Faltering Juventus offload Amauri
Reuters - Monday 31 January 2011, 18:10
MILAN - Juventus revamped their forward
line on Monday's transfer deadline day, loaning Alessandro Matri
from Cagliari and sending misfit striker Amauri to Parma.
The fallen Turin giants finished seventh in Serie A last
term and are in the same position this season after a series of
insipid displays undermined by injuries and a lack of confidence
among their forwards.
A statement said Matri had signed on loan until the end of
the season, with the club having an option to buy for 15.5
million euros.
Matri, 26, has bagged 11 Serie A goals this season for the
modest Sardinians but is not the big-name signing most Juve fans
wanted to see to try to arrest their slide.
Luigi Del Neri's side, still suffering the after-effects of
a 2006 match-fixing demotion despite being Italy's most
successful domestic club, have struggled to put out a settled
front pair this term.
Fabio Quagliarella, Juve's close-season signing from Napoli,
is likely to miss the rest of the season with knee ligament
damage while fellow striker Vincenzo Iaquinta continues to
struggle for fitness.
Juve signed Luca Toni from Genoa at the start of the month
but he was injured almost immediately, 36-year-old Alessandro
Del Piero has failed to find consistency and Amauri has not
scored all season with fans becoming increasingly impatient.
"Now it's truly official. Amauri has signed for Parma on
loan," his new club said in a statement.
Parma already have ex-Juve midfielders Sebastian Giovinco
and Antonio Candreva.