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An unexpected transfer of an Italian player to the Spanish champion for a sum of 10.5 million euros raised more questions than answers. First of all, how will Turin replace this Italian national team striker who made his debut in 2002 in friendly matches against the USA, and who scored 11 goals last season for the club? Although he was considered for a long time as the main contender for a liberated position in "Juve's" attacking scheme, for some time the most likely solution to the situation seemed to be that Gilardino would extend his contract with the financially troubled "Parma".
However, the majority of football experts were surprised a few days ago by reports that Gilardino rejected "Parma's" offer to extend his contract, which would have earned him 1.5 million euros per season until 2007. This player's decision seems to free up hands for the leaders of "Juventus" and "Roma", who are also interested in the talented striker, but "Parma" continues to insist that the player is not for sale.
It was also claimed that the "Old Lady" also fought for the Marseille striker Didier Drogba, but their offer was nowhere near the offer of the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's Chelsea, who has the money in the back. Among the possible candidates to become the new striker for Turin's club, Adrian Mutu has long been mentioned, but everything is complicated by the high Romanian salary (estimated to be around 4 million euros per year). At the beginning of the summer, rumors also mentioned the name of Milan's Inter striker Christiano Vieri, but lately no moves have been made in that direction.
Of course, it's possible that "Juve" will try to acquire the talented Brazilian national team striker Luis Fabiano, but such a transfer would be more like a gamble, as it's unclear how the player would fit into European football style. Besides, the player himself with the latest news seems more inclined to move to the "Roma" club. In addition, the Brazilian is also very actively interested in the Spanish super club.
It's also unclear about Di Vaio's place in the starting lineup of "Valencia". It's unclear how he will adapt to the peculiarities of Spanish football, having spent his entire career in Italy. Moreover, although recently, the biggest problem for "Valencia" was considered to be the forward line, after the transfers made by the new coach Claudio Ranieri, these problems seem to have disappeared. For a place in the starting lineup of "Valencia", the Italian will have to fight against his compatriot Bernardo Corradi and the top scorer of the last La Liga championship, the Spaniard Mista. By the way, the latter recently broke off negotiations with the "Magpies" regarding the extension of his contract, which could mean that if Di Vaio arrives at the club, Mista may have to leave the club.
One of the great advantages of the new "Valencia" acquisition is the bravery and perseverance in fighting for each ball and the ability to play well with both feet. It's these strong qualities that Di Vaio will most likely try to exploit in fighting for the coach's trust. Although in the last season, the former "Valencia" coach Rafael Benitez obviously favored the tactics of a lone striker, in which the position "behind the forward" was usually (when he wasn't injured) occupied by the club's star Pablo Aimar.
Now, having so many capable forwards at his disposal, Ranieri will most likely decide to play with two forwards. Obviously, none of them - Mista, Corradi, or Di Vaio - will want to "warm up" the bench, and such competition among the team's forwards will most likely benefit the Spanish club.
For now, the future of other "Valencia" forwards is also unclear - both Salvos Ballestos, who returned after a productive season with "Malaga," and Ricardo Oliveiros, a Brazilian who joined "Valencia" last season and played impressively at the beginning of the season but later fell into a playing crisis. Now it's believed that Oliveira will most likely be loaned out to some other club.
Another uncertainty is the debt of the "Valencia" club. It is believed to be quite significant, and with the addition of money spent on acquiring new players, the UEFA Cup winner may have to sell some of the club's leaders. It's almost certain that Vicente and defender Ayala will remain in the club, but for others like Aimar, Baraja, Albelda - no one would dare to guarantee their future in the club.
