PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA
EXCLUSIVE We ask Serie A agents: What should Giuseppe Rossi do?
With the Giuseppe Rossi saga grabbing the headlines, we here at calciomercato.com decided to consult three veteran Serie A agents in order to sound out what his options are, and whether or not leaving Fiorentina is right for him and... the 'right thing to do', whatever that means.
Will Giuseppe Rossi leave Fiorentina in January? And is this U-turn, which owes something to Pepito's adviser, Federico Pastorello, ungrateful towards a club that has stood by the oft-injured Rossi?
Dario Canovi: Giuseppe Rossi needs to play because he's been inactive for too long. In my opinion he should play somewhere that is also convenient to Fiorentina, who could then count on their former star.
Pastorello? Objectively speaking, he should have worded his statements differently, you could argue that Fiorentina didn't deserve this kind of behaviour, and were owed a bit more gratitude. A real champion needs to think about these things, too.
The Pastorellos are excellent at what they do, and the best thing they can do now is find the right solution for Giuseppe, but which could also satisfy Fiorentina. Rossi would sit on the bench at Barcelona, he doesn't need a big club, but one that will play him regularly. If I know the Della Valle family, then Pastorello's words will achieve the least effect. It's impossible to impose something on them. I agree with his intentions, but not how he has expressed himself.
Claudio Pasqualin: The situation is understandable when such divergent interests face off. If I were the Della Valle brothers, I would do everything in my power to convince Giuseppe to stay, because it's a luxury to have someone like that on your bench and to be able to throw him into the mix. I can conversely understand Rossi's needs, and hence those of his agents. An agent's strategy is always dictated by the player's wishes, the Pastorellos are definitely acting at their client's behest. Otherwise they risk losing their licence, it'd be against the rules.
It can happen that an agent gets carried away when making a public statement. Their strategy will, however, have included speaking to the press, but they may end up achieving the opposite effect. It's absurd to call either Rossi or his entourage ungrateful.
Gianfranco Cicchetti: It's hard to put oneself in either a player or an agent's shoes, not to mention those of a club that has invested so much time and money in Giuseppe, even going as far as waiting for him to get better.
Regardless, I believe that the best thing for Rossi is to go and play elsewhere for six months, in order to play as often as possible and squeeze into Italy's Final 23 for the European Championships. I believe that would be best for everyone, irrespective of what has happened until now.
Stefano Del Corona, (assisted by Claudio Masini, Francesco Zei e David Fabbri), translated by Edo Dalmonte (@edodalmonte)
