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Grazie, e forza Il bianconeri per sempre.

This Week In Bianconeri

A week of quiet negotiation & exits. Roberto Bettega, Fabio Cannavaro & Christian Molinaro all severed ties with Juventus this week. La Penna Bianca leaving was discussed in a previous post, a great man who's presence will be sorely missed. Molinaro spent the second part of last season on loan at Stuttgart & the German team were happy to meet the €4 million agreed transfer fee, as he has been the "best left-back in Germany" since his arrival!

€4m, ball not included...

Cannavaro was out of contract on June 1, so his departure was no secret, although his destination did come as a surprise. He has signed a 2 year deal with U.A.E. Champions Al-Ahli, & made a point of telling the world that he "always wanted to move to Dubai". Yes Fabio of course you have, & Sven Goran Eriksson is a Liverpool fan...

Beppe Marotta has been very busy this week, holding meetings with countless club representatives - trying to secure deals for more exits as well as chasing new players. Three things have become obvious about his work this week.

Firstly there is clearly a plan in place, for both the shape of the squad next season & for who is surplus to requirements under Del Neri - 2 points which Secco never fully understood. Second is the type of player he seems to be chasing; young, determined and slightly off-the-radar. Perhaps the names he is linked with are not household names, but we've seen the results of signing names rather than talent just last season.

"Who's got next?"

Simone Pepe has become the first signing of the new regime, secured for €10m from Udinese, with Marotta spreading the fee over the next four years. Fitting both the profile of the club & the system of Del Neri, the winger just needs to sign the contract which he has already agreed.

His ability to play both flanks will be an asset, as the new coach often switches his wide players during games. Milos Krasic of CSKA Moscow seems next on the list & Marotta has a meeting with the club on Monday, & various sources are reporting that Fabio Paratici has already agreed a deal with the players representative.

Marotta also admitted that moves for Marco Motta (co-owned by Roma & Udinese), Leo Bonucci and Antonio Candreva are also well advanced. All 3 again fit the plan, & Del Neri's tactical idea.

Pavel, sorry Milos Krasic

One stop on Marotta's world tour was Munich, which seemed to be to finalise the Molinaro deal, as well as looking for buyers for Amauri, Grygera & Salihamidzic. The signing of Pepe has yet to be officially announced, which seems to be because Agnelli wants to announce of a number of arrivals at once - both to reflect well on him but also to remove the pressure of a single player being his first addition, another intelligent move.

A busy week then, & one which bodes well for the future of the club. forza il Bianconeri!

La Penna Bianca Leaves Juventus

A small announcement appeared on the club's official website yesterday, informing us that the return of Roberto Bettega was over after just five months. The White Feather returned in December as Assistant Director General & became a buffer between the playing staff & the management duo of Alessio Secco & Jean Claude Blanc. He was also ultimately responsible for the loan acquisition of Antonio Candreva & replacing Ciro Ferrara with Alberto Zaccheroni.

While his departure is saddening, it is really no surprise. The arrivals of Andrea Agnelli, Beppe Marotta, Fabio Paratici & Gigi Del Neri had left Bettega with no clear role & with his love for Juventus unquestionable he would not remain for the sake of sentiment. However, keeping a famous former player around in that "buffer" role is a common trait among Serie A sides, so a replacement should be employed soon.

In an interesting footnote to the story, Andrea Agnelli visited the Italian National team yesterday, at a similar time to the announcement being made public. So as one iconic former number 11 left the club, who was the Presidents companion for his visit to Sestriere...

This Week In Black & White

The first week after the season ends is always quiet, especially when its the worst year in living memory. Much time for reflection and assessment by the new management. Agnelli, Marotta & Del Neri have much work ahead of them, made more difficult by the forthcoming World Cup, which means many players with which the club would want to talk to are locked away in training camps across the world.

Of course half the clubs players were on the post-season tour to the US & Canada, where the team lost to both the New York Red Bulls & Fiorentina. For an inside look at the tour from Canada, read an excellent blog post here.

Time to roll up those sleeves boys!

With very little news being made public you would have to assume that the three men, plus Jean Claude Blanc have been busy beginning to make the moves needed to bring la Vecchia Signora back into contention for honours. The rumour mill has been working overtime in order to fill the news void created, and a number of interesting things have been said.

The first has to be the interview with Del Neri, which is a candidate for the worst translated chat since a Chelsea steward claimed Claudio Ranieri said "it was a game of two halves". According to some versions the new coach was giving the captaincy to Marchisio next season, when the truth was far less sensational. A full summary can be read here.

The comments on Del Piero, Buffon and indeed Marchisio were great to hear, and show the new coach already has a good understanding of what the fans want next term. Also good to hear have been the words of Mattia Cassani & Domenico Criscito, both of whom spoke of their pride at being linked to Juventus, and how great they view the club despite the recent demise.

"Genoa? The roads will be busy!"

Also a lot of stories regarding ex-Bianconeri men coming from Genoa this week, where Ciro Ferrara has been linked with the coaching post, as Gasperini is expected to move to Fiorentina to replace Cesare Prandelli who is in turn replacing Marcello Lippi. Hopefully Ferrara can rebuild his career and show the qualities which convinced Blanc to take a chance last summer.

While speaking of Genoa, their President Enrico Preziosi has said while Inter do not want Leo Bonucci, Juve certainly do. He went on to say it would take "an offer from the asylum" to free the Italy defender.

So, lots of words, little action, & even less real news in what will probably be the dullest week of the summer leaves us fans doing what we always do. Watch & wait...

Heysel Remembered At Anfield

Two ceremonies took place today in the city of Liverpool to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Heysel Stadium disaster.

The first was the planting of a white beam tree, which symbolises friendship and respect at the city's St George's Hall. The mayor of Liverpool and the Italian consul shook hands and planted the tree together.

From there the group moved to the Anfield Stadium, where a plaque was unveiled on the Centenary Stand. Before revealing the plaque Liverpool FC Chaplain made a poignant speech;

"We can't change our history or dry up all our tears. We cannot solve the mysteries still unanswered down these years. But we can, for all our children's sake and for the 39, build a monument of friendship that will stand the test of time."

The ceremony was then completed as Liverpool's captain that fateful night Phil Neal and Juve player Sergio Brio drew back the black curtains to reveal the plaque.

Also in attendance was Gianluca Pessotto who stood alongside Kenny Dalglish and Sammy Lee during the ceremony.

24 Hours From Hell

Juve gored by Bulls

Last night Juventini the world over suffered as hated rivals Internazionale saw off Bayern Munchen to become European Cup winners for the first time since 1965. As if that were not painful enough, today witnessed a new low, as an Alberto Zaccheroni led shadow squad lost 3-1 to New York Red Bulls as part of the club's post-season tour of North America.

Surely this is the very definition of rock bottom?

US & Canada Tour: Old, New, Borrowed, Blue

Juventus head to North America on Friday with an ill-fitting squad for what will be the last rites of Alberto Zaccheroni's time as coach. That none of the new regime want to associate themselves with this group tells you both how poor it is, and also gives an insight into the futures of many of the players, a large percentage of which lie away from Turin.

"YESSSS! I'm staying home!"

Manninger, Trezeguet, Grygera, Legrottaglie, Zebina, Salihamidzic, Amauri, Diego, Paolucci, De Ceglie & il Capitano Alessandro Del Piero from the first team squad are to travel. Grosso & Candreva will be the most disheartened members of the squad, given that they are only going following Marcello Lippi's decision to axe both from his World Cup squad yesterday.

The club has continued its tradition of "borrowing" players for these post-season tours, with Livorno duo Francesco Bardi & Alessandro Bernardini, Goncalo Jardim Brandao of Siena & Atalanta's Simone Padoin all joining the group.

The sad point in all this is that only Luca Belcastro & Luca Marrone from the Primavera will make the journey, which would be a great opportunity for young players to experience first team action without real pressure. Albin Ekdal - on loan at Siena - will travel, which is a boost for fans in North America as he is an exciting talent in a group short on both.

The Juve tifosi that I know from those places are passionate & knowledgeable about il Bianconeri, so many will know these names & appreciate the opportunity to support their team, no matter the make up of the group or the poor season just ended.