Former President Enrico Preziosi believes Genoa can ‘fight it out with the teams at the top of the table’ under their new owners and describes his many clashes with coach Davide Ballardini.
The toy tycoon had been at the helm of the club since 2003 until finally selling this week to American investment fund 777 Partners.
This development has impressed the supporters, who are already hoping for considerably better after several years of struggling just to remain in Serie A.
“The holding company 777 Partners can fight it out with the teams at the top of the table, as I think their investment capabilities are if anything superior to those of Fiorentina President Rocco Commisso,” Preziosi told Telenord.
“We started the negotiations to sell at the start of May in Madrid, we reached an agreement in August and in September there was the signing of the contracts, while the closing was yesterday.
“I bought Genoa in 2003 due to my passion for football. I wanted to sell in 2017 not for money, but because I was tired and concerned. Now I think the club is in good hands.”
Looking back over his two decades at the helm, Preziosi goes back to a man who was on the bench twice, Gian Piero Gasperini.
“Gasperini was the best, he was the only one I could talk to about football and I missed him. I don’t envy Atalanta, though, as I advised President Percassi to hire him.”
The Preziosi era ended in the most typical way it possibly could, with Davide Ballardini being hired and then fired again for the fourth time.
“I had many meetings and clashes with Ballardini. After Inter-Genoa, he asked to be sacked, I told him to resign and he refused.
“We have not picked up as many results as we could’ve done with him and he made a lot of mistakes, but we also need to put it all into context.
“I had a deal and shook hands with Vincenzo Italiano, but then it went the way it went and we got Rolando Maran instead. As for Aurelio Andreazzoli, he left because of clashes with the squad.”
Preziosi: «Con 777 Partners il Genoa può giocare per i primi posti in classifica» – https://t.co/ERskTGefYp pic.twitter.com/Wfai1bjAGy
— pianetagenoa1893.net (@pianetagenoa) November 16, 2021
Get that 10th scudetto and wear that star on your shirt… And with pride