Wearing a bowler hat, stylish glasses and sporting his trademark beard, Dani Osvaldo strolled around Turin on Friday morning with a grin on his face.
Switching Southampton for Serie A leaders Juventus seems like a pretty good upwards trade -- especially after you’ve just been suspended by Saints for allegedly headbutting and punching teammate Jose Fonte in training last week -- as Osvaldo was in the Northern Italian city to have his medical ahead of a loan deal.
Juventus have apparently arranged to pay around $500,000 to take Osvaldo on loan until the end of the season, and then pay $22.5 million this summer to secure his services on a permanent basis if he impresses.
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That actually means Southampton will recoup all of the money they paid for Roma, and get a little bit extra too. Not bad for a loose cannon who has been banned, fined and short of goals since his big money move to the Premier League last summer. Osvaldo has scored just three times in 13 games for Saints, with the Italian internationals only moment of true class coming against Manchester City with a sublime lobbed goal back in December.
On Thursday Saints manager Mauricio Pochettino confirmed to myself and other assembled members of the media that Osvaldo would never play for Southampton again, as their record signing was shown the exit door at St. Mary’s.
Joining Juve is probably exactly what Osvaldo wanted after his incredible outburst in training, as the Argentine born-Italian international aims to get in the Azzurri squad for the World Cup this summer.
Saints will probably get most of their money back, Osvaldo joins the team leading Serie A and Southampton’s players don’t have to worry about being assaulted in training my a madman resembling Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean...
Everyone’s a winner.
Although Southampton’s fans, like the fans of every club Osvaldo has ever played for, will be thinking ‘what if’... After the mercurial forward imploded once again, despite showing glimpses of his incredible talent.