Palermo, January signings make Serie A dream

A completely different Palermo, on the pitch and on the market. The impression is this. Two consecutive victories have changed the perspective of a team that until two weeks ago was 4 points away from the playout zone and has now jumped to fifth place. In addition, the club is doing the rest with a high-level strengthening plan. Because the operations virtually defined for the arrivals of Joel Pohjanpalo and Giangiacomo Magnani constitute a very precise signal in the intentions of making up for the time lost in the first round. The Finnish striker overcame the initial resistance once he understood that Venezia had other needs (agreement reached with the player, the club has a figure of around 4 million), for the Verona defender the final details are being ironed out (contract until 2029). It was a short step from frustration over a forgettable first part of the season to relaunching ambitions. Further confirmation will be needed, but the conditions seem to open up new scenarios.

variations

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The key steps have occurred and are quite evident. The dismissal of sporting director De Sanctis has produced some effects, clearing the air of a negative cloud generated by misunderstandings and unresolved situations that had generated discontent. The arrival of Osti brought calm and a new breath of fresh air. But the acceleration is due to a decisive change of pace in Dionisi’s choices who abandoned aesthetics for practicality, turning to a more pragmatic game system such as the 3-5-2 and above all recovering men who had been put to margins like Brunori and Gomes. To these must be added Sirigu’s throw between the posts in the last two matches which gave solidity in defense. Dionisi made a mea culpa, but that of the formation, in addition to being a choice resulting from reflections, also arose from the injury emergency which progressively deprived Palermo of all the attacking wingers (Di Mariano due to the meniscus surgery, Insigne and Di Francesco who only returned on Sunday and remained on the bench).

practical

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Palermo lost in beauty but gained in cynicism, managing to win even in a dirty way like against Juve Stabia. And here is another turning point. The rosanero in the 2025 version are more inclined to fight and sacrifice than they were until a few months ago, when at the first difficulty they ended up collapsing. The repechage of some men was the added value. Brunori played only 505 minutes in the first leg and seemed destined to leave. Having been put back at the center of the project, he regained his position and leadership and the tandem with Le Douaron seems to be working: and now with Pohjanpalo there is one more option, while Henry should go to Sampdoria. The explosion of the former Brest player (4 goals in 5 matches) did the rest and it is no coincidence that 3 goals came in tandem with Brunori. Abandoning the trident in favor of the double attacker has produced its fruits. Gomes, put back in the middle of the pitch, then restored solidity and protection to the defense, taking away Ranocchia’s playmaking duties and leaving him free to sink in as a midfielder. Desplanches’ temporary injury has cleared Sirigu and at the moment, even if Dionisi denies it, he has reversed the hierarchies, also by virtue of the double clean sheet. The workers’ Palermo works, but they must finish convincing in terms of promotion