Recently Genoa can be proud of their transfers of forwards. Due to their outstanding form they don’t have to worry about relegation, at least for now.
On July 1st at Luigi Ferraris appeared one of the most effective players of last season in Poland. No Pole scored 21 goals during last campaign as Krzysztof Piątek. Italians took the opportunity and paid only 4.5 million euros, even though he proved himself as a great goalscorer.
Though nobody expected, that the Pole will fire with form so suddenly. He didn’t need even a few weeks for acclimatization, what he showed by scoring four times in five matches during preseason. An outstanding form ignited hope, that the forward will be as effective during season.
Polish forward didn’t intend to stop. Six goals in Coppa Italia in only two games and thirteen league goals proved, that Genoa became too small for this caliber of a player. AC Milan decided to strenghen its squad with the Pole and spent 35 million euros to finish the transfer on January 23rd, 30.5 million more than Cracovia received for him. He became the most expensive Polish purchase in football history.
Piątek scored crucial goals for Genoa, so the club had to replace him with someone who could fill his shoes. It is quite hard to find a key player during winter transfer window, so the choice fell on Antonio Sanabria, who has been loaned for a year and a half, with buyout option.
22-year-old Paraguayan for most of this season was only a substitute, but in the end of December he broke into the first squad. He managed to score two goals, and moved on loan to Genoa afterwards. In Serie A he is making a big entrance, similar to Piątek at the beginning of the season. In four matches he netted three times, which ensured one point with Sassuolo and a win over Lazio.
If the new purchase sustain his form, Genoese could breathe a sigh of relief after Piątek’s departure and only in a few days after selling him to Milan. Within a half a year Italians managed to achieve a golden business, without huge loss in quality. Impressive achievement enviable by other medium-sized clubs.
[photo: Genoa CFC]
