Lecce, work in progress and defense to be touched up

The Milan striker, who turned 17 on March 10, will begin his adventure with Lecce today. The Milan striker, who turned 17 on March 10, arrived in the city yesterday and will undergo the mandatory medical checks today.

You can bet he will be a little excited because for him it will be the start of his first experience away from home and his comfort zone constituted by the red and black club, where he grew up, until he debuted in Serie A and in the Champions League. A great challenge for the Milanese talent, determined to break through in the football that counts and then return to his mother house.

For the rest, while waiting to see the moves that will be dictated by the outgoing market, on which the incoming market will partly depend, both in terms of replacing those who will leave and of the resources that may be available to invest, there are some roles in which we will try to intervene immediately.

The first is that of left back, as at the moment there is only Antonino Gallo and it is not yet certain that he will remain in giallorosso. The second is that of central defender because Gaby Jean suffered a bad injury at the end of last season and the recovery times are long, but also in consideration of the fact that Federico Baschirotto is being watched by Torino and Kialonda Gaspar is being followed by Ufinese. The third is that of high back. At the moment, on the wings, Lecce can count on Tete Morende and Lameck Banda on the left and on Santiago Pierotti and Konan N'Dri on the right, but Corvino has pointed out that a fifth element is needed. In this regard, the names circulating are those of Valentin Mihaila (Parma), Alieu Fadera (Como) and Alessio Zerbin (Napoli).

While waiting for market developments, today is Camarda's day. Max Tonetto, a full-back for Lecce from 2000/2001 to 20023/2004, formerly of Bologna, Sampdoria and Roma, was a key player in the team in which Valeri Bojinov was launched as a permanent player in Serie A at 17 years old, after making his debut at 15 years, 11 months and 12 days.

"You could tell every day during training that the Bulgarian was ready," says the former Giallorossi player. "He was tough, determined, he jostled with everyone and was hungry to get there. On the other hand, the value of a player does not depend on age. I only know Camarda for his career, but from afar. It's another thing to work with a boy every day. That he has top-notch skills seems undeniable to me. The impression is that he is very mature in terms of character. When I saw him on the pitch he always made me think that he was "hungry." He needs to be trusted to allow him to prove himself. From this perspective, I think the choice to accept the transfer to the Salento club was the right one and that it can bear fruit."

A centre forward is asked for goals: «Camarda's role is one of considerable responsibility. I am convinced that a team cannot do without a goalkeeper who provides ample guarantees and a striker who scores. Lecce fans are used to great strikers. I am thinking of Pedro Pablo Pasculli, Javier Chevanton, Bojinov, Mirko Vucinic, Cristiano Lucarelli, all valuable scorers. But with the former Milan player they will know how to be patient, as long as he gives his all from the first to the last minute, and leaves the field with his shirt sweaty. In the long term, however, it will not be possible to do without numbers. In this, football is ruthless».

Eusebio Di Francesco is considered a coach who works well with young players: «I suppose that the choice of Milan and Camarda depended on the presence of the Pescara trainer and the fact that Lecce has shown that it knows how to give space to those who deserve it without paying attention to age. The interests of the various parties involved coincide. The Rossoneri club wants the striker to grow and be ready for the leap in level that everyone thinks is within his reach. The boy aims to demonstrate his worth and that he deserves the most important stages. The Giallorossi club expects the centre-forward to contribute to the club's survival and that, with the price agreed for the counter-redemption in favor of the Milanese club, he will then earn something».

Tonetto lives in Rome and follows Roma closely. So he had the opportunity to evaluate the work done by Di Francesco in the capital: "He is a coach who knows how to give a very precise identity to his teams, which usually also play good football. With Roma, in his first season, he did very well, achieving third place in the championship and the Champions League semi-final, overturning the defeat suffered in the first leg in Barcelona at the Olimpico. In Lecce, after two relegations, he will have an important chance of redemption".