Antonio Cassano to Remain at Sampdoria
Despite persistent rumours linking him with Italian and European champions Inter Milan, talented striker Antonio Cassano looks set to stay at Sampdoria this summer, at least according to his agent.
Reports in the Italian press claimed the Nerazzuri would bid for the tempestuous, but talented, forward should the much talked about transfer of Mario Balotelli finally be completed with Manchester City. However, the player’s agent, Giuseppe Bozzo, has insisted that “Fantantonio” will not be moving this year.
“Cassano will not leave Sampdoria,” Bozzo told the Italian press. “I can guarantee that Sampdoria will not deprive themselves of Cassano, not even if the club don’t qualify for the group stages of the Champions League,” he said, alluding to the team’s difficult upcoming Champions League preliminary match against German side Werder Bremen.
The Genovese club finished fourth in Serie A last term, but will have to beat their Bundesliga counterparts to progess to the tournament’s highly lucrative group stages. Should they fail to do so, they are reportedly planning on unloading some of their more sought after players, with Cassano being at the top of the list.
Cassano has been something of an “enfant terrible” in European football for much of the last ten years, falling out with management at AS Roma and Real Madrid. This has included embarrasing on-field meltdowns, and a highly publicized imitation of Fabio Capello when the England coach was at the helm of the Spanish giants.
Despite these incidents, Cassano remains one of the game’s most talented players, and in three years with Sampdoria, he has managed to corral some of his demons, putting in a consistent stream of inspiring performances. In fact, partnered with Giampaolo Pazzini, he has been instrumental in the team’s recent resurgence, leading the club to their first Champions League birth, and in the process, has garnered comparisons with the legendary Samp partnership of Vialli and Mancini. Whether the Pazzini-Cassano duo can win the team a scudetto remains to be seen, but Samp fans can be happy knowing they’ll at least have another season to try.
Tags: