Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to the Italian football podcast with John Solano, Carlo Garganese and Nima Tuvali.
Speaker: Hello, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of The Italian Football Podcast. We hope that you are doing well. Okay, so we have another exciting episode today. We have Diego Fonero of toronews .net. However, just a forewarning, and I tried my best
Speaker: to edit it to make it sound more natural. But originally, this was supposed to come out the day of the transfer deadline. However, once we finished recording, we had lost, or there was an error, I guess I should say, with the latter half of Diego's
Speaker: audio. So we actually had to rerecord later in the day and Diego was gracious enough to come back on. So we recorded in the same tense as in it was still deadline day, but because we were having these issues once more when we brought Diego on. So to avoid having him have to come on for a third time, we just went with the audio that we had. So even though this is coming out after the deadline,
Speaker: Obviously, please bear in mind that we recorded this with Diego twice the day of the deadline. So again, I did my best to make it sound throughout the podcast as if this was coming out.
Speaker: after the deadline, but if you are thrown off by the weird time continuum that you are probably experiencing throughout the interview, do not worry. That was not just you. We again, we had some errors with Diego's audio and to avoid having to drag him on again for a third time, we just went with what we had. So please keep that in mind and let me throw it over now to Nima and Diego to talk all things Torino.
Speaker: And to help us do that, we are joined once again by a very good friend who is a reporter and journalist for Toro News, the most important and best Torino news site in Italy, which I absolutely recommend those of you who speak Italian to follow. I follow, I follow it and I go on there every day to read about Torino. His name, he was with us last summer. His name is Diego Fornero. Welcome, welcome again, Diego.
Speaker: Hello, Nima. Thank you. Thank you for the invitation and hello to everyone. Yeah, it's a pleasure to be here again. Thank you so much for coming on. And let's start with the most pressing question. And it's the same pressing question that we had when you last were on. And that is the future of Gallo Bellotti, Andrea Bellotti. It's a lot of things have been said. Obviously he's not had the, you know,
Speaker: the best season because of the injuries and that but it's quite clear that he doesn't want to extend his contract and now there's been rumors of him going to toronto fc in the mls to hook up with sebastiano jovino who's close to signing the new mokrishita was also close close to signing
Speaker: and Lorenzo Insinie. I want to start there. What's the buzz around Andrea Belloc in Torino right now? It's quite obvious that he'll leave, but what do you guys think? What's the latest on where he will go? Yeah, thank you, Nima, for the question. I know it sounds funny, but the situation is quite the same over the last summer, because we still don't know what Andrea Belloc is going to do, and he never told anyone
Speaker: where he is going. You know, he is in a strange situation. We can say strange, a little different from other players because he is not in the circle of the big agents. He is represented by his lawyer and he used to have a really, really low profile and also in communication. So he never speaks. He doesn't have anyone that speaks for him. So, you know, when you talk about Bellotti, you will not have
Speaker: agent giving interviews every day and giving rumors to every journalist. So we really don't know what he's going to do, but we are quite sure that he's going to live. And we know it also from the words of the president that told quite everyone that he's not going to renew his contract. And he also added that probably something broke between Beloghti and Torino some years ago when Urbana Cairo didn't even live to
Speaker: mean and so probably something has broke and you know okay now is enjoyed but we also know that these were
Speaker: his passes on Torino and probably we're not going even to see him on pitch before June so we can say that it's already a former player for Torino or something like that okay probably we play sometimes but he's not the captain anymore or maybe when he's going to play probably he will have the hard band but we don't consider him as a captain by now because he is going to leave and it's we can say also a sad story because in two
Speaker: we really loved him and he was really something special for Torino fans. So probably it's gone. We still don't know where he is going to go because, you know, even if he played for an international team last summer winning Euros, he wasn't the key player for the team. And so
Speaker: he didn't show himself on an international level like for example we can say that Insinia did and so okay the rumors about Toronto were quite true because probably Toronto appreciated and approached with Belotis lawyer but he hasn't signed by now for Toronto but he hasn't signed by now for anyone so
Speaker: we can say that the match is still open. And I'm not so sure that this condition is going to play for a big, big, big club in Italy, because, you know, there are a lot of better chances by now, probably. It was linked to Milan, you know, everyone knows it. It was linked to Inter. It was linked to Fiorentina. It was linked to a lot of teams. But by now, the reason
Speaker: anything really really defining. So we can say that we are in the same situation of the last time.
Speaker: You probably can copy my husband and paste him in this podcast. Yeah, I mean, it is. It's probably true. And you're right that he's not a very he's very he's very untypical and atypical in terms of a modern football, because he doesn't talk a lot and his agency doesn't want his agent to talk a lot. He wants to, you know, he doesn't want to create a lot of fuss about himself.
Speaker: in in the media he's very like he's a very quiet like he puts his head down and just gets on with it um i i i think that i mean what do you think what what do you think i mean if you were to kind of your gut feeling where do you think he will go yeah i'm i'm not really sure about it uh i think that he considers himself as still a big player for seya so i
Speaker: going to play, for example, because he's not just interested in money. And if he wouldn't be really, really just interested in money, he would probably have left before than today. And so I'm not sure that he's going to go, for example, in Turkey or in Canada, or for example, we also heard something about the Emirates.
Speaker: I think that he's going to play, at least in Europe, and I think that he's trying to play, at least in Syria. His dream is to play for his team, you know. He's an AC Milan fan, and okay, there's nothing strange about it. It's something, okay, it's good. And so probably that was his dream, but I'm not sure that by now, AC Milan needs velocity. And so...
Speaker: It is still the best the most interesting place for him but i'm not sure that is going to let me know if i actually look at milan and i'm thinking.
Speaker: Well, they need him because Latany Brehimovich is getting older and he although he kind of he still plays and does scored eight goals, ten goals. The problem is that he's fitness, he's not fit enough. And the other issue is Olivier Giroud has been a disaster. So there's absolutely room for him at AC Milan, I think. Don't you agree? Yeah, yeah, we can say that every Milan's number nine
Speaker: It's a disaster in the last year or so. It's strange because AC Milan is very unlucky with their strikers, you know, part of the very movies, but with the number nine, they were all flops in the last, we can say, 10 years, something like this. And okay, yeah, yeah, they probably need it, but you also consider that
Speaker: Milan now is targeting, if it's not a Spudetto contender, it's something like this. And this Belotti, with all these injuries, and not just for the injuries, but maybe, probably on a global basis, I'm not sure that it's going to be a top striker for a Spudetto contender. And trust me, I really love Belotti, and I'm really also aficionated to him.
Speaker: I'm not sure that by now he's at the Milan level. No, that's a good point. That's a very good point. And also I think the injuries have kind of, have kind of raised, have kind of made that, you know, an issue as well, that, you know, has kind of stopped him in his career. I've always been a fan, you know, that I think he's, I've always thought that he was
Speaker: the natural replacement to Edin Jeko. I think he's a similar kind of player in the sense that he's a hard worker, he's technically good, but he never stops running and he's a very gritty player and he fights, you know, he just fights for every ball and creates space for the others.
Speaker: Um, so, uh, yeah, no, I think it's, I think you're right. I think maybe the top clubs, the ships have sailed a little bit, but a part of me, because I like him so much, I hope he gets his dream move to Milan. I think it would be beautiful for the Syrian for him.
Speaker: Yeah, I can say that being efficient to him, we can say that at least if he has to leave Torino, he's going absolutely to leave Torino. At least we can realise this to him. He's been very loyal to Torino as well. He's not fought his way out from the club.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah, he was really loyal, even if we can say that probably, obviously, I'm not in his shoes, so okay, it's easy to say. But if I was in his shoes, probably I would have left maybe last summer, because to leave Torino by now, after all these injuries, after a season quite not played, with all this silence, with the president telling something about him without letting him even to reply, because he doesn't want to reply,
Speaker: He's not the best ending, we can say, from this story that has been a really great story. For sure. Let's talk a little bit about the future of who I think is the best central defender in the Serie A. Gleison Bremme, who is a Torino player and who now the Italian media are saying that Inter's CEO, Beppe Marotta, has blocked Blocato, him, for the summer.
Speaker: in the sense that they've already agreed terms with Bremen. What do you know about that? What do you think will happen? Do you think you'll extend with Torino or do you think you'll leave in the summer?
Speaker: Yeah, no, I'm quite sure that he's going to leave because, you know, we love him and he's a really, really great player. Probably at this time, okay, not on an absolute level, but for how he's playing by now, probably he's the best defender in Serie A. He's the best central back in Serie A by now. And so, obviously, he's a great first player. He's just 24. So, the future tells for himself.
Speaker: And so he's going to live quite for sure. And if he's going to live, he's going to live for a big club. So we can say Inter, Minan, Juventus or something like this in Italy. And I'm not so sure, for example, that Juventus will let him live. And so
Speaker: I'm not even so sure that Inter has already defined personal terms. And you know, personal terms are not the only thing that matters. We also need something with the claps. And so I heard something and they are quite affordable. I heard something about the interest from Juventus. So I fear that they will try to do that.
Speaker: That's interesting. I'm quite sure about it because, you know, probably the light is going to leave next summer because he never felt really part of the Juventus entourage. It's not the place they paid for. And so they're going probably to replace the light. And I'm quite sure that Premier will be a great option for them. I'm not telling you that it's going to be Juventus.
Speaker: Yeah, but there is an interest. At the same time, I'm pretty sure that for Premier League, something would happen, because, for example, Paratichi was a great fan of Bremer, and, you know, he's trying to get all these players for Premier League, and Tonya Kontel liked him, and so on. Who knows?
Speaker: One thing this show is going to leave. I hope for Torino that it's going to leave at least for a reasonable price in order just to get at least to invest something in different places.
Speaker: Yeah, no, for sure. And I mean, Cairo is notoriously difficult to work, to do business with. I think, I mean, for the for the for the good of the club, I think when it comes to the big, most difficult presidents in the Serie A to do business with. Third place is Cairo. Second place is Lottito. And first is our good friend from Naples, Aurelio de la Indis. I mean,
Speaker: It's impossible. If he wants 100 million and 50 cents, he will get 100 million and 50 cents. He just doesn't mess about. Even if you give 100 million and 49 cents, he'll say no.
Speaker: That's who he is. Let's talk a little bit about players that you've been rumored to come in. Pellegri just signed. What's your thoughts on him? I mean, we remember him from Genoa, this wonder kid. He went to Monaco. He didn't go that well. He went to Milan. That completely was a waste of everyone's time. What are your thoughts about him coming to Torino now? What's the buzz around him?
Speaker: Yeah, we can say that Tarino tried to bid on him and, okay, it's a bid. We don't know what would happen. The player was really good when he was considered a wonder kid. At the time he moved to Monaco, he was a big perspective player.
Speaker: You also know that in Monaco he quite never played. He was already injured and always injured and they told us that probably Genoa did something wrong with him in terms of
Speaker: We can say he probably creates something difficult on his mask also. He had an interest on injuries and again injuries. And so they probably did something wrong. Probably there is something that didn't work with him that is not really necessarily related to what Genoa did. So the fact is that he played just a couple of match in the last three years. And so
Speaker: this is strange because it's just 20 and so we can say at 20 that he's not going to be a big player and so we really hope that maybe this can be the start of something new, this can be the start of the second part of his career. It will be difficult, we have to be frank, we hope so but
Speaker: Obviously, when you look, it's easy. You can see on transfer mark the injuries list, and probably you're going to say, oh, he will never play again. But who knows? We hope that something will change. In the Torino roster, there is already a player that looks really similar to Pelegli. Even if he's not so young, that is Marcia. Again, a big, big player. Again, a big talent.
Speaker: let the big big problems with the injuries and so we hope that something will work.
Speaker: Oh, for sure. For sure. I completely understand that. That is true. Piazza was a player who you spoke about in the summer when we when we when we had you on. And I mean, together and also Brekalow, who, you know, who signed since then has been absolutely fantastic. And also, I don't know if you remember, but when we spoke, I remember I asked you in the summer, I hypothesized if Mandragora couldn't become the captain of Torino one day. And that day seems to have come sooner than than than than anyone could have imagined.
Speaker: I'm a big fan of his. I mean, how good has he been this season?
Speaker: Yeah, he is a great player. We can say, again, he was probably slowed in his career by injuries, again, because probably without injuries, now he would be the Juventus, probably, starter in the mid -bit. And like he was probably perspective to be, because, you know, he was a Juventus player. And when he was loaned to the Netherlands, he already had some trouble. And then when he came to Torino,
Speaker: he immediately showed something great. Again, also this year he didn't play all the matches, but he was really good baked up by Pobega, and we probably are going also to talk about Pobega. And I think that he can be a key player for Torino's future. And I really hope that he's going. Yeah, I think so as well. I mean, if he's a captain.
Speaker: Vaniati seems to be in control of the squad and what's happening, which is very good to see because Torino is a classic Serie A club, and I think they should be in the top half of the Serie A, in my opinion, and they have a fantastic coach in Iwayuri, who you know I respect a lot, and I think has done an amazing job with Torino. I think Torino have been
Speaker: you know, everyone's praising Torino for their season compared to last season, and they are the most improved team in the Serie A, no doubt. But I think Torino have been very unlucky. In my opinion, they should have had at least 5 -10 more points. Do you agree? Yeah, he did very well compared to the last seasons. We can also say that, for example, Sofia Rentina has improved a lot, so probably he's not only Torino that he improved a lot, but
Speaker: And yeah, when you compare this dollar with the last dollar, you say, okay, this is another team. So it's really great. And you reach as a big, we can say the bigger, he did a really big work with us. And yeah, he's doing very well. And again, I hope that he's not just going to be a standing
Speaker: up season, the best season, and then we go on count again, hope that this is going to be something that can last, that can even evolve in the next years. And who knows what we know that by now,
Speaker: when we see Torino playing we see a great team at least that try to play that tries to and also to entertain people that it's not something we can just take for granted because okay when you start the season just to keep the relegation away when you just you just try to get some points also the draws are okay and when you see Torino by now you see I think
Speaker: a team that always tries at least to win.
Speaker: Okay, he never, obviously, he doesn't always win because otherwise we were talking about us with the content. Okay, this is not something like this. But when you play versus Torino, you know that we play with a team that at least we try to take the game by his part. And this is great. This is really, really something that we have to consider as a big,
Speaker: and so I think that if this transfer window will work and if really happens what you which would like to happen we can even say that we have hope even to be better than before even to have a second part of the season even better than the first one
Speaker: And obviously, I'm not so sure about when someone says, OK, now the target is to reach the Europa League. I don't think so. I think that thinking about European qualification is maybe something that can also distract the team. So, OK, it's OK. Even if we don't reach Europe, it's OK. But the great part of the job will be
Speaker: first thing to grow again the players and also make even bigger the youngest player. Players like Brekalov, players like Bonjour, players like even Vojvodai, even if he's not so young but it's a big surprise you know he's doing very well. If these players will grow again and grow further
Speaker: I'm sure that we will start from this, even for the next season. Obviously, in the next season, no problem, we are not going to have a grammar, we are not going to have velocity, but we are going to have someone to start with a big project, you know, also the owner.
Speaker: sold a lot of big players, but he always keep playing really well. He's still playing well with Tudor, so I'm sure that something happened again. No, I mean, that second season at Hellas Verona, after the first season, he sold Amrabbat and a bunch of other players, and then the second season was even better than the first with Yuri.
Speaker: It's astounding. I think he is building a very interesting career. After Torino, I think he is ready
Speaker: in one or two years, two, three years, I think he will do so well with Torino that after that he will be ready for one of the one of the striped teams in the north, one of the Milan Juve Inter. I think I really think so. I think he is building a very interesting career, a very interesting career. I mean, one of the players who you do have and right now who's on loan from Milan, Pobega, how good has he been? Because I've been very impressed every time I've watched him.
Speaker: Yeah, he has been really good, but okay, he probably was playing to replace Mandragora. And so with Mandragora again, we can say that now he became the second choice for Torino. And yeah, it's a pity because he
Speaker: he showed up as a big, big player. You know, it's an 18 -millimeter player. And Joeric told us in every press conference that he doesn't like too much to make even more valuable a player that is not a Torino player. And so probably now Pobega is
Speaker: we can say he's paying this and this is something that the wind is low in the season so he's not going to play a lot in the second half of the season and probably with Samuela Ricci coming he will play even less than in the last
Speaker: matches and so probably he's going to have a big career but he's going to have a big career somewhere else because Mardini was really clear with everyone he always said this is a similar player and so this is what happens when you get a player alone and you are not a
Speaker: can say a really smaller team that needs to play and long to play every, every match. So if Pobega wasn't on to Saler -Nitano, or if he wasn't on to Spezia, he would probably play at Clespo.
Speaker: why it was to special a season so it's not a random name he would have probably played every single match but by now probably Torino has to make choices and Yurich made his choice and he told everyone
Speaker: he is not going to be the first choice for the second part, even if he probably deserved it, but also Mandrago is having it, so we can say that Juric has great choices on that part of the field and with some way of reach is going to happen.
Speaker: because he's one of my absolute favorite players in the Serie A this season. I watched him in the Serie B last season and this Empoli side, Andre Adzoli, was one of those teams that I decided to because every year I choose a team that's not one of the big top ones and that's a newcomer or a smaller team that I study extra and this season I chose Empoli because of
Speaker: their project, their midfield by Rami, but also mainly for Ricci, but then when Pinamonte and Cutrone went there and all these other players, I was like, okay, so this is a squad, I'm following them. And I've watched 90 % of their games. I am head over heels in love with Samuel Ricci.
Speaker: And he will be the second player born in 2001. It's a great thing. It's exactly what you reach out to. He would like to work on very young players. And if everything happens, probably he will get another player born in 2001 that is Denbasek from Spain. And he's an interesting player, not at the same level of
Speaker: He just showed these kids as a good player for Serbia, but obviously he's just 20 and so he has a lot of time to grow. We had the Spal president and owner, Joe Takopina. He's a good friend of our show, he's been on many times. And after he bought Spal, he came on and he talked about
Speaker: Demba's second said what a spoke raved about him saying he's a fantastic talent so so that's a really interesting deal if you if Tony no do that that's a very interesting player that you're picking up
Speaker: Yeah, I'm really curious about him, and so I hope to see him wearing the Torino shirt. Also, because, you know, Bevdi was just loaned to Salyamitana, and when we talk about the midfield, we can say that, oh, today was the day of Azerli joining Khajeri. The player that is not probably going to leave, even if we had a lot of rumors about him, is Simon Edzadze. Probably he answered too much from Torino's contract,
Speaker: It's almost 2 million for every season that is too much for a lot of teams. It was liked by lower side teams, but they don't have that budget and he's not going to lower his money.
Speaker: of course he's not going to lower his wages. No one would pay him that much money, ever. No, I have to say about Simon and Zaza. I'm 40 years old. I have two flat feet. When I watch Simon and Zaza play ice in the Serie A, I think maybe I still have a chance to play in the Serie A. I mean, I don't understand this guy. I really don't.
Speaker: I really don't think he's a good player. I don't understand his career. How did he play for the Italian national team? I mean, it's, it's crazy. We have to say that also, you remember, and we remember him in Bologna, he had a fantastic season there. I can't remember. I mean, I mean, I see one is that I saw him as a solo when he came through and then he had a decent view.
Speaker: Yeah it was great at the store we can say that it was great at the store it was quite great also in the beginning of his career at Juventus and we also have to remember that for example Simone is underscored in 2016 probably the
Speaker: famous goal versus Napoli that decided he is for that. And so he had a great career. Then he left, he went to see, started traveling around and yeah, something broke. But in my opinion, the problem is that probably there is a time of his career when he probably gave more energies. We can say also mind energies to something that is not straight related to football.
Speaker: So probably he was most interested in his social life. It's a choice. He's young, he's rich, he's famous. He can do what he wants, but obviously he wasn't the same player that he was at the start. And we will never forget that penalty in the European Championship against Germany.
Speaker: which have become a meme. Before I let you go, just quickly, do you think that Mandragora will stay past when his loan expires with Yuba?
Speaker: I think that is going to stay. Maybe not for his career, his whole career at Torino, but I think it's going to stay. And I think it's going to go back from you. I hope so, because I mean, I really like Mandragora and I like that if he becomes the captain of Torino, which I always thought, you know, I always thought he would be. Him, together with Samuel Ericci in a Rio Richemid field is very interesting.
Speaker: Very interesting. I mean, together with that and with the Breccallo and Piazza and all these other players you have, I think Torino can actually finish in the top six, top seven next season. I really think so. We hope so.
Speaker: I mean, I really do. I really think Torino have an interesting project, and I'm so happy to see you reach there. And I think your sporting director is actually really good and has done an excellent job after the whole mess with after Petraki left and everything. So I think Torino is definitely a project that I really like watching and enjoy watching. Thank you so much for coming on, Diego. I really appreciate it. If people want to find your social media, where can they find you and your work?
Speaker: Yeah, the social media in which I'm most active and in which I talk mostly about football is obviously Twitter. So I'm just Diego for my own Twitter and you can find me there. Thank you very much. And everyone else, thank you for listening. We'll be back on Monday with another review episode of the weekend and also more Mercado special. But until then, everybody take care of each other and each take care of yourselves and each other. And until then, ciao ciao.
