Turin, Cairo: “The standings? I don’t look at it. We have to think race by race”

It is difficult to choose a single aspect which, after such a beautiful and intense Sunday, brings him the most happiness. “I’m very happy with everything I’ve seen. I saw a nice Toro, it was a good victory: it’s all very positive”, said the president of Torino, Urbano Cairo, very satisfied before leaving the Olympic stadium and after congratulating with the team. His Bull leaps to seventh place in Serie A, in a position that has the flavor of Europe. “But now, let’s not look at the standings – he adds -. The championship is still long: we have to think about doing well match by match, as happened with Udinese”. He applauds Sunday’s protagonist, who already scored on Wednesday in Florence in the Coppa Italia: “Karamoh’s not bad … he scored two goals in two games!”. Thoughts go back to the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia: “Going out was a shame”.

Down to earth

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Torino had reached or exceeded the 30-point mark after 21 league games, only twice since victory awarded three points in Serie A: 32 points in 2013-2014 and 31 last season, in his first year with Juric. It is also the numerical certification of the quality of the project launched by the grenade company in the two-year period. “I’m happy, the team is very compact. We have to stay focused, with our feet on the ground following our coach who is very good – underlines Cairo -. Juric’s renewal? Meanwhile we have a year and a half ahead together (the contract Juric will expire in 2024; ed.). He knows that we are happy to renew: when it’s ready, he’ll tell me. It’s not a problem”.

Ilic and the others

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The occasion is a tempting one to take stock of the January market that has just closed, in which Torino was the queen of business in Serie A. “Everything can always be improved, but let’s think for a moment that the whole Serie A market of this January spent 32 million of which 16 are ours…”. The flagship was the arrival of the very talented left-handed director Ilic from Verona. “It was the most expensive purchase in January in our history. The coach cared a lot about it: he knew him from his days in Verona – recalls Cairo -. He told me: “President, he’s an extraordinary player. You have to get him, listen to me”. And I listened to it.” Ilic was paid 16 million, Lukic was sold to Fulham for ten. “We took a player in his place (Lukic; ed) by spending more (Ilic; ed): I paid him sixteen. The problem is that every time you buy there are always commissions, then there is also the power of attorney. If you sell, you pay the commission. If you buy, you pay the commission: in the end everything costs more. It’s not actually sixteen but it will be seventeen something”. On Gravillon he says: “He has potential, Vagnati spoke very well about him and the coach was delighted that we could sign him”. And on Vieira: “The coach had a year in Verona. It was right to take a more mature player like Vieira instead of Ilkhan, who went on loan to Sampdoria, who had played very little with us”.

lukic

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On Lukic’s farewell, President Cairo immediately says: “I was sorry, I wouldn’t have wanted to sell him. I was very close to him, because he came to us in 2016 when he was a kid. Think, I’m telling you this to make you understand how much I was fond of him: when we renew in 2020, the agents agree with the then sporting director Bava and a certain engagement is established. During the appointment Lukic asks me: “Can I say something?” Since he had never spoken in four years, I say: “Speak, so I can finally hear your voice”. And he says: “I would like a hundred thousand euros more than the agreement”. I tell him: “Since I heard your voice, I I give one hundred thousand euros more”. Today if we hadn’t sold him, we would have definitely lost him to zero in a year, because he would never have signed the renewal. Even our coach convinced him, and he helped us in this: he I did a good job on him to make him understand that going to Fulham was better for him too. Otherwise Lukic wouldn’t have signed the transfer. The coach told me earlier in the dressing room: he was kind.”