SuperPippo: No Foreigners!

Filippo Inzaghi has told Milan not to sign any foreign strikers this summer because the Italians they have at their disposal are already good enough.

The Rossoneri have had a miserable season, having crashed out of the Champions League in the last 16, and struggling in fifth position in Serie A.

This summer the club is expected to splash out on a top-class centre forward, and a whole host of overseas stars have been linked, including Didier Drogba, Emmanuel Adebayor, Dimitar Berbatov and Mario Gomez.

Inzaghi however has called on the Milan hierarchy not to sign any foreigners.

“In my opinion, all that will be sufficient for Milan in the summer is a few modifications,” he said.

“You do not need to make any revolution, much less with regards to the attack.

“Here at Milan we have Pato, Gilardino and Paloschi who are guaranteed. Borriello is doing so well at Genoa, and who I would not hesitate in recalling. He is strong, powerful, and has grown very well this season.

“I repeat: I do not want any foreign bombers. At home Milan already have players stronger than many others, they just need to be given confidence.”

Pato: Stop Comparing Me With Ronaldo & Pele

Alexandre Pato says it will be a special moment when he makes his debut for Brazil tomorrow night, but he has called for an end to the comparisons with Ronaldo and Pele.

Pato has had a stunning start to his career in Italy, having scored seven times in just 13 Serie A appearances since his Milan bow in January.

This fine form has earned him a call-up to the Brazil squad, and he is set to make his debut in tomorrow’s friendly against Sweden at the Emirates Stadium in London.

"This is a special moment,” Pato enthused.

“The Seleçao is the dream for any Brazilian boy who begins to play with the ball.”

The 18-year-old has been described by some as the ‘new Fenomeno’, in reference to Ronaldo, however it is a tag Pato dislikes.

“Leave aside words like phenomenon,” he said.

“I still have everything to prove.”

This is not the only comparison that Pato has been afforded. Fifty years ago in the 1958 World Cup final, a teenager named Pele burst onto the world scene with a sensational display against hosts Sweden.

With Brazil set to play Sweden tomorrow night, inevitable links have been drawn.

"Pelè is the history of football. But let's leave the comparisons, is it possible?.” Pato said once again.

Zapata weighs up options

Udinese defender Cristian Zapata’s agent insists a host of clubs are chasing the Colombian’s signature, but he's in no rush to leave the Zebrette.

At the tender age of 21, Zapata has already played nearly 100 games for Udinese and is seen as one of Serie A’s brightest defensive prospects.

Juventus reportedly had advances rebuffed last summer, but it seems that the Old Lady is just one of a number of suitors.

It’s natural that a player with Zapata’s characteristics is appealing - it would be worrying if there weren’t any approaches,” agent Daniel Vidal told Udineseblog.it.

“Therefore it’s not a mystery that clubs like Milan, Juventus and even Roma have shown an interest. The new name perhaps is Arsenal, but English clubs usually look around a lot.”

While it is widely seen as inevitable that Zapata will leave Udine for a bigger club this summer, Vidal doesn’t think his client’s future definitely lies away from the Stadio Friuli.

“He has never thought about leaving Udine where he loves life,” he stated. “The city and the club are perfectly on his wavelength.

“I think that Udinese would also be very happy to have him stay and there have been no concrete talks.

“But it’s hard to say what will happen in March, especially with a player who was listed in The Times’ 50 most wanted in the world.”