Serie A Preview 2009/10: Udinese

Main Transfers: Bernardo Corradi (Reggina), Jose Alemao (Santos), Leandro Caruso (Godoy Cruz), Kelvin Matute (Arezzo)

Outlook: Having waiting as long as they could, Udinese cashed in on Fabio Quagliarella this early on during the summer and with the money that they got ensured that they could comfortably price the likes of Gaetano d’Agostino, Gokhan Inler and Cristian Zapata out of the market.

It is around that trio that coach Pasquale Marino will build his squad that, as per tradition, has been boosted by a host of new players from South America and Eastern Europe in the knowledge that one or two of them will turn out to be quite good.

Having to shift their focus between the league and the UEFA Cup didn’t help last year as they failed to achieve any of their goals. There will be no such distractions this time round so nothing short of a Europa League spot will do.

Manager: Last season was a tough one for Pasquale Marino as the side seemed to hit the wall mid-way through the campaign and he was unable to lift them back up. This led to talk of Pasquale Marino being replaced but such knee-jerk reactions aren’t in Udinese’s style. That said, they’re unlikely to be as forgiving if the team suffers another disappointing season so the pressure is on.

Key Player: Having some of the biggest clubs in Europe express an interest in you can play havoc with a player’s mind so it will be interesting to see how Gaetano d’Agostino (pictured) does after a summer when Juventus, Real Madrid and Liverpool were all willing to sign him until they heard of the price tag that Udinese had placed on him. An intelligent ball playing midfielder, hopefully he will realise that in World Cup year it might be better for him to stay at Udinese where he is guaranteed a starting spot and as a result the opportunity to remain in Marcello Lippi’s mind.

One to Look Out For: Manchester United are apparently interested in signing striker Alexis Sanchez and it is easy to see why as the young Chilean striker has both the skills and the strength to be a world beater. Now that Fabio Quagliarella is gone, he is expected to step in and play on a more regular basis, something that is likely to lead more clubs into following United’s lead and try to sign him.

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