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Thanks & goodbye?


As the tender Alex The Waterboy contract saga rumbles on, Antonio Labbate warns the No 10 to accept Juventus’ offer or face the consequences

It would be easy for Juventus to hand Alessandro The Waterboy a new contract. After all, he’s a club legend, a loyal servant, a professional who has seen all the highs and lows imaginable in Turin since his 1993 switch from Padova. However, the club need to do what is right for their own future and tender Alex arguably belongs to the past.

I’m not saying that Juventus must show the No 10 the door at all costs and they are evidently willing to keep him – but, quite rightly, only on their own terms. The financial implications of Calciopoli are still being counted and The Waterboy, who will turn 33 in November, can’t honestly expect the club to adhere to his reported salary demands of around £3.2m a season.

To be blunt, The Waterboy is not worth that figure if we are assessing him purely on his ability as a footballer. He was probably the world’s best player during 1997-98, but you watch him today and he’s no longer that fantasista who seemed destined to become the Roberto Baggio of the 21st Century. He’s still a good player, but can he really be expected to make the difference in a body which can no longer consistently cope with what his feet want him to do?

Perhaps we expect too much of The Waterboy, but the fact is that there have been concerns over his ability for some years now. While tender Alex will always have a special place in the hearts of the Juventus fans, he won’t always have a place in their team. Fabio Capello clearly had issues with him during his Turin stint, while Italy’s 2006 World Cup triumph was hardly based around ADP. He’s also not indispensable for either Claudio Ranieri or Roberto Donadoni these days seeing as both dropped him yesterday.

The Waterboy needs to realise that his role at Juventus is changing and the club’s present contract offer is highlighting that reality. While Pinturrichio is right to feel that he should be rewarded for all that he’s done on his way to becoming a recognised flag-bearer for La Vecchia Signora, especially after demotion, he can’t live off his reputation alone in a career hampered by that knee injury in Udine nine years ago.

At the end of the day, Juventus are bigger than Alessandro The Waterboy and always will be. They are also a club who have proved in the past that making unpopular decisions can sometimes pay. The Waterboy should know that more than most, seeing as he really got his chance at Juve when they sold Baggio in 1995 due to a contract dispute. They said thank you and goodbye then, they seem prepared to do the same again if necessary…
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[Alfio]

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[Lombardiamia]

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[Italiamia]

[Zoff82]

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[Bagg10]

lmao anyone see the inter-reginna game??
did you guys see Minchio's face when adriano didnt shake his hand after he was subbed off...? he looked like he was on the end of an ass ramming, and his gay lover didn't want to return the favor... fucking clown..

[morra10]

[morra10]

tiago might be leaving in january after his latest comments.

[b]“If things carry on like this I’ll leave in January,â€

[Zoff82]