... my thoughts on the potential signing of Cambiasso were out there from the first rumours ... but we were not all in accord by any means... there were several comments about his age, wages etc ... and hindsight is easy ... but what he has proven is that there is no substitute for true world class... his intelligence and professionalism have overridden any concerns about his age ... been an absolute pleasure to watch such a player in the royal blue shirt...
My first thoughts about Cambiasso when he was linked with us was "why would he want what we have to offer?" I still don't fully understand, but I'm sure glad he came. I just hope he enjoyed it enough to stay another season!
For me ... it is that Camiasso challenges himself rather than the task ... he wanted to test himself in the Prem ... I just hope he wants to see if he can take us further than merely surviving relegation threat ....
But - I find it to believe there was no interest from other Premier League clubs. With the kind of rubbish players that always seems to get themselves cushy top-flight spot, I find it hard to believe that a top ten side didn't fancy a punt.
I'd be surprised if he re-signs with us. He seemed to hold out for ages hoping someone else would come in for him. Let's hope he does re-sign and we can put another marquee signing next to him.
.... speaks volumes ... http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/L...an-Cambiasso/story-26591855-detail/story.html
Lets not get things muddled up. He was a punt. He'd just been released by Inter Milan who, while they may be a big club, had finished way off the pace in whats considered to be a worse league. Esteban would have had the offers of sides in places like Qatar, The US and China for mega money but it's not a great surprise that only two Premier League clubs were interested. Just glad that he's a true professional. He chose the destination more likely to offer him 'one last shot' rather than 'one last paycheck'. He's been a credit to his sport. Hope he stays as a player/coach. He's irreplaceable witout shelling out 15m+.
I'd agree with most of this ... a couple of posts above were suggesting that he delayed signing for us initially because he was waiting to see if anybody bigger would come in for him etc ... not my thoughts at all ... by contrast I saw him as taking his time because everything had to be 'right' - nothing more sinister or devious ... this is a guy that would not have been content to go to the likes of Chelsea or Man City and not be a regular starter - why should he- he wants to play and to play a pivotal role - he has won just about everything there is to win in the game and is more than likely already completely financially secure ... so for him it is all about the opportunity to play and test himself - aqll about the challenge - in years to come the support today will be able to say with some pride that they saw Esteban Cambiasso playing for us - hopefully he will not be the only big name that has pulled on a royal blue shirt by then ... as I said at the time, his acquistion was not just a gimmick, it was a declaration of intent laying down a marker ... and the name of Leicester City will now be familiar to a far wider audience because of this and hopefully will encourage other signings ... I'm pretty sure that Andrei Kramaric would have seen Cambiasso being here as a huge positive in determining his move ...