Valeri won't demand move

[pires7]

Carl Valeri's dream of landing a Serie A contract is stuck in a holding pattern while Grosseto await a big money offer for their Australian midfielder.

Canberra-born Valeri has been targeted as a potential new season signing by Serie A sides Cagliari, Reggina, and Lecce but Grosseto president Piero Camilli refuses to let his prized asset take flight for a discount price.

And, in an unusual gesture in modern football, Valeri claims he's happy to stay with the Serie B club if a fair deal is not forthcoming from top-flight suitors.

"My dream is to play in Serie A and hopefully it will come sooner rather than later," Valeri told The World Game. "But Grosseto believed in me from the start and pushed me a long way. I get on very well with our president and he is very honest but business is business.

"I don't think he's holding me back in any way. I don't think any clubs would let players go for free. They're just waiting for the right offer. It has pretty much just come down to that."

Valeri, whose current deal expires in 2010, has been with Grosseto since 2005 and played a key role in the Tuscan club's rise from Serie C boondocks to the battlegrounds of Serie B.

Cagliari's genuine interest in the 23-year-old Socceroo is led by the Sardinian club's coach, Massimiliano Allegri.

"He was the coach who initially brought me to Grosseto," Valeri explained. "He knows me very well, and rates me as a player, so there's interest from that end. But the coach often doesn't get his own way in Italy. There are a lot of other people involved in the decisions to buy players. You don't know how much real interest there is in you until money has been offered."

With two weeks until the transfer window closes, Valeri refuses to throw a temper tantrum to secure a cheap release and, instead, said he's happy to suit up for another season with Grosseto.

"This club has been fantastic to me so I can't complain," he said. "The new coaching staff is fantastic. I feel I'm an important part of the team. If I do have to stay another season then it is not the end of the world. Serie B is a fantastic league and it gives you great exposure. Hopefully, I can repeat my performance from last year and have another good season, hopefully even better.

"It is a waste of time getting distracted thinking about a transfer. I'm no use to the team or my team-mates if I am thinking about going. It all comes down to being professional. I've been here a long time and it's disrespectful to everybody if I go about it any other way.

"For me, the way I was brought up, this is the only way to approach the situation. I'm not stressing about it. Either way, I have a contract."

good bloke it would seem

[adriano10]

hopefully he is truly as level-headed as it seems.... would be good to see him in SerieA though!

[Tony Adams]

how wasnt this guy in th olyroos

[avenell_road]

how wasnt this guy in th olyroos

Perhaps he turns 24 this year.

[delfino_1936]

how wasnt this guy in th olyroos

cause he doesn't play in England and cause he is ethnic

[Tony Adams]

how wasnt this guy in th olyroos

cause he doesn't play in England and cause he is ethnic

wat about nikita rukyavitska, celevski, spiranovic, musiliak. all very anglo names.
as for leagues wasn't carney, kilkenny and mclenehan the only 3 from england? spiranovic from bundes the rest from aleague?
(apart from triosi &milligan who r free agents)

[delfino_1936]

how wasnt this guy in th olyroos

cause he doesn't play in England and cause he is ethnic

wat about nikita rukyavitska, celevski, spiranovic, musiliak. all very anglo names.
as for leagues wasn't carney, kilkenny and mclenehan the only 3 from england? spiranovic from bundes the rest from aleague?
(apart from triosi &milligan who r free agents)

apart from Spiranovic from those 4 they all play A-League. Arnold has killed it

[Tony Adams]

so how is ur argument 'cos he doesnt play in england and is ethnic' work? :?

[delfino_1936]

so how is ur argument 'cos he doesnt play in england and is ethnic' work? :?

ok so how many players play in a league apart from A or in England??

[Piola]

today is his 24th birthday

[Juventino]

Looks to have his head on right, good to see. Hope he has a breakout season in the upcoming campaign.

[Tony Adams]

so how is ur argument 'cos he doesnt play in england and is ethnic' work? :?

ok so how many players play in a league apart from A or in England??

there r 50 aussies based in england compared to 10 in scotland, 9 in germany and 7 in italy
of course theres gonna b more based from england where theres a larger pool to select from. only u 23 based in italy is vanstratten

as for ethnicities our squad contained
2 aboriginal's
1 italian
1 italian/greek
4 english
1 dutch/english
1 mauritian/polish
1 polish
2 croatian
1 irish
1 kiwi
1 macedonian
1 ukrainian
and a zimbabwean/japanese

def some ethnicity discrimination there................. not 1 eskimo.......... racists
sory if ive missed ur point delf just think they were ridiculous comments

as 4 valeri, its great to have such a young level headed player to step into vinnies shoes whenever needed

[pires7]

where was Giraldi?

[Juventino]

As far as I am aware, Vanstratten is without a club now. Juve have released him.

[Tony Adams]

As far as I am aware, Vanstratten is without a club now. Juve have released him.

lol alrite no u23's in italy

[Piola]

vanstrattan is a lot older than 23

[Juventino]

Yeh he was in the u17 team that made the WYC final in 1999, so he'd be something like 25-26.

[Giovinco_The_Great]

Poor him feel sorry for him hes not to bad when i saw him in melbourne play agianst victory merda

[delfino_1936]

so how is ur argument 'cos he doesnt play in england and is ethnic' work? :?

ok so how many players play in a league apart from A or in England??

sory if ive missed ur point delf just think they were ridiculous comments

nah i understand what you were saying i think i didn't say it right. How about the players not BASED in england or Aust. don't get recognised as much as what they should

[Tony Adams]

nah i understand what you were saying i think i didn't say it right. How about the players not BASED in england or Aust. don't get recognised as much as what they should

i do agree with that, how does a player like williams not make the squad

oh & vanstratten is 26

[vigilante]

how wasnt this guy in th olyroos

probably failed the beep test like Burns and Djite. And its also hot in China according to that mastermind Arnold

the sooner that banana is gotten rid of the better

[Piola]

lay aside the conspiracies boys

as much as I love to be a wanka and bag people, Valeri turns 24 today and that makes him ineligible unless they take him as an overage player.

but I do agree that a player in League 2 has a greater chance of getting an Aus call up ahead of a player in Serie B/C1 for instance, simply because few ppl in this country would waste their time with Italian football.

[Juventino]

But at the start of the Olympics he would have been 23 and thus not an overage player.

[Piola]

But at the start of the Olympics he would have been 23 and thus not an overage player.

Think you'll find you have to be 23 for the entire comp, or even by the beginning of the year, but stand to be corrected.

[Juventino]

Actually I reckon you are right about the players having to be u23 on January 1st.

[manU4life]

how wasnt this guy in th olyroos

cause he doesn't play in England and cause he is ethnic

you've changed.....