All Talk And No News Regarding Peruzzi

Everyone's back was gotten up this morning by news emerging from a press conference in Hong Kong, where Paolo Di Canio offered some pretty forthright views on the potential signing of Velez Sarsfield fullback, Gino Peruzzi.

Peruzzi has been linked for a number of weeks, years it's almost beginning to feel like, and a deal is yet to be concluded.

Having finally agreed terms with the player, his medical went rather poorly in that Sunderland found some ligament damage sustained last season.

Di Canio said today regarding Peruzzi;

At the moment, there is no chance for Gino Peruzzi to join us. My club is not a club that can sign players with some problems.

We are not Manchester City who can think about buying a talented player with an injury and wait for him.

We are not very late in the transfer window but I would like a player ready to join the rest of the group, because the process of integration is not just physical.

They have to understand how we play which is not easy.

Now obviously when everyone heard "at the moment, there is no chance" everyone immediately pointed to "no chance" and became, with reason I suppose, concerned. Unfortunately it seems far too many people jumped on it and ignored the rather crucial "at the moment".

While what Paolo says is technically accurate, it doesn't half seem somewhat sensational. "We're not taking chances with injuries" he went on to say, which again is fully understandable, but nothing we didn't know yesterday when it was revealed that Peruzzi will travel to Rome later next week to meet with Dr Paolo Mariani.

So whilst everyone had a bit of a nasty shock this morning, don't get too carried away. The deal is still very much at the same stage it was yesterday, with the extent of Peruzzi's injury being further assessed.