Once the promotion has been archived, the Grifone is thinking about the championship to come, starting from the coach and Gudmundsson, waiting for the decision on the new sports center to arrive
Boxes full of T-shirts with the now famous slogan “Only one year” landed in the rossoblù store in Piccapietra where the shelves were often emptied (and filled) in the days of the post-promotion, with thousands of fans chasing the souvenir shirt with the slogan of the season that marked Genoa’s return to Serie A. After just a year of purgatory, and here is the first piece of news, because an ending like this was anything but obvious.
TRANSITION
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On the night of the Ferraris party, the last act of the Serie B championship against Bari, in the northern steps, a fiefdom of the most extreme Genoan spirit, two banners of thanks appeared addressed to the president Zangrillo and to all the men of the 777, the American owners of the Grifone who are the protagonists of this result for having supported, also on an economic level, the Rossoblù’s recovery. “Men of their word”, the fans defined them. And Josh Wander, founder of the American holding, wanted to thank them as follows: “Without you we would never have achieved all of this. You are the honor of our team”. But this is now the past, and under the frescoed vaults of Villa Rostan, the Rossoblù headquarters, they know it well, starting with the CEO. Andres Blaquez, landed in Genoa for professional reasons with the change of ownership, and today more and more involved and participating, even on an emotional level, in the successes of Gilardino’s team. By the way: he will start again from the promotion coach. Soon the company and technician will sit down at a table to formalize the agreement and plan strategies for the next market. With another certainty: Albert Gudmundsson, eleven goals and Rossoblù’s top scorer of the season, the Dutch elf paid 1.5 million by the Griffin, and whose quotation today has almost increased tenfold. It will be an economically sustainable market, in what promises to be a season of stabilization, where the foundations will be laid for a future at least without worries, which had instead accompanied Genoa’s last championships. Translated: targeted purchases, reinforcements up to the category, because beyond the five super months of Gila and his gang, the A is something else altogether. First of all, we’ll need a category striker, expert, but who doesn’t have a pharaonic salary. And then other reinforcements for defense and midfield. Criscito said goodbye to his career yesterday evening and will start again as coach of the Genoa youth team. Sturaro and Badelj are about to expire, but the will is to continue together. Dragusin has already been redeemed (what a defensive trio, with Bani and Vogliacco), Strootman will renew because in Genoa he was reborn after somewhat complicated years. And some help could also come from the other clubs that make up the (growing) galaxy of the 777 Footbal Group. Up to now the Americans have put a hundred million on the plate in the Genoa operation, but now they can say they are masters of the situation to all intents and purposes. Theirs, it should be remembered, is a long-term project, the beneficial effects of which will be measured in the coming seasons.
THE HOPE
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Aldo Spinelli, a long-time entrepreneur, who served as president of the Griffin of Bagnoli and Aguilera, of Skuhravy and Branco, of Eranio and Ruotolo, leading him to the semi-final of the UEFA cup back in 1992 (the highest point of Genoa in the post-war period), was in Pegli in recent days (after twenty-six years…) and met the CEO Blazquez, leaving more than satisfied with the visit. Enough to make him say that, in a more or less distant future, this property will bring the rossoblù back to reliving the nights of Oviedo, Bucharest and Liverpool. The 777 don’t go that far, at least in the immediate future or even in thought, but it is clear that the structure they have given themselves (and which is destined to grow further) is the sign of the will not to stop there. For business, first of all, but now also for reasons of the heart.
THE STRUCTURES
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But a club that wants to give itself an important image and aspires to grow also needs facilities that are up to par. Blazquez and his friends have been evaluating various areas in the Genoa area for some time, notoriously stingy with space, to build the new sports center where all the rossoblù teams should be merged, including the youth teams. A decision is expected in the coming months. And then there’s the Ferraris, a cross-delight not only for Genoa, but for the whole city. Summary of the previous episodes: the stadium is currently co-managed by Genoa and Sampdoria, but the idea of the 777s, beyond what could be the restyling linked to its possible use as a venue for the 2032 European Championship, is to transform it into a stadium capable of being a container for events seven days a week. In this way, it is clear, also increasing profitability. A Genoa finally serene, but with the heart beating in Miami. Who would have thought?
20 maggio – 13:13
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