Once
the "first choice destination for the world's top players, Serie A
increasingly seems to be looked upon as a place for older players to see
out their careers," according to the AFP. Among those to arrive during the transfer
window were 33-year-old Patrice Evra, who moved from ManU
to Juve, his 32-year-old former teammate Nemanja Vidic, who joined
Inter Milan, and Ashley Cole, 33, who went from Chelsea to AS Roma. Clubs in countries such as Portugal and the Netherlands "seem to have accepted their fate to act as springboards for players moving between Latin America, Eastern Europe or Africa and Europe's biggest clubs." Italian clubs, however, "appear to be unsure if they should concentrate on developing young talent or sign players with some experience" (AFP, 9/3). The London GUARDIAN reported Ligue 1 Monaco supporters are "being urged to demand refunds for their season tickets after the club failed to secure replacements for Radamel Falcao and James Rodríguez despite their high-profile departures this summer." A blog post was published on the Planete ASM website under the title, "Planete ASM speaks on the matter of refunds." The post read, "With these two departures and with almost no new signings during the whole transfer window, Monaco fans are swinging between anger, confusion and frustration. The fans feel betrayed today -- for having believed the club's promises and having accepted a significant increase in season ticket prices at Stade Louis II" (GUARDIAN, 9/3).
