Out of the eleven players that took the pitch during Genoa’s 3-1 defeat at Sassuolo on the final matchday of the 2014/15 season, just four still remain at the club. The rest, whether departing following the end of loan spells or lured away by bigger teams, no longer wear the red & blue of the Grifoni. A season of overachieving placed the club in sixth at the end of the season, heartbreakingly missing out on Europa League after failing to receive a UEFA licence.
The stars of last season, M’baye Niang, Alessandro Matri, Andrea Bertolacci, and Iago Falque have all gone their separate ways, with Diego Perotti close to leaving as well. Losing a crew of star players like that will put a big dent in any hopes of achieving the same heights for Genoa, and the club will likely languish in the middle of the table come the end of next season. Despite the multitude of players departing the club, Genoa have only made around €16 million. This puts the team, which is missing out on Europe and therefore Europa League money (little as it is), is in a position where it has to both patch up the holes and not go deep into the red. The club’s transfers so far, culminating with the signing of Goran Pandev on a bosman yesterday, are signs of a successful ongoing reconstruction.
Coming back to Italy after a year-long spell in Turkey with Galatasaray, Pandev is arriving as an experienced and proven Serie A striker. Though not exactly a 20 goals per season forward, Pandev is a fantastic complement to fellow new permanent arrival Leonardo Pavoletti, who last season scored six times for Genoa after being loaned from Sassuolo in January. A supporting striker by trade, Pandev would be the link between Genoa’s midfield and Pavoletti, playing the Italian forward on with brilliant passes. The Macedonian would not shy away from finding the net himself either, and with a bit of luck duo could be scoring 20 goals between the two of them, not only giving the Grifoni a nice return but alleviating the pressure to produce from one man.
Furthermore, Pandev’s invaluable experience as a Champions League striker would bring a wealth of knowledge to a team lacking many veteran players to keep the squad together, and with a rocky season looming, the forwards in particular need an experienced man to keep them in line and preventing major loss of confidence.
Pavoletti himself is also a fantastic buy. After a successful end to his Genoa loan spell in which he scored six times in ten matches (including five straight), his temporary club jumped at the opportunity to bring the 26-year-old in permanently, signing him on to a five-year contract at the earliest opportunity. A cheap buy at just €3 million, Pavoletti is a cost-effective and exciting purchase for the Genovese club, whose fans can rest easier knowing they have a club-proven goalscorer on the books for the forseable future. Pavoletti reportedly rejected interest from the likes of
The post Goran Pandev Capture A Good Continuation of Genoa’s Rebuilding appeared first on Italian Football Daily.
from Italian Football Daily http://ift.tt/1KYBMxR
via IFTTT berita selengkapnya Follow @jadwalliga
