Lazio Rage As Juve Land �26m Nedved
Wednesday 4th July 2001
Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti was furious after hearing reports that midfielder Pavel Nedved had agreed to join Juventus for �26 million. "I am very angry as I have no idea if he is still a Lazio player," he boomed.
Reports from Prague revealed that Nedved cut short a visit to the Czech Republic to return to Italy with agent Zdenek Nehoda in an aeroplane owned by Juventus on Wednesday morning. "I was very surprised by Nedved's behaviour," Cragnotti added.
"We're just waiting to see how the situation pans out," Nehoda said enigmatically. "I can't say much more than that."
Nedved's website, meanwhile, offered a further hint that the Czech international's future lies in Turin. "When Juventus manager Luciano Moggi wants something, he will do everything he can to get it," his co-agent Luigi Canovi said.
And reports from Italy late on Wednesday indicated that the midfielder had put pen-to-paper on a deal which will come as some consolation after the crushing blow of losing Zinedine Zidane to Real Madrid.
Juve general manager Luciano Moggi was undeterred by the fact that Nedved signed a new five-year contract at Lazio only last month, though it has been suggested that the 2000 double-winners are trying to raise capital to sign Barcelona's Brazil international Rivaldo.
A brave and busy competitor, Nedved emerged on the international scene at Euro 96, where he scored a goal in the Czechs' 2-1 win over Italy at Anfield.
A few weeks later, Lazio signed him from Sparta Prague and the rest has been one long success story, highlighted at Villa Park in May 1999 when he scored the decisive goal in Lazio's European Cup Winners' Cup final victory over Mallorca and again the following season as the Rome giants achieved the Double.
His achievements were acknowledged back in the Czech Republic when he was voted their Footballer of the Year the following season.
Within days of the resignation of Sven-Goran Eriksson, Nedved revealed that new Lazio coach Dino Zoff asked his advice about what system the Italian champions should play.
