Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to the Italian football podcast.
Speaker: Okay, we have to talk about Cristiano Ronaldo. So reports, continuous reports about Napoli potentially signing Ronaldo from Manchester United in a swap deal involving Victor Osseman. Osseman would go to Manchester United for over 100 million euros. Ronaldo would then go to Napoli on a loan deal with Man United paying most if not all of Ronaldo's massive salary.
Speaker: Simple question, Nemo, you go first. Should Napoli take this deal?
Speaker: Absolutely not. Under no circumstances should they take this deal. It's great for Man United. It's a great business deal. OK, you get 100 million euros. You get Cristiano Ronaldo, who is a fantastic goalscorer. United pay most of his wages. Financially, it's a fantastic deal. But tactically, it will be suicide. I mean, you saw yesterday against Fiorentina what Osseman does. His movement, Ronaldo barely moves. He walks.
Speaker: Osman drops deep, he links up really well, he works, he's everywhere, the positional movements with the other front too, he offers so much. Cristiano Ronaldo at this point in his career, he doesn't do that, he scores you goals, he will always score you goals because he's a
Speaker: world -class finisher, one of the best, if not the best of all time. We know that. But I think this would really disrupt how Napoli played. I would not do this. I really wouldn't. No. No, I wouldn't. From a tactical point of view, I think that what has been so great about Napoli so far this season is the intensity that they play and how there's just so much pace in the team now, everywhere.
Speaker: and they've lost the players that they lost from last season, the aging players and the slow players, Insinia, Mertens, and Fabian Ruiz, who's on his way to PSG. Now, the players that they've replaced them with in the starting 11, there's no
Speaker: there's no, you know, everybody can can follow exactly what Spelletti wants with in terms of the high press, in terms of moving as a unit, in terms of all working hard, you know, off the ball, positionally. And, you know, Ronaldo, we've seen it, you know, since he, since he joined Juventus, and then again, went after he joined Manchester United that, you know, yes, like you said, he will score goals, but, you know, that you can't play as a team with Ronaldo.
Speaker: So, yeah, I think while from a financial point of view, it's, you know, it is an enticing offer, if the offer does come in officially, it is an enticing offer. I mean, you're getting over 100 million for, for Osseman, and then you're basically getting Ronaldo for a season for nothing with no wages paid, you know, very, you know, I think De Laurentiis will, will ask for United probably to pay all the whole salary.
Speaker: He has no shame. I love him. I mean, I wish he was the owner of my club because he just has no shame. He doesn't care. And it's only ever hurt. Like that's the best thing about Napoli. You know, the fact that he's such a ball buster to deal with clubs, everybody knows it. So they don't go near him. They have all their ducks in order whenever they come near him because they know he's just unbelievable with that.
Speaker: Yeah, it's a tricky one, because I'm a little bit concerned that De Laurentiis takes this offer. And I'll tell you why. Oh, he will. I'll tell you why. Not just from the financial point of view, but you know, De Laurentiis is now like in his early 70s. Now he's what like 72, 73, something like that. And, you know, he's probably now he's getting old. And, and, you know, he's, he's very much I think he will want to he'll be thinking to himself legacy wise, I want to be the Napoli president that had
Speaker: one of the greatest players of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo, you know, have that in the history books. However, Ronaldo ends up doing and however, Napoli end up doing with Ronaldo and however, you know, Ronaldo is remembered as a Napoli player. I mean, that is something to have on your record, you know, when he's long gone, De Laurentiis and he's passed, passed on, you know, 50 years, 100 years time, it's like, you know, Cristiano Ronaldo, the football legend played for Napoli, De Laurentiis was the president,
Speaker: you know, De Laurentiis holding that show up with Ronaldo when he said he just comes across as the kind of, you know, yes, that kind of person. He's a showman. Oh, yes. He likes to be the man, movie producer. Yeah, exactly. So that's what that's what concerns me that maybe, you know, he might take that. He might take that off. And maybe he will. And maybe he will. And maybe he thinks that, you know what, in Serie A,
Speaker: you know, maybe he will do it for Napoli. But, you know, it's the concern, isn't it, about playing as a team? What will Ronaldo do? You know, also from the Napoli team seem very much together. And have you seen the way that Ronaldo has been behaving for United? I mean, it's been disgraceful. I mean, he didn't he didn't turn up to he didn't go on there on the tour, the preseason tour of the Far East and of Australia.
Speaker: citing family reasons. Then he went home at half -time during the only friendly he decided to turn up to. He went home at half -time during the game. He left. All of his teammates, by all accounts, are basically fed up of him. He's been treating Salkin. How will the Napoli changing room react? I don't know.
Speaker: Listen to the full show and all other episodes by going to patreon .com slash TIFP and become a member for only $2 .99 per month.
