By Now that the transfer window has finally closed, Sempre Bologna will bring you a review of all squad movement regarding Bologna. There have been both in’s and out’s, with Bologna overall coming out of the window strengthened. Without further ado, here is our review:
In’s:
Blerim Dzemaili
From Montreal Impact (loan terminated)
Riccardo Orsolini
From Juventus (loan with option to buy)
Simone Romagnoli
From Empoli (loan with option to buy
Kaloyan Krastev
From Slavia Sofia (undisclosed fee)
Nehuén Paz
From Newell’s Old Boys (1.5 million Euros)
Out’s:
Filippo Falco
To Pescara (loan with option to buy)
Deian Boldor
To Hellas Verona (loan with option to buy + buy-back clause)
Luca Rizzo
To Atalanta (loan with option to buy)
Bruno Petkovic
To Hellas Verona (loan)
Marios Oikonomou
To Bari (loan with obligation to buy if certain criteria are met)
Orji Okwonkwo
To Brescia (loan with option to buy and counteroption)
Saphir Taïder
To Montreal Impact (loan)
The January transfer window was positive both in regard to players acquired and players going out. But, in addition to this there were also some other important factors that make this window great.
Simone Verdi’s decision to stay at Bologna will be very important in Bologna’s quest for a top half finish. Game after game this season he has shown how good of a player he is, and he would have been a big loss, both on and off the pitch.
Godfred Donsah was the subject of constant speculation the last few days of the transfer window, with Torino and Inter being named as the most likely destinations. Negotiations were under way with Torino, but agreement was not found. The Ghanaian is a very talented player who will develop over the coming years, and to sell him to Torino would not have been a very smart decision, especially given the rumoured transfer fee that Torino were offering.
Conclusion:
Bologna undoubtedly came out of the transfer window strengthened. Maietta has struggled to get time on the field, and given his wish to play more, to let him go down to Serie B is a sensible choice. To then include Romagnoli in that deal is a very good piece of business. He has done very well for Empoli this year, and he will give the other defenders a fight for their place in the team. With Paz in as well, Bologna are now set defensively for quite some time.
Moving on to midfield, the anticipated return of Dzemaili has already born fruits with him scoring against Benevento. His experience and work-rate brings something else to Bologna’s midfield which they’ve lacked at times this season. His runs from deep are difficult for the opposition to track, which is why he often gets into scoring positions. Last but not least, Riccardo Orsolini in on loan is a very interesting transfer. Given his similarity to Verdi he might just go straight into the line-up during Verdi’s injury absence. Bologna also bought the young Bulgarian Krastev, but he will only be a part of the Primavera team this season.
Regarding the out’s, Bologna got rid of players that weren’t playing much. Okwonkwo will undoubtedly benefit from playing more regularly in Serie B, and the same is true of Petkovic at Verona. Taïder has gone off to Canada in a deal similar to what Dzemaili did last year. The Algerian is a very talented player, and hopefully we’ll get to see more of him in the rossoblù shirt in the future.
In addition, Bologna also called a few players back from loan deals where they did not play as much as they would have wanted, for then to send them to other clubs. Oikonomou has gone to Bari, Falco to Pescara, Boldor to Verona, and Rizzo to Atalanta, all players which will probably never contribute much for Bologna in the future. These deals make sense as they now hopefully get to play more, and with all deals including options to buy, they might mean that Bologna get some money for them at the end of the season.
Overall, the transfer window was very positive for Bologna. With both players coming in to strengthen the team, as well as players going out to cut wage expenditure, Bologna have cause to be optimistic for the remainder of the season.
#rossoblù
Photo: Bologna FC
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