Urbano Cairo was in high spirits during a very successful evening. The impressive viewing figures for his La7 television channel, revealed to investors at the SuperStudio Più in Milan, were excellent, with the channel now ranking as Italy`s third-largest in prime time. Simultaneously, Cairo also unveiled ambitious and intriguing plans for Torino FC. Following the transfer of Samuele Ricci to AC Milan (Cairo noted he even invited Milan`s CEO Giorgio Furlani to the event), the Rcs MediaGroup and Granata president officially announced the acquisition of Tino Anjorin from Empoli. Cairo stated, “We`ve signed a very talented young player who, I`m told, does spectacular things. I`ve watched some of his matches and recall a beautiful goal, reminiscent of Zola. He`s a player with great potential, and I hope he can replace Ricci in the best possible way.” He then light-heartedly joked with sporting director Davide Vagnati, who was also in attendance, saying, “If he messed this one up, we`ll talk later…” The contract for the 23-year-old English midfielder has already been registered, leaving no time to lament Ricci`s departure. Regarding Ricci, Cairo added, “We accommodated the player`s wishes, especially since he had a very good spell with us. Milan`s offer came in, and he was happy for us to accept, but we’ve already found a very interesting alternative. This is part of the normal evolution of things; captains leave, but new, equally good ones emerge. Everyone sells, not just Torino. The world of football is in a new phase where players staying with the same team for 20 years no longer exists.”
Torino Transfer Market
The focus, therefore, is always on moving forward. The immediate goal is to provide coach Baroni with a solid core squad before pre-season training begins. While Cairo is content, he clearly understands where reinforcements are still needed: “Within a couple of weeks, we aim to have 90% of the team assembled. Currently, our defense and midfield are complete; we still need three attacking players, specifically wingers.”
Video: Torino President Cairo: `Anjorin is a very close signing`
Cairo`s Vision for Torino
When discussing his La7 group on stage, Cairo frequently used the word “team.” Playing on this, he was asked who Torino`s equivalent of Enrico Mentana (a renowned Italian journalist) would be. Cairo responded, “We`re talking about world-class talents like Lilli Gruber and Floris (other prominent journalists). So, I would say Duvan Zapata: if he`s physically fit, he`s truly extraordinary.” The Colombian striker is continually improving and is already working towards rejoining the squad as soon as possible. Cairo closely monitors him and anticipates his return, convinced that Zapata will be the best “new signing” of the upcoming season. From Mentana, the conversation shifted to La7`s network director, Andrea Salerno. Cairo declared, “And he is, of course, Marco Baroni, but I would also include Vagnati. Our coach certainly performed well at Lazio, and I have great confidence that he can get inside the players` heads and motivate them effectively. I expect that his coaching style will allow our many talents to be best utilized. We have a very strong midfield and many young players with significant room for improvement, including Gineitis, whose contract we`ve just renewed. He`s a 2004-born player who has already shown important qualities. It`s a shame we couldn`t acquire two other young players from Roma (Romano and Terlizzi), as the deal fell through at the last minute due to one of their decisions.”
Club Matters
Earlier yesterday morning, Cairo also discussed Torino during the press presentation of the TV schedules. He was categorical regarding rumors of potential American interest in the club: “I haven`t received any proposals whatsoever. Red Bull? I`ve never had even half a contact, I`ve said it a hundred times. Zero. Never seen or heard from them, except for the fact that they were an energy sponsor of Toro.” He then briefly touched upon the Olimpico Grande Torino stadium, whose concession expires in 2026: “We need to meet with Mayor Lo Russo. I hope that happens soon.”
The National Team
As a football enthusiast and a proud Italian, the president also commented on the national team`s situation: “Let`s hope for the best. Gattuso (the coach) has great desire and temperament, and I hope he makes the right decisions to qualify for the World Cup. Are there too few Italian players in our league? Perhaps, but I believe many other national teams have players abroad. We have 60 million inhabitants; you can`t fail to produce enough players to compete at a high level. Here, perhaps there`s also an issue with academies, which need to be developed not only at club level but also for the national team. However, we at Torino invest heavily in our youth sector; we`ve won with the Under 17 and Under 18 teams. If you work well there, you`re working well throughout the entire youth sector, and the Primavera (U19) and first team certainly benefit.”
