The Prodigal Son Returns, Or: “Cassano is of the Samp!”

By: Martha | August 13th, 2007

Frightening the children (Yes, we have Google translate to thank for that headline. As if you had to ask.)

According to several different outlets in Italy, an agreement has been reached between Real Madrid and Sampdoria, and Antonio Cassano will be spending this season on loan with the Genoa club, who apparently have the option to buy (for either €5 or €5.5 million, depend on which paper you’re reading) at the loan’s conclusion, assuming Cassano’s not reduced the city to rubble by then.

Cassano will continue to earn the €4.2 million mandated in his contract, but most of that will be paid by Real: They will cover 2/3 of the salary, which leaves Sampdoria with a sometimes-world-class striker on their books for a fee of less than €1.5 million. On the off-chance Cassano is productive, this could be the bargain of the season.

I don’t think we’ve got any Samp supporters around here, but I’d love to know what they think about this news. As someone with no feelings either way for the team, I’m thrilled about about it just because it means both drama and an outside chance to witness a miracle in our very own Serie A. The agreement is obviously a risk — we all know Cassano can cause trouble without even looking at the pitch — but surely even the most cynical of Sampdoria fans is having a hard time right now not imagining what might be, with Vincenzo Montella and Cassano flying around and banging in goals.

Plus, as Chris pointed out this morning, this news suddenly makes the Roma-Sampdoria match on December 23 a whole lot more interesting.

Edit: Thanks to Marco for straightening me out on the financial details.

Some Related Serie A Posts:

Category: Rumors & News, Serie A

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Jeremy

Where was my team Cagliari during these negotiations? Considering how desperate we are for strikers, why didnt we ante up a bit more and get him. Unless Acquafresca is the next Maradona, we are getting relegated. The least we could do is go down fighting.
Lisa

Martha, I thought you promised not to use that photo anymore?

And it will be interesting to see if Cassano finally gets it together or if he screws it up yet again. I'm happy he's going to be back in Serie A. (But I'm also a little amused at the idea of him and Caracciolo on the same squad. There's potential for some epic whining...)
Gonzalo

From a Real perspective: good riddance. He really was never going to get another chance at the club given his 'performances' last season. I wish that Real had managed to offload him permanently, even at a loss, rather than potentially having to do this all over again next summer.
chris

Montella and Cassano together again?

I think I just had a seizure.
Steven

I still don't know what to think of the Samp-strikers. Montella was a great striker but hasn't been able to keep on scoring, Foti is very young, Bellucci's 'just' a Serie B-hitman (although Catania's Spinesi was as well) and Caracciolo...well, he's Caracciolo. If Cassano decides to let his talent take over rather than his attitude, Samp might have a chance of scoring some goals. If not, i pity the fools.
Ady

I'm a big softie and I hate to see someone with such talent destroy himself. I hope he can grow up, make peace with himself and have a good season. And it would be nice to see one of the smaller teams do well - adds to the competitiveness.

Now if Milan could only find a striker. *rolls eyes*
Joe

i couldn't give a toss about sampdoria (but i love the jerseys) but i'm excited about this move. maybe it's because i can watch it from a distance and not become too emotionally involved in his inevitable ups and downs. speaking completely subjectively, i like this for the azzurri. francesco is balls-on accurate. if he gets his proverbial act together, then he slides right into that #10 fantasista spot totti was supposed to own for his duration. donadoni has already called up cassano so he already has that in his favor.

don't screw it up, antonio. and for all that is holy, martha, please don't post that picture of cassano again. jesusmothermaryandjoseph that is disgusting. i need to look at some previous wag pictures to clear my brain.
Martha

Francesco (So you're Cassano!), I like your optimism and hope to god you're right. It could be an amazing season, if he responds to Mazzarri and settles in well.
Martha

I think you're spot-on, tmc -- the optimistic way of looking at it is that he's home, in a great position to succeed and remind everyone what he can do. In realty, though, if he doesn't perfect this is probably it for him, in terms of both his practical hopes for big contracts and also the footballing legacy for which he once seemed destined.
Francesco

Like I've mentioned on bigsoccer.com (my username is Cassano ...) gazillions of times, this is Cassano's make or break season. If he fails here he will become Domenico Morfeo 2, a super talented promise that winds up having a b-list career. On the other hand, if he gets back into form we will have our Gioello back, and a true fantasista to replace Totti with the Azzurri.

After reading numerous Italian sites with user comments, most Sampdoria fans like this move and are all in agreement that this a risk worth taking because he can raise Sampdoria's level up a big notch if on form. As long as Mazzarri keeps him in check I think we'll all see the Cassano we love this season. This could be the signing of the season.
tmc

Is it fair to say this is it for Cassano? This is probably his last chance to start over again for a new team, get paid a fabulous wage, and try to capitalize on his obvious footballing talents.

If he botches this, I'm thinking he's done in terms of a guaranteed contract (once this one runs out). He'd probably have to sign one of those deals like Vieri had last year - minimum base salary, with a big bonus for each goal scored. Although, maybe that would be the best way to ensure his productivity ...

Being serious, I hope he pulls it together and does well. Samp could use him, the fans will hopefully get a chance to watch him work his magic, and who knows, maybe gli azzurri can bring him back into the fold.
Martha

That's a huge correction, Marco -- thank you. That's what I get for relying on these awful translations. I'll go back and fix it up ASAP.
Marco

Martha, just a small correction: the €4.2m yearly wage is what Cassano currently earns at Real Madrid. The €5.5m (or €5.0m as reported by some other Italian newspapers) is the sum Samp would have to pay to make the deal permanent. All the other data is correct (Samp will pay 30% of the wage for a year i.e. €1.2m).

I think this is a great operation for both Real and Sampdoria. Madrid are getting rid of a serious (and expensive) discipline problem, and Samp are getting the player they needed to fill the void left by Quagliarella's departure to Udinese (on the off chance that Cassano can finally get his head in order). For the sake of Italian soccer, we can only hope that he will.