The Rumor Mill: Old Men Edition

By: Martha | November 21st, 2007

Touching. A far, far cry from the internationally adored youngsters who were all over the news yesterday (and will continue to be so until the transfer windows slams firmly shut) are rickety old men like Francesco Coco, Cristiano Lucarelli and Ricardo Zampagna. Not everyone can afford to even think about names like Nasri, though, so aging Italians — especially those who can still play (Coco, maybe not so much) — are very much in demand in certain circles.

Zampagna is new to the “on the move” crowd, but after this week’s noisy falling out with Atalanta coach Gigi Del Neri, the striker is suddenly at the top of the club’s to-dump list, and small clubs are lining up to take him off their hands. At the moment, Zampagna is training alone, but that will last only until the transfer window opens; one assume Atalanta will accept the best offer, as long as they can get a little something out of the player. LivornoMarco decided yesterday that his gang of Commies should be among the interested parties, and Messina and Palermo are right there with them, hoping to get a bulky, sometime-magician on the cheap. (Do Palermo really need a striker?!)

Speaking of Livorno, oldboy Cristiano Lucarelli is in the news again/still, this time with a trio of Shock!Moves, one to the increasingly Italian QPR, one to Napoli, where he’d be used to raise the team’s average age to about 19, and the other to Genoa, where his (30-year-old) kid brother Alessandro currently plays. Now, since Lucarelli’s destination changes every 20 minutes or so, it’s probably unlikely we’ll hear any of these ever again, but the Italian clubs both have their appeal, particularly the Napoli one — don’t deny it, it’s fun to imagine a frenzy of light blue swirling about ancient Lucarelli as he bangs in goals from the edge of the box.

Coco, meanwhile, has apparently moved on from his Milan dream (and his retirement, and that whole Hollywood thing) — being Italian, he, too is now wanted at QPR, and may even be in England now, on trial with the team. And, actually, that sort of make sense: He wants to play and will probably come cheap, while QPR need anyone with ability, and wouldn’t mind having someone to increase their attendance. Plus, new coach Luigi De Canio needs someone on the pitch to whom he can speak Italian. Why, it’s a win-win!