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Tottenham and Monaco target makes decision.
Written by JR Walker | 27th July 2006 | 0 Comment(s)
Czech Republic legend Pavel Nedved has agreed to remain with Juventus in Serie ‘B', and has confirmed he will finish his playing days with the dethroned champions, despite interesting offers from England and France.
The player was believed to have been weighing up offers from both Tottenham and Monaco according to Italian media, however has committed his loyalty to the Bianconeri and new boss Didier Deschamps.
''I will end my career at Juventus,'' confirmed Nedved.
''It's a choice that also has to do with my personal life, I enjoy living in Turin very much and so does my family.''
He showed his loyalty by declaring, ''I feel I owe a lot to the team and especially to the Angelli family. Serie ‘A' or ‘B' makes no difference; it's always football if you face it with the right attitude.''
''I am sure I can still be useful to the team, although I had considered retiring after the end of World Cup. But after a week vacation I had already changed my mind.''
He concluded, ''I have a goal that is to bring Juve back to Serie A as soon as possible, because that is where it deserves to be.''
Monaco is keen to challenge long-time French Champions Lyon for their crown and had hoped the Czech star would be able to achieve a similar effect that Fernando Morientes did when he catapulted them to the Champions League Final.
Tottenham was touted as a more likely destination, especially with their uncertainty over their situation with Manchester United target Michael Carrick.
Edgar Davids' proposed return to Ajax had been put on hold pending the arrival of Nedved and the Carrick situation, but with the former West Ham man still refusing to commit to a long-term deal Martin Jol could still have some work to do in the transfer market.
Tottenham have of course already added the talents of Ivorian Didier Zokora to their ranks, but Jol would've wanted him as an addition considering the club's forthcoming venture into Europe and not as a replacement for a younger player with a long future in front of him.
Some English media had suggested Ruud van Nistelrooy could be Spurs bound, but that was never really likely to happen, and if Jol was to lose Carrick a lot of pressure would be on Zokora to perform straight away.
Tottenham did so well last season, almost qualifying for the Champions League, and there is no reason why they can't challenge again this term, but Jol may well need one or two more players to bridge the gap.
However, the same could also be said of Manchester United (especially replacing van Nistelrooy's goals) and Arsenal (defensively in their case), so it will be interesting to see how those three clubs conduct themselves before the transfer window closes at the end of August.
The sheer fact that Tottenham and Monaco inquired about a player who had already stated his desire to remain in Italy does show their ambition, and how would other big clubs have felt had Nedved agreed to discussions and an eventual move?
For Juventus Nedved's decision is a boost to the club who have done remarkably well to hold onto so many players at this stage of the summer.
Although there is no guarantee of holding on to forwards Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Trezeguet, the Old Lady is in a strong position to mount a promotion charge despite a 17 point deficit.
Obviously a lot of perspective buyers may well be holding their cards firmly to their chests, but with little over a month to go the powers that now are at Juventus will try and be as persuasive as they can towards those that still remain.
Last season Cesena was in a play-off position with 66 points and Atalanta won Serie ‘B' with 81 points. Given that Juve should be far stronger than these teams it is reasonable to suggest that the appeal verdict could mean that Juve will gain promotion at the first attempt.
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