QUOTE
Juve transfer guru Luciano Moggi insists Juve are still the Scudetto favourites and that they don't regret leaving Alberto Gilardino to Milan.
“I don’t consider the Rossoneri to be superior to Juventus,†said the director general in an interview with Radio Radio. “They are on a par with us and Inter.â€
In what has so far been a relatively quiet summer on the transfer front, Milan have been the most active with the arrival of Marek Jankulovski, Johann Vogel, Christian Vieri and former Parma hitman Gilardino. It was strongly reported the 23-year-old striker was on Juve’s wish-list as well as that of Chelsea.
“We did not challenge Milan for Gilardino’s signature because we have Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Adrian Mutu, Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet and Marcelo Zalayeta,†assured Moggi. “It was an excellent move for them, but I don’t think he is any better than our strikers and our best tactic is to avoid clutter in the squad.â€
This could well include some stellar departures, as after Enzo Maresca’s move to Sevilla and Alessio Tacchinardi’s switch to Villarreal, now Fabrizio Miccoli is set to leave the Stadio delle Alpi.
“He is a player who always manages to score 13-15 goals per season. There aren’t many of his like around and Miccoli is also very young,†stated the director general. However, it is reported that the former Fiorentina hitman has been offered to Inter in an exchange deal for Cristiano Zanetti.
“Inter have certainly reinforced their squad, especially with the arrival of David Pizarro and Walter Samuel. Milan and Juventus have also brought in champions such as Patrick Vieira, so we’ll see who comes out on top. I think we have created a strong foundation for the squad and we don’t need any other players.â€
It looks to be a three-horse race once again for the Serie A title, but Moggi sees the influence of smaller sides increasing this year.
“I believe Juve, Milan and Inter will fight it out for the top spot, but fourth place is a battle between Sampdoria, Palermo and a little further behind Udinese,†he concluded. “Roma could be in there if they didn’t have this transfer embargo, which I consider to be rather over the top. We have a good rapport with President Franco Sensi’s club and all past misunderstandings have been clarified.â€