Parma Club Focus: What do the Gialloblu need in January?

Date: 2nd January 2014 at 2:56pm
Written by:

As 2013 ends and 2014 begins, Serie A is about to be hit with transfer market madness. No one is exempt from this insanity. Who will stay? Who will leave? What are the team’s strengths and weaknesses? What needs work now and what can wait until the summer?

In Parma’s case, questions abound. The summer of 2013 brought many new arrivals to the club and the season so far has been a whirlwind of uncertainty.

Of course, no conversation about the Crociati’s summer transfer window is complete without a mention of Antonio Cassano. 16 Serie A appearances so far, tied for team leader in goals with six, and three assists — Cassano has worked hard to fit the dangerously large expectations that came with his arrival at Parma. Unfortunately, his goalscoring prowess is only so much help to a Parma side that, by and large, has struggled to score goals this season.

However, he isn’t the only recent arrival to the club. Ex-Fiorentina man Mattia Cassani has made the transition to Parma with ease. Now a permanent fixture in defense, he has made 16 Serie A appearances while grabbing three assists.

In keeping with the raid on Fiorentina, Felipe is another defender who made the move to Parma and has flourished. He has 14 appearances to his name.

Further down the field, highly-touted loanee from Napoli Walter Gargano has made nine appearances and scored a goal to cap off the major signings.

Potential/Definite Ins

So, add up all of Parma’s pieces and what do you get? A team in semi-desperate need of scoring help. Unfortunately, Parma is not a Juventus, Inter, Roma, or Napoli. As such, don’t expect Parma to make any sort of earth-shattering move in January.

The closest thing to a rumor about an attacker is one that could see Juventus striker Sebastian Giovinco return to Parma. Giovinco played for the Crociati from 2010-12 and scored 22 goals while playing for them. A pickup like him would go a long way toward solidifying Parma’s current (impressive) standing in the tables.

In addition to the Giovinco rumor, the other major transfer rumor suggests that Parma is in a battle with Inter for Napoli defender Paolo Cannavaro. Playing for Napoli since 2006, he has been the subject of many transfer rumors lately, so it’s hard to tell how serious to take those linking him to Parma. That being said, an acquisition like this could only help a Parma squad that is lacking in solid veterans.

Potential/Definite Outs
This is where things get scary. For every positive rumor linking the Crociati to a Giovinco or a Cannavaro, there are three rumors expecting a major player to leave the club.

Most frightening, multiple rumors have emerged suggesting the midfielder Marco Parolo could be on his way out. Taking a blow like that would be absolutely devastating for the Crociati. Really coming into his own this year, he has made 16 Serie A appearances, scored six goals, and had two assists. He has also received call-ups to the national team — truly a feat, given the club he is at.

Of course, like any great tragedy, Parolo isn’t the only major player subject of multiple rumors of his impending exit. Summer arrival and hero Cassano could also see his way out of the club.

“If that [Cassano] happens we will see, for now it is time to enjoy this week of holiday,” Roberto Donadoni said in regard to the rumors suggesting Cassano might leave. The fact that he didn’t outright deny the possibility of his exit is quite terrifying for fans of the Crociati.

What needs to happen?

While it is to be expected at a club like this that key players must be sold to finance the team, it is critical at this stage that Parma hold on to the players who have made the biggest difference. Selling Parolo or Cassano would be absolutely devastating to Parma’s fortunes.

Picking up a player in January — particularly an attacker — would be of great benefit to the club. While the Crociati looked like they were coming into their own right before the break, more attacking prowess could really turn them into potent adversaries for the rest of Serie A.

However, Parma need not make any purchases to have a successful mercato. Rather, a successful mercato for the Crociati would just be one that saw all of the key players return for the second half of the season.

 

Comments are closed.