Blanc: «Poulsen has Juve-style determination»

Blanc: «Poulsen has Juve-style determination»

«With Christian's arrival our midfield transfer transactions have ended and we're happy we finished off with a good quality player such as he is. He has Juve-style determination: ours is a tough team, we fight to win in every match, exactly like Christian, who has the leadership qualities to make his mark in the middle of the pitch». Jean-Claude Blanc was pleased to introduce Juventus' latest signing today.

In the last few months many midfielders' names were mentioned in the papers as possible Juve signings, but the choice in the end fell on the Dane, who arrived in Turin following very quick negotiations: «The fact that we closed the deal quickly doesn't mean we weren't interested in Poulsen even before, in fact quite the opposite. Juventus were keeping an eye on him since his days at Schalke 04. We kept our options open; we spoke with different clubs about various footballers: choosing the right man also means taking into account all sorts of technical and financial aspects, and Christian was the best choice for Juventus, as he's an excellent player, both technically and in terms of his character. With Christian's signing our inbound transfer market is basically over, except we still need to get a reserve keeper. Sure, we can always sign someone else up until the last day, but there’s very little chance of this happening».

*Juventus.com

Poulsen: «An honour to be at Juve»

Poulsen: «An honour to be at Juve»

«Juventus are one of the greatest Clubs in Europe and I was anxious to join them. It is an honour for me to be a part of this team after playing four years in Germany and two in Spain».
These were Christian Poulsen's first words at today's press conference, where he was introduced to the press by Managing Director Jean-Claude Blanc.

The journalists' first questions concerned the impression the Italian public had of Christian after seeing him during the 2004 European Championships game against Italy and playing against AC Milan in the Champions League. Two games in which the Dane rendered Totti and then Kakà completely ineffective, giving the idea of a hard player: «As luck would have it, certain specific incidents in my career have occurred against Italian teams, but I think that if you analyze all my other games I have showed I possess other qualities too. I'm a defensive midfielder and being a hard player is part of the game, but I believe I'm more skilful than the Italian public may think. It's true, I'm an aggressive midfielder, but the thing is, when a game begins, a battle begins, and I want to win it. That's football».

*Juventus.com

Almiron Move To Fiorentina Still On

Almiron Move To Fiorentina Still On

Juventus midfielder Sergio Almiron could leave his club for Fiorentina this summer as the two clubs are negotiating a possible move of the Argentinean player, according to his agent Claudio Vagheggi.

Following his disappointing performances with the Bianconeri, Almiron could be packing his bags during this transfer window to move to Florence and try to re-gain the form he had at Empoli.

"My client is a player who was always liked by Corvino," the player's agent declared to Violanews.com.

"At first there were some difficulties on the forms of the negotiation, but now they continue to negotiation and Juventus have always let known that they can take into consideration the loan possibility, with the option of the Viola purchasing the player at the end of the season."

However, this negotiation might take a long time before it finally is concluded.

"It might take a long time, because Juventus are not ready to sell the player at a low price and right now Fiorentina does not want to make another big investment," explained Vagheggi.

"However, there are pretty good possibilities that the transfer goes through."

Glenn Debattista,goal.com

Juve And Udinese To Swap Goalkeepers

Juve And Udinese To Swap Goalkeepers

According to reports coming from Italy, Juventus and Udinese are set to swap their second goalkeepers, Emanuele Belardi and Antonio Chimenti, in the coming days.

The Bianconeri seem to be intent on continuing with some minor activities during this transfer window as within the next few days, the deal which could send Belardi to the Friulani and Chimenti arriving to the Piemonte could be finalized.

Both goalkeepers would change team but not their position as they would be considered as back-ups for the first teamers, Gigi Buffon and Samir Handanovic.

In Chimenti's case he could actually end up as third goalkeeper since the Old Lady is also after Alexander Manninger of Siena, but no deal has been reached as of yet.

For the current Udinese goalkeeper, this would be a return to Turin after he spent four seasons with Juventus between 2002 and 2005, collecting 11 appearances.

Glenn Debattista,goal.com

Tiago Wants Atletico Madrid Move

Tiago Wants Atletico Madrid Move

According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus would like to sell midfield flop Tiago Mendes to Monaco, however the player is holding out for a move to Atletico Madrid.

Tiago only signed for Juve last summer for €13m, however he has been a huge disappointment in Turin, making just 10 Serie A starts, and scoring no goals.

The Bianconeri tried to sell the 27-year-old during the January transfer window, and even set-up a deal with Tottenham Hotspur, however the player rejected the move at the last minute.

The Portuguese midfielder was holding out for a move to Atletico Madrid, but they were not willing to meet Juve’s asking price and so Tiago struggled on at the Stadio Olimpico until then end of the season.

The former Chelsea man has been with the Old Lady in their summer training camp at Pinzolo and even played in the friendly against Piacenza earlier this week.

However, it is no secret that Juve are desperate to offload Tiago, and they are said to be in negotiations with Monaco, the French club said to be willing to pay around €7.5m.

Tiago though has no intention of signing for the Monte Carlo-based outfit, and is still holding out for a dream move to Atletico Madrid, hoping that eventually Juve will lower their asking price to satisfy the Spaniards.

Gianni Wilson ,goal.com

Poulsen: When I Play I Go To Battle

Poulsen: When I Play I Go To Battle

Christian Poulsen has given his first press conference as a Juventus player, and has further fuelled his hardman image by declaring that every game is like a battle to him.

The centre midfielder completed his €9.75m move to the Bianconeri from Sevilla on Tuesday, signing a four year contract at the Stadio Olimpico.

This afternoon Poulsen was officially presented before the press for the first time, and inevitably he was asked about his controversial, hardman image.

The 28-year-old is something of an infamous figure in Italy, all dating back to his clash with Francesco Totti in the Italy-Denmark game at Euro 2004, when he ‘provoked’ the Roma star into spitting at him. He is also remembered for his rather over-zealous marking of Kaka in a Champions League game between Milan and Schalke 04 a few years ago.

“As luck would have it, certain specific incidents in my career have occurred against Italian teams, but I think that if you analyze all my other games I have showed I possess other qualities too,” said Poulsen.

“I'm a defensive midfielder and being a hard player is part of the game, but I believe I'm more skilful than the Italian public may think.

“It's true, I'm an aggressive midfielder, but the thing is, when a game begins, a battle begins, and I want to win it. That's football.”

Poulsen also explained his reasons once again for signing for the Old Lady.

“Juventus are one of the greatest Clubs in Europe and I was anxious to join them. It is an honour for me to be a part of this team after playing four years in Germany and two in Spain,” he concluded.

Gianni Wilson,goal.com

Buffon Tips Milan For Scudetto

Buffon Tips Milan For Scudetto

Juventus goalkeeping superhuman Gianluigi Buffon has tipped AC Milan to win the Scudetto this season.

The upcoming Serie A campaign promises to be one of the most exciting for a number of years, with Inter no longer it seems guaranteed of winning the title.

City rivals Milan have been making a big impact in the summer transfer market, signing Ronaldinho, Mathieu Flamini and Gianluca Zambrotta, among others.

With the Rossoneri out of the Champions League also, Buffon believes that they are the favourites for the Scudetto.

“If you want my prediction, I would go for Milan,” the 30-year-old told Panorama.

“The fact that they are not playing in the Champions League next year is an enormous advantage. “As for Inter, we will have to see what the Jose Mourinho effect is.”

Buffon also spoke about Juve’s two main summer signings Amauri and Christian Poulsen, and he has given his thumbs up to both players.

"I think that Amauri has the ability to make a big difference for us,” said the world’s number one goalkeeper.

“Christian Poulsen? He may not have the technical quality of Amauri, but he is the kind of player who makes a side solid.”

Buffon has been at Juventus since signing from Parma in 2001, and has since won four Scudetti (two revoked).

Gianni Wilson,goal.com