SOCCER: Michael Walker
THE flow of money and talent into English football continued at bank-bursting speed this week with Middlesbrough’s breathtaking announcement that they had signed Fabrizio Ravanelli from Juventus for 7- million.
It made the 27-year-old Italian international striker, who has signed a four-year contract for a reported 1,3-million per year, the fourth most expensive player in English football after Stan Collymore (8,5-million), and Faustino Asprilla and Dennis Bergkamp (7,5-million).
The deal was done after Boro’s manager Bryan Robson, his assistant Viv Anderson and the club’s chief executive Keith Lamb had flown to Milan last Wednesday.
Ravanelli, who will go on holiday before arriving on Teesside towards the end of July, said: “I’m looking forward to joining Middlesbrough and I can assure the supporters that I will give the club 110% commitment in an effort to win trophies.”
Robson was equally enthusiastic. “It is a massive signing. Ravanelli is one of the best strikers in the world and is rated as the top Italian striker in Serie A.”
The signing takes Robson’s spending in the past 12 months to 23-million. Nick Barmby, Juninho, Branco, Emerson and now Ravanelli are evidence of the Boro chairman Steve Gibson’s desire to make Middlesbrough a major European force.
On a wider scale the purchase of Ravanelli is a measure of the wealth of Premiership clubs. That was underlined by Roberto Di Matteo’s move from Lazio to Chelsea and the impending transfer of the Czech Republic midfielder Karel Poborsky to Manchester United, both in multi-million pound deals.
West Ham’s foreign legion, already boosted by the arrival of Paulo Futre from Milan, was further strengthened by the signing of the Romanian striker Florin Raducioiu from Espanyol for a club record 2,4-million.
The Hammers also made Michael Hughes, who had been on loan from Strasbourg, a permanent signing and they are set to sign the Welsh full-back Mark Bowen from Norwich on a free transfer.
Graeme Souness has wasted no time in entering the market after taking over at Southampton. After the signing of Watford’s out-of-contract centre-back David Holdsworth for 1-million, Souness made overtures for the Turkish forward Kubilay Turkyilmaz, who plays for Switzerland.