A manager going over to placate a group of supporters angrily demanding an explanation to some decision or other is an all too familiar scene in Italy. And so it was that Roberto Donadoni traipsed over to the fencing surrounding Bologna’s Casteldebole training ground to engage with the tifosi upset by reports of the imminent departure of star player Simone Verdi. If the former Milan winger needed any more confirmation that the winter break is now over in Serie A, here it was.
He could have ignored the calls from over yonder, followed his players into the club house, and driven home, doors locked, windows up. But that’s just not Donadoni. He never shies away. You won’t catch him ducking the tough questions. He’s a man of great integrity. For those with short memories, I allude to his time at Parma and how he stood for truth at a time when so many lies were being told about the club’s financial health. Others ran, but Donadoni stayed. He tried to do right by his players and everyone connected with that proud organisation. It’s the code he lives by.
So on Sunday, amid rumours of a meeting going on to decide Verdi’s future, Donadoni plodded over to address the fans’ concerns. “Do you think I like it?” he asked. The bone of contention was a comment Donadoni had made before the holidays. Here it ended up being thrown back in his face.
He’d said that Verdi now finds himself in the same position Donadoni was when Milan offered to buy him from Atalanta all those years ago. Umbrage was taken with the line “Bologna are not Juventus, Napoli or Milan. When you receive this sort of interest, you have to seize the opportunity to improve. It’s only human to dream big. That's true of a worker who wants to be a manager one day or a footballer who wants to get to the top.” You have to step out of the shoes of a fan, and slip on those of a professional. What would you do in the same situation?
Napoli have put €20m on the table for Verdi. To clarify, Donadoni wasn’t saying he should go. Rather that it was entirely understandable for Verdi to think about it. The bit where he said: “Clearly as coach of Bologna I hope he stays” had been conveniently forgotten. Yet it wasn’t long before what seemed like a hostile crowd started to applaud Donadoni’s answers. One guy even asked if he could shake his hand. Apologies were made for getting it wrong.
As Verdi himself left the training complex later that afternoon, all he said was “ciao tutti.” It looked like being his last day as a Bologna player. But hearing the fans plead with him to stay as he trained evidently left him more conflicted than he already was. Verdi has since asked for another 24 to 48 hours to mull over Napoli's offer. In contingency the Partenopei have Gerard Deulofeu on stand-by. The trouble is Inter have eyes for him too. Other options include PSG’s Lucas Moura and Sassuolo’s Matteo Politano, but both deals pose their own challenges.
The reason Verdi is top of Napoli’s list is obvious. Over the last 18 months he has emerged as one of Italy’s most technically gifted attacking players. Ambidextrous, Verdi became the first player in the history of Serie A to score a free-kick with his left foot then with his right against Crotone in November. He can play in every position across the forward line, which is ideal for Napoli because in Verdi they would obtain a back-up for Dries Mertens, Jose Callejon and Lorenzo Insigne all in one player.
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The two years Verdi spent at Empoli working under “my maestro” Maurizio Sarri and the fact he already knows the core principles of his playing style represents an ulterior motive for signing him ahead of the other shortlisted players. With Verdi, no orientation would be necessary. He already knows the ropes. It’s plug and play.
But here’s the question. How much is Verdi really going to feature? We all know Napoli’s attacking trident needs a breather. And for that reason, not to mention all the value Sarri adds on the training ground, they're the team that will have probably benefited most from the winter break. But do we expect Sarri to leave one out and start Verdi on a regular basis? Or is Verdi just going to get a few minutes here and there, and play in the Europa League?
After 18 months as the main man at Bologna, is he really going to be content with being Napoli’s Plan B or C? Because that’s the other thing he brings to Napoli; the opportunity to vary the system. At Empoli, Verdi was the No.10 in the diamond midfield Sarri used. Signing him gives Napoli new angles to attack, just as Arkadiusz Milik provides the team with an aerial threat it doesn’t have when Mertens is leading the line.
Just how pleased Verdi would be with that bit-part role is the key to this transfer saga. After getting a taste of what it’s like to be an Italy international in October, he must know that he stands a better chance of a recall if he’s playing every weekend with Bologna than sitting out games on the bench at Napoli. Donadoni has done his best to build the team around him at the Renato Dall'Ara and by now the player you associate Bologna with is Verdi. He’s the first name that springs to mind when you think about them. And that’s something he’s no doubt aware of.
Nowhere has ever felt like home to Verdi quite like Bologna. Up until they got their hands on him, clubs played pass the parcel with him. At 25, he’s already had seven clubs, which is a considerable number for a player of his age and character. By which I mean Verdi isn’t some enfant terrible like Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano. Quite the opposite in fact.
Verdi is now at the stage of his career where he is ready to make the step up. If he moves to Napoli this January, well, come May he could have a Serie A winner's medal around his neck. And yet you can’t help but feel that for all Napoli feels like the right club for Verdi, it's the wrong time to join them. Deulofeu might look at it the same way. If he wants to make the Spain squad ahead of the World Cup, he has to be playing every week. Are Napoli offering that? The answer is: No.
Unfortunately, having a major tournament to play in is no longer a concern for Verdi, but when you reflect on how big a part continuity has played in his development, it makes you wonder whether a move to one of the Milanesi or even Roma might serve his interests better. Game time would be easier to come by with them. It’s quite the conundrum for him. As such, you can understand why he's asking for a couple more days to figure it out.
Nicknamed Giuseppe after the famous composer, the silence is deafening at the moment. All the same, there is great anticipation to see what the next act is in Verdi’s latest opera.
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