Other than winter barrels! The saddest January market in recent years ended at 23pm last night, so much so that one almost wonders if it has ever really been there. It's true, in winter only a few adjustments are made and at most the operations for the following summer are tacked up, but this time the business and negotiations have reached an all-time low and this despite the initial premises suggesting movements of much more tenor.
Even before New Year's Eve, Inter had already closed for Gagliardini, Juve for Rincon, Napoli for Pavoletti: there seemed to be a fiery January, instead the transfer market essentially stopped like this. It is therefore not easy to cast votes without risking the political 6 for all, with one real exception: theInter of the Suning Group.
The purchase of Gagliardini is worth a good 7,5, also because Ausilio, even without collecting particular figures, managed to reduce a squad that was too large and is now suitable for a coach. Jovetic to Sevilla, Felipe Melo to Palmeiras, Ranocchia to Hull City (replaced yesterday by the Australian Sainsbury, on loan from the Jiangsu one still owned by Suning): if Biabiany had also left (even Chelsea refused) everything would have been perfect but Pioli can still be satisfied.
The rest, respectfully speaking, is upholstery. There Juventus he bought a good midfielder like Rincon but not the top player who could really shift the balance: that's why the black and white market, perhaps also conditioned by the recent transition to 4-2-3-1, is essentially 6.
The same goes for the Napoli, which was limited to only Pavoletti entering against El Kaddouri (Empoli) and Gabbiadini outgoing (to Southampton for around twenty million): it is difficult to give more than a sufficiency.
More complicated instead to give a vote to Milan, if only because the two signings (Deulofeu from Everton and Ocampos from Genoa), rather than giving Montella alternatives, will serve to replace Niang (at Watford) and Bonaventura (about 3 months off). Galliani tried to transform himself into a condor by asking Giaccarini to Napoli and Di Gennaro to Cagliari but he had to fold his wings: on the other hand, with loans with the right to buy back you don't go very far (hence a 6 of encouragement).
Full insufficiency (score 5) instead for the Roma, the great disappointment of this January market. The signings front registers only Grenier, moreover without having sold Gerson (the negotiation with Lille which would have yielded 20 million was skipped yesterday): a little considering that Spalletti had asked for at least one winger and that the team is still in race in the Italian Cup and Europa League.
Also disappointing on January's Lazio (Lotito sold Kishna to Lille and Morrison to Qpr but didn't sign anyone, vote 5), surprisingly positive instead that of Fiorentina, perhaps the most strengthened of all after Inter. Kalinic and Badelj remained and Corvino gave Sousa a valuable player like Saponara: not bad given the initial premises, that's why Viola, after so many disappointments, deserves a good 7 on their report card.
