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Juve rebel Tiago given time Saturday 27 October, 2007 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Juventus general manager Jean Claude Blanc has explained their transfer policy and where that leaves Tiago Mendes and target Branislav Ivanovic.
“In this transfer campaign we have invested £37m and also sold players that gave us a profit of over £10m,” he noted.
“The right way to run a club is not to spend all the money at your disposal. We will try to focus on those players who we think represent added value for the squad.”
A section of the fans had originally protested at what they saw as a below-par summer spending spree for the return to Serie A and drawn-out contract renegotiations with their top players.
“The transfer campaign was performed with great professionalism. We tried to mix experienced players with youngsters, renewed the contracts of five of our great champions – not a foregone conclusion – that began with Gigi Buffon and finished with our captain Alessandro Del Piero.”
Now that Del Piero’s deal has been penned until 2010, the only figure rocking the Bianconeri boat is Tiago, who threatened to walk out in January if he does not play more first-team football.
“Tiago remains a great champion and he is part of the club’s treasure chest,” insisted Blanc. “He has not yet found space, but there is time to settle into Italian football.
“If he asked to leave? The priority is to have more than 11 players of real quality. It’s a long season and we have only played eight games, so it is too early to make decisions. Tiago has to give his best week after week and prove he deserves a place.”
This week Lokomotiv Moscow goalkeeper Ivan Pelizzoli told the Italian media that his club teammate Ivanovic was ready for a January move to Juventus.
“That is not true,” replied the general manager. “Currently the transfer market is closed and we have not signed deals with any clubs or players. Yes we are trying to raise the quality of the squad, keeping a close eye on our players who are out on loan.”
Juve are clear in second place and hope to keep up with leaders Inter, who they will face next weekend after the meetings with Napoli and Empoli.
“We have to aim for nine points from those three games because we are Juve. If we can prove ourselves against Inter, the team would gain even more confidence in their own potential.”
-Channel 4
I hate the headline. Just because he expressed he wants to play he is a rebel?Media...
