Giovanni Leoni
Over the Moon that he is joining us. There are two types of signings that excite in very different ways when it comes to lads below a certain age.
There are the plug-and-play lads who look like they have every chance of becoming Premier League greats by the time their career is up, provided they put the work in. Wirtz is one of these.
Then there are lads who have enormous potential and an insane amount of time on their side to fulfil it. Leoni very much falls into this category and looks like he'll be joining us at an excellent time.
So what are we buying? Here are a couple of intriguing quotes -
"He's a commanding defender, with a strong physique. He has good technique. Good with his feet and in setting up the game. Some here compared him to Alessandro Nesta" - Eleanora Trotta
"I am convinced he’ll be the lynchpin of the Azzurri defence for a long time. Some, regarding a possible transfer to Liverpool, object that this young man has only made 17 Serie A appearances so far. Aren’t those few? No, I reply. Not few, because on those occasions Leoni has demonstrated the qualities needed to go far. If someone is good, if someone has their head in the right place, it’s immediately obvious. A person can have 200 Serie A games under their belts and still not possess the qualities Leoni displayed in his first season as an adult. Talent knows no age." - Arrigo Sacchi (!!!!!!!!!!!!)
'If someone had doubts about starting him from the first minute, I had none. I see him every day in training. He played as a mature youngster, he will become a strong footballer." - Andrea Pirlo
Leoni is 6'5 and fast, good in possession and quite aggressive in the tackle. Despite his young years, he isn't of the Ekitike/Matip sort of build - this is a unit of a lad. He's bound to make a heap of mistakes on account of his age and lack of experience, but with Slot and Van Dijk to guide him and talent that has caught the eyes of someone like Sacchi......we could be onto a winner. Patience and nurturing will be the key as the talent seems to be there. Indeed, talk in Italy is of fast-tracking the lad towards appearances for the national side as a regular despite having not yet played at U21 level. Whether that will happen or not (or if it's premature) is to be seen, but the fact it's being discussed highlights the buzz.
Here's a mad bit of information for Reds, that goes beyond the hope that we have for him. Leoni was born five months after Italy won the 2006 World Cup - so what's the big deal about that you ask?
The lad has never seen his national side play a knock-out tournament in the World Cup. I'd say the likelihood of him featuring in a centre-back duo that breaks that spell is quite high. No pressure lad - though what you do in a Red shirt is what's really important 
At the age of 18, Quansah was being loaned out to Tranmere Rovers. This guy might just make 10-15 (or more?) appearances for us this season if he arrives smoothly and is afforded opportunities. He won't be 34 (Van Dijk's age) for another 16 years!
Hope you become part of the furniture lad!
Your hobbies are rollerblading and you're also a bit of a rat-hound? Steel Wool
Sid knows he's crazy and he likes it. Balinkay
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Originally Posted by miller0863
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