There is no doubt that Bologna have spent a considerable amount of money this summer, as the owner Joey Saputo wants to finally move the club away from the relegation zone, and into the top half of the table.
Even though the club finished 10th last season, Saputo was not happy with how the season went as a whole. The appointment of Sinisa Mihajlovic improved the results considerably, but the results of the first half of the season meant Bologna always had to fear going down to Serie B.
Nevertheless, 10th meant upper half, and improvement on that is the goal for the season, something which have led Saputo into investing a lot of money into the squad.
Firstly, three out of last season’s loan players have been outright bought. Riccardo Orsolini, Nicola Sansone and Roberto Soriano our now Bologna players, something which has set Saputo back roughly €30 million:
Riccardo Orsolini – €15 million
Roberto Soriano – €7.5 million
Nicola Sansone – €7.5 million
A lot of money for a club of Bologna’s stature, but nevertheless a necessity as the three players contributed heavily in the club’s successful quest for salvation last season.
In addition to the aforementioned players, Bologna have also acquired six other players:
Mattia Bani – €2.5 million
Stefano Denswil – €6 million
Takehiro Tomiyasu – €9 million
Andreas Skov Olsen – €6 million
Jerdy Schouten – €3 million
Lassi Lappalainen – €1 million
That turns out to €27.5 million, in addition to the €30 million spent on the loan players. That adds up to a total of €57.5 million spent thus far.
As for sales, these players have fetched Bologna money up until now:
Alex Ferrari – €4.5 million
Filip Helander – €3.9 million
Felipe Avenatti – €4.5 million
Emil Krafth – €2 million
Sebastien De Maio – €2 million
That brings in €14.9 million, which means a net spend of €42.6 million.
Whichever way one assesses this number, it is a considerable amount of money for club like Bologna. However, given Saputo’s stated ambitions when he first took over the club, as well as what he’s said several times since then, investment of this size is absolutely necessary. Time is ripe for Bologna to take the next step, finally not be anywhere near the relegation zone, and fight their way into the top half.
All transfer fees courtesy of Transfermarkt.com.
This post originally appeared on Sempre Bologna.
