Galliani seek Barca stars
Sunday 24 June, 2007

Adriano Galliani reveals why Milan decided to drop David Suazo and Thierry Henry, but confirms they’re seeking a new forward at Barcelona.

It has been an eventful week for the Rossoneri Vice-President. He struck a £10m deal with Cagliari for Suazo only to discover he had already signed for Inter and on Saturday officially relinquished their hold on the Honduran.

“I spoke with President Silvio Berlusconi and he completely agreed with our decision not to get into a bidding war. There was the real risk of a mess emerging. We all liked Suazo, but life goes on,” noted Galliani.

“I spoke to Massimo Moratti many times recently and right from the start I was pleased to see the Nerazzurri did not think we acted unfairly. Milan took the player’s wishes into account and released him without any nasty afters.

“There is too much talk in Italian football and we didn’t need another weight. As a former Lega Calcio President, I can say that a sense of responsibility played a huge part in my decision on Suazo. Can you imagine an appeal to FIFA with the Scudetto winners fighting against the European champions? No, thanks. Better to retire and look ahead.”

The Rossoneri are certainly doing that, with talk – now confirmed by Galliani – that they will pool all their resources into snatching either Eto’o or Ronaldinho from Barcelona.

“I tell the fans what I already reminded Berlusconi of. In 1986 we lost Gianluca Vialli because he refused the transfer. We didn’t get down in the dumps, instead going to sign Marco van Basten. Perhaps we would have won more with Vialli, but with Marco…

“At the moment Eto’o is not on the market and he says he wants to stay at Barcelona. Eto’o is at the top of our list and I have never hidden that.”

Galliani has often protested about the different tax breaks that football clubs receive in Italy and around Europe, so it seems once again this could prove decisive – as it already has this summer.

“The problem is the difference in the financial regime in Spain. We experienced the same problem with Henry,” revealed the transfer guru.

“We were very close to the Frenchman and Leonardo had worked hard on convincing him. We would not have had problems handing over £16m to Arsenal, but the £6.7m per season net wages are not sustainable for us. To be clear, Barcelona’s contract with Henry costs them less than £10m gross, but for us the same wages would cost £13.5m.

“Unfortunately, this is the truth now. We have to get used to it. Years back Ajax, Red Star Belgrade and Steaua Bucharest could challenge for the Champions League. Now they have vanished because they can’t sustain certain costs.

“It’ll get worse, as a new Government plan will take away resources from the big clubs to give to the smaller sides. We’ll get a more balanced Serie A, but the decline in Europe could follow.”


::channel4::

Galliani: «Evitate liti. Per il grande colpo il Milan va all'estero»

«Nell'86 Vialli ci disse di no, non ci scoraggiammo e arrivò Van Basten. Eravamo vicini a Henry, ma i 10 milioni d'ingaggio erano insostenibili». 6/24/2007 9:12 AM

Suazo? Ne ho parlato con il presidente Silvio Berlusconi e lui ha condiviso in pieno la scelta di non fare giochi al rialzo in questa storia. C'era il concreto rischio di un pasticciaccio e né il Milan né l'Inter meritavano di uscirne danneggiate. Anche Ancelotti ha capito. Suazo piaceva a tutti noi. Ma la vita continua
S'è sentito con Massimo Moratti? «Più volte in questi giorni. E sin dal primo momento m'ha fatto piacere che in casa nerazzurra nessuno abbia pensato male del nostro operato. Il Milan era in buona fede ed ha preso atto della scelta del giocatore senza code antipatiche. Il calcio italiano è sin troppo chiacchierato, non aveva bisogno di una nuova bega. Lo dico da consigliere federale e da componente del comitato di presidenza Figc. Senza dimenticare i 5 anni da presidente di Lega. Nella mia scelta su Suazo ha pesato il senso di responsabilità. Ve l'immaginate un ricorso alla Fifa con i campioni d'Italia contrapposti a quelli d'Europa? No, grazie. Meglio ritirarsi e guardare avanti
I tifosi del Milan ci sono rimasti male. «Dico loro quel che che ho già ricordato al presidente Berlusconi. Quando nell'86 avevamo preso Vialli lui ci disse di no. Non ci perdemmo d'animo e a andammo a prendere Van Basten. Forse con Vialli avremmo vinto di più, ma con Marco...».
Ed ora cosa intende fare? «Ci metteremo al lavoro per cercare un attaccante. Il mercato è lungo, ci muoveremo con calma. Ma è chiaro che per il nuovo acquisto sarà sacrificato esclusivamente Oliveira».
Allora tornate alla carica per Eto'o? «Al momento è incedibile e lui dice di voler restare a Barcellona. Eto'o è in cima alla nostra lista, non l'ho mai nascosto».
Anche se si dice che il camerunese chieda 8 milioni di euro d'ingaggio. Due più di Kakà. «Non faccio cifre. Ma il problema degli ingaggi e della sperequazione con il regime fiscale spagnolo torna sempre. Lo abbiamo toccato con mano anche con Henry. Leonardo aveva lavorato sul francese. Non avremmo avuto difficoltà a dare 24 milioni all'Arsenal, ma quei 10 milioni netti d'ingaggio al giocatore per noi non sono sostenibili. Per essere chiari. Al lordo al Barcellona il contratto di Henry non costa neanche 15 milioni. A noi 20».
Attualmente in Italia gli ingaggi arrivano al massimo a 6,5 milioni di euro. All'estero questo tetto è stato superato da tempo. «Purtroppo è questa la realtà. Dobbiamo farcene una ragione. Anni addietro l'Ajax, la Stella Rossa e la Steaua Bucarest lottavano per la Champions League. Ora sono sparite perché non possono fronteggiare certi costi. Vorrà dire che faremo la stessa fine. E non è finita qui. All'orizzonte c'è un provvedimento del Governo che toglierà le risorse alle grandi per destinarle alle piccole. Avremo un campionato più equilibrato. Ma in Europa il declino sarà fatale ».
Ma non potreste acquistare un talento italiano? Quagliarella o Bianchi, ad esempio. «Quando ero al Monza ero il primo a puntare sui giovani, ma il Milan ha altre esigenze. Su questo posso essere chiaro. Dal nostro screening è già emersa una conclusione. Il rinforzo per l'attacco lo cercheremo all'estero. Sino a fine agosto c'è tempo e ce lo prenderemo tutto per fare la scelta più giusta»

-It's a foreign foward.

Well ... I still believe it is R10 .. There have been no talks about him in the media and no one has even uttered his name recently. This favors Milan's transfer strategy, they are always quit on the BIG transfers ..

Thing is, how long this will take .. a day ? a month ? 70 days 

I doubt Milan will go on this summer without any transfers; bringing in some help will be necessary. And Emerson would come (especially since Capello is leaving Madrid..) .. Who knows

which means....??

GALLIANI EYES THE FUTURE

6/24/2007 12:34:00 PM

Adriano Galliani confirmed that Milan acted responsibly in regards to Suazo and that they have until the end of August to find the perfect addition to the Rossoneri’s attack

Adriano Galliani gave an interview with Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport and had this to say about what happened with Suazo: ‘I spoke about it with president Berlusconi and he completely agrees with the decision to not play the game of upping the offer in this matter. There was a real risk of making a mess of things and neither Milan nor Inter deserve to leave this situation damaged. Carlo Ancelotti understood as well. We all liked Suazo, but life goes on. I have heard Massimo Moratti more often recently and upfront I was pleased that at the Nerazzuri’s house no one thought poorly of our operation. Milan acted in good faith, selecting a player without any bad intentions.’

Galliani explained: ‘There is too much gossip about Italian football and there is no need for a new dispute. This is my opinion as a member of the Federation and as former president of the League. Acting responsibly bore upon my choice for Suazo. Can you imagine a petition being made to Fifa with the champions of Italy opposite those of Europe? No, thank you. It’s better to back off and look ahead.’

How did Milan get involved in this matter? ‘Because when I went to dinner with League vice-president Massimo Cellino on Monday night I learned that Suazo had cancelled the negotiations with the Nerazzurri. I made an agreement with the Sardinian club while waiting for Suazo’s agent to complete the operation. But, without putting any pressure on the player.’

‘What do I think of Suazo? I spoke with the boy late on Friday night. He explained the motivation behind his choice to me and it’s not at all true that he said no to Milan. If he had then he wouldn’t have done the about-turn with Inter after having undergone the medical examination. And on this I have nothing to reproach him for.’

‘To the fans I want to say the same thing that I already recounted to president Berlusconi. In 1986 when we moved for Vialli he said no. We didn’t lose heart and went on to sign Van Basten. Perhaps we would have won more with Vialli, but with Marco…’

As for future moves on the market: ‘We will be looking for a striker. The market is long and we won’t rush things. But, it is clear that only Oliveira will be sacrificed for the new signing.’

Will Milan try for Eto’o again? ‘At the moment he is not available and he says that he wants to stay at Barcelona. Eto’o is at the top of our list. I’ve never hid that.’

Rumour has it that Eto’o is asking for an 8 million euro signing bonus, which is two more than Kakà: ‘I don’t want to talk about any numbers. But the problem of the signing bonus and the inequality of Spain’s fiscal regime always returns. It was the same thing with Henry. Leonardo worked hard for the Frenchman. We wouldn’t have any problems in giving 24 million to Arsenal but that 10 million euro signing bonus wasn’t plausible. To be clear, Barcelona didn’t even pay 15 million for Henry’s contract but for us the price was 20.’

The top signing bonus in Italy is 6.5 million euros, a figure which has been surpassed abroad for quite some time: ‘Unfortunately this is the reality and it is important for us to understand why. Years ago Ajax, Red Star Belgrade and Steaua Bucharest were fighting for the Champions League. Now, they have disappeared because they couldn’t cope with certain costs. The same thing would happen to us in the end, and it doesn’t end there. On the horizon, there is legislation to cut the resources for the big clubs for the smaller sides. We will have a more balanced domestic league, but the decline in Europe will be fatal.’

Couldn’t Milan sign an Italian talent? ‘When I was at Monza, I was the first one to point towards the young players. But, Milan have other needs. On this I need to be clear. A conclusion has already emerged from our screening. We will look abroad for the reinforcement in our attack. I am not naming names. We have until the end of August and we will take the time that we need to make the right choice.’


::acmilan.com::

I doubt we will be doing any dealing with R.Madrid, especially after the AS stunt