[Dirtycheat]

Roma Furious As United 'Poach' Petrucci

Manchester United are chasing highly-rated Roma youngster Davide Petrucci. The interest has caused the 16-year-old starlet to turn down a contract offer, leaving the Giallorossi bosses furios

The young striker is the top goal-scorer in Roma’s youth academy team and is already one of the star players of the Italian under-17 side.

According to Il Romanista, United’s interest is the reason for Petrucci rejecting Roma's offer, with the Old Trafford club reportedly offering highly increased wages and the prospect of a house in Manchester so that the player can move along with his family.

In Italy, clubs are not required to sign players to a professional contract before they turn nineteen, however, Roma had made an exception with Petrucci specifically to prevent foreign clubs from poaching their young talent.

However, the youngster has turned down Roma’s offer in order to consider his options and await any other potential offers for his services, following contact between his agent and United.

The relationship between Serie A clubs with those in the Premier League is already strained after English clubs were criticised for persistently exploiting regulations in their favour to try to sign young Italian players.

Petrucci’s situation is extremely similar to those that saw United sign ex-Parma youngster Giuseppe Rossi and Arsenal add Arturo Lupoli before they could legally sign a professional deal in Italy.

Roma are determined to take a hard line against the player, and Petrucci has been left out of training for the previous three days, much like Pique was at Barcelona before he left for Old Trafford - just before he turned 16.

http://goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=690371

very interesting. United are picking up loads of highly rated youngsters from abroad like possebon and macheda.

I really dont know anything about this bloke though. Hopefully we will sign him if he is good.

I like the way its easy to poach young italian talent

[ZEUS]

I don't think it is a very good tactic to buy foreign youngsters. Blatter claimed that he wants to insert new regulation into Premier League.

According to this new rules every team will have to line up at least 6 English players. So with a youth squad full of foreign players United will have to sell some of them in order to buy local players.

Then what's the point of buying them now? Future transfers? I don't think so.

[Dirtycheat]

Originally Posted by ZEUS

I don't think it is a very good tactic to buy foreign youngsters. Blatter claimed that he wants to insert new regulation into Premier League.

According to this new rules every team will have to line up at least 6 English players. So with a youth squad full of foreign players United will have to sell some of them in order to buy local players.

Then what's the point of buying them now? Future transfers? I don't think so.

well, that rule isnt fixed yet is it?

Also, the players could gain citzenship if they stay at the club for a few years so they could then be seen as homegrown and as british. I think it takes 5-6 years, im not sure on the exact figure though,.

And you never know, they may well be worth it and save some money on buying them from another big club in 3-4 years.

Also, manchester united still have a stong english core so im not sure if this will post many problems or it would reach a point where we have to sell players to buy british. Also, several of man united's foriegn players have lived in england enough to be granted british citzenship.

I think there is a champions league rule with homegrown players and i think that foriegn players under 18 would count as homegrown but not english. Ie rossi when we had him and pique.

btw, take a look at the youth squad and reserve squad. http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={A4EE59F6-31C1-4AAB-8038-9EF74A45166F} http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={2A52DED8-5A59-4A65-BA93-FF15E0D88CF4}

there is still a lot more british players than there are foriegn. And the advantage of buying young players is that they will be seen as british in a few years anyway.

So overall,there is a point in buying wonderkids on the cheap.

[ZEUS]

I wasn't referring to buying them now so that we wouldn't spend more money later. I was talking about buying them now and later selling them at a higher price.

Even if they would get citizenship, what are we going to do with them till they will get it? 3-4 years is quite a long term.

[Dirtycheat]

Originally Posted by ZEUS

I wasn't referring to buying them now so that we wouldn't spend more money later. I was talking about buying them now and later selling them at a higher price.

Even if they would get citizenship, what are we going to do with them till they will get it? 3-4 years is quite a long term.

Well, you can play them in the reserves, youth team or the full team if they are good enough. There arent restriction on the reserve teams.

alternatively you can just loan them out like we did with rossi for a bit.

Originally Posted by Dirtycheat

Also, manchester united still have a stong english core so im not sure if this will pose many problems ..... several of man united's foriegn players have lived in england enough to be granted british citzenship.

the new rule will come in in 2012 and even if it came now we have enough "brirish" players to make that number easily. Im sure players like saha, silvestre, VDS who have been here long enough to have gained citzenship are probably british. On top of that we also have a large number of british players.

The quota isnt a problem for us. Its going to be clubs like chelsea and arsenal that need to worry, not us.

The numbers of foriegn players in the youth team is nothing to worry about because there are plenty of british players in there too.

[Benjamin]

i think the rule will not happen ...
it conflicts with the European union rule of free movement of labour.. not bounded by nationalities...and footballers is a kind of job...

in my opinion, EU > Fifa ...
so the blatter rule will NEVER be in place ...
but plattini's rule may... plattini is pushing for homegrown players rule ...
that as long as the player is trained by the club he is eligible...

those who play FM2008 would be familiar ...

thats maybe why we are buying so many young players...

[Dew]

Not sure if this has been posted elsewhere, but here it is-


United capture Roma prodigy

Teenage striker Davide Petrucci admits the chance to swap Roma for Manchester United was simply too good to turn down.

The 16-year-old, who was top scorer in Roma’s youth team last season and has drawn comparisons with Francesco Totti, opted to leave his boyhood club after being offered wages in the region of £16,000 a year – the maximum permissible for a youth-team player.

The move has caused consternation in the Italian capital, with Il Romanista, a newspaper dedicated to Roma, labelling the loss ‘a nightmare.’

Although Petrucci admits it was a wrench to leave the club, he could not hide his excitement at the prospect of linking up with the United youth academy on July 1.

“A month ago Roma offered me a contract at the minimum rate, without clarifying whether it would be for three or five years," he said.

“I asked for a bit of time to think about it, Man Utd had already made their proposal, but Roma only gave me three days and left me out of the squad. To a certain extent they closed the door on me while Man Utd opened a big door.

“You can’t just forget six years at Roma. I was born a Roma fan and I will be one for the rest of my life.

"But this is a great opportunity, I'm going to to the strongest club in the world. It was difficult to say no, even if I would have been very happy to spend my whole career at Roma.”

I haven't seen him play but what I've read, he sounds like a promising youngster. He's likened to a young Francesco Totti, which can only be a good thing if he develops like the real one. I just hope United nurture him properly and give him his opportunity in the first team when the time comes instead of doing what they did with Rossi.