The Granata president: “Perhaps in the end I’ll sell the club, but I want to leave a pleasant memory.”

6 august 2026 (modifica alle 23:35) – QUATTORDIO (ALESSANDRIA)

Italian version

Torino president Urbano Cairo has spent two days fully immersed in the world of Toro. On Wednesday, he was at the Filadelfia for the training match against Vado, and yesterday, in Quattordio, he watched his impressive Primavera side thrash Atalanta 4-1. With his presidency set to reach 21 years in September, a new adventure is about to begin. As is now tradition, the stop in Quattordio provides an opportunity to take stock. Cairo began by outlining the season’s objective: “The other day at the Filadelfia, I spoke to the squad and told the lads before the Vado match: I want to have my best season,” Cairo revealed. “I want to do extremely well; I want this to be the best season since I became president. Afterwards, perhaps I’ll sell the club, but I want to leave a good memory. In the end, people will say: ‘Well, Cairo wasn’t so bad after all.'”

The Club—  

Regarding the future, President Cairo reiterated: “For some time now, I’ve made it clear I’m open to selling the club. If there’s someone more capable than me, wealthier than me, with the desire to take over Toro and do well, I’m prepared to step aside and will be in the front row as a fan. For now, no one has come forward with an offer I couldn’t refuse. There’s interest, but no concrete proposals yet; as it stands, it’s a lot of possession but few shots on target. I won’t go back on what I’ve said. Of course, I’ll be sad to sell; it’s not something I’d enjoy.”

The Team—  

The present, however, tells the story of Abate’s team, which is improving week by week. “Sunday’s match at Burnley satisfied me, even if it’s still August football and legs are heavy after weeks of very demanding training,” Cairo continued. “I’m certainly happy; we’re seeing progress in terms of what the manager wants. Abate has changed our way of playing, and it’s important that the team shows the willingness, which they are, to follow him towards a more proactive, possession-based style of football.”

The Transfer Market—  

On the transfer market, Cacciamani and Njie have been the subject of much discussion recently. “There’s a lot of interest in both players,” Cairo explained. “We can’t just ignore calls; we have to listen, and we are listening. At the moment, we’ve rejected all offers made to us. I’ve said no to everyone. That’s what’s happened so far, and that’s what I’d like to continue until the end of the transfer window. My desire is to keep Cacciamani.” Torino are not willing to sell Cacciamani and Njie but are prepared to evaluate other squad members. “We still have a few things to do in the market, including some departures. How many more will we sign? It depends on who leaves; three or four new players could be the right number.” Regarding new arrivals, he added: “Mascardi is a very promising Under-21 goalkeeper. We also have Paleari who, starting as number two last year, saved us at crucial moments and got us out of many difficult situations; it’s right to be grateful to Paleari. Comuzzo is showing very positive signs, and Comert is an important, highly experienced defender. Oristanio has incredible potential; he doesn’t even realise it himself, but if he grasps his potential, he can have a spectacular season. He has incredible qualities. Fitz-Jim also possesses important qualities.”

The Youngsters—  

On the new Primavera side, he added: “I liked them a lot; they have good potential.” The focus is on the youngsters: “The wonderful thing that gives me incredible pride is that at Burnley, we played with five starters who came from the Primavera: Cacciamani, Njie, Dembélé, Luongo, and Gineitis. The goal is to have even more strong players from our youth academy playing for the Torino first team. We’ve worked tirelessly on the youth sector; Director Ludergnani’s work is spectacular. This gives me enormous pleasure. One of the reasons we chose coach Abate is because he plays young players. I spoke with Luongo recently and told him, ‘Listen, I saw you play well. You’re an absolute discovery by our coach, who changed your role because you started as an attacking midfielder. You’re doing well, but I told you not to get carried away. You’re very young, keep your feet on the ground and remain very humble. But the great thing you’ve done is that a train came by, and you seized the opportunity.'”

This article was originally written in Italian by La Gazzetta dello Sport editor. The English version has been generated using AI translation tools. If you notice any translation errors or have suggestions, please contact us at iniziativegazzetta@rcs.it

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