a better RB. I see RB as the greater concern, assuming some combination of Legrottaglie, Andrade and Chiellini are in form this season, and Chiellini and...

  6. New CB in January?

    Of course, at the time, he had just signed Andrade, had high hopes on Criscito and thought Chiellini and Grygera were going to round out his top 4. Legrottaglie was his last choice defender. What a difference 3 months can make, especially when Barzagli had some high-profile strong performances...

  7. New CB in January?

    I thought he could play left-back... but I can't find anything that backs that up. You're correct that the right side is full, but if they decided to toss Zebina (which they apparently want to), he would be an ideal option, as he can definitely play CB as well, like Grygera. I don't think...

  8. New CB in January?

    Can't hurt to ask, even if the answer is most certainly no. I think a realistic shortlist for Wingback is: Pasqual, Zaccardo, Grosso, Jankulovski, Zambrotta (probably in that order too)

  9. New CB in January?

    Its quite unfair to judge Barzagli based on one game where he was horribly exposed in an incompetent 3-5-2 formation. However, he is by no means, a Nesta. He would however greatly benefit from a move to a strong team where he would not be relied upon and exposed as much. The only reasons...

  10. New CB in January?

    22/11/2007 02:38 Juventus Look For Defensive Reinforcements Juventus have singled out which defenders they plan to bring in when the transfer window reopens in January. zoom - galleria Lokomotiv Moscow defensive stalwart Branislav Ivanovic and Aston Villa standout Olaf Mellberg...

  11. New CB in January?

    Its a very tough question. Ideally, you go for the younger middle aged player who has the potential for greatness still. Someone 24-27 years old. That way, you're still gonna get at least 3-5 top years out of them. Guys like Pasqual and Zaccardo come to mind. Not that old, decent, but there's a...

  12. New CB in January?

    My thoughts exactly. Potentially elite in 3-5 years... but currently VERY exploitable. Especially because Ivanovic has never seen tough Serie A competition, and Criscito has proven incapable of it so far. I say one of Zapata or Ivanovic (preference on Zapata) and a mid-aged (24-29) LB.

  13. New CB in January?

    Yep, Criscito has the brains, but none of the brawn. He'll be good in 2-3 years minimum... he'll definitely be class. Though, I do find it laughable that Criscito expected to stroll in and be the #1 defender and make demands of field time, yet failed to bulk up any muscle. He's lucky to have...

  14. New CB in January?

    I agree. Its going to be a matter of casting a wide net and seeing who bites at an offer for change, or an opportunity to cash in.

  15. New CB in January?

    I agree that the priority has shifted to left backs from centrebacks in the last couple months. When this thread started, the situation looked like this: Chiellini - Legrottaglie - GAP -Grygera/Zebina (and the verdict was still out on how Legro would reply to this) to: GAP -...

  16. New CB in January?

    Zapata is probably the best bet right now if the desire is a combination of youth, Serie A experience and ability. Ivanovic only has two of those, as well, Chelski is circling him, which only means the price tag will be astronomical.

  17. New CB in January?

    I agree... Juventus doesn't exactly have Cannavaro and Thuram to fall back on if an experimental young player doesn't pan out. Chelsea for example can easily experiment on Ivanovic, since if he fails to adapt, they still have lots of excellent defenders to choose from. Juventus on the other...

  18. New CB in January?

    I hate stories like that. There is no direct source of the money, but people will read that and assume Juve have to spend all 20 million euro and/or other teams will see that and realize they can squeeze the team for more. Though not a bad list of options. Little disappointed that Barzagli...

  19. New CB in January?

    That would be sweet... but I dunno if the board is up for spending over 30 million euro in January... cause that's probably what it would take for both.

  20. New CB in January?

    Good points. Zapata is the same age (approx) but he's proven a lot more in that time, and hasn't really been prone to the inconsistency that Senderos and Criscito have. The bonus with him is that he'd likely be a solid contributor for years. I agree he is a risk, but a lesser one than...