Gianfranco Zola should be welcoming a new face to Birmingham City over the next couple of days.
On Tuesday Virtus Entella president Antonio Gozzi confirmed the sale of Cheick Keita, quoted as saying: “It’s our first big market deal when we are in Serie B. We are pleased to have been right about this guy that we have taken on a free transfer and has been with us for three years. We give him our best wishes.”
The destination is Birmingham City, and the price €1.7m. Still it’s not been made official and until that happens… anything can happen. There’s confidence still in Italy and they’re treating it as a done deal.
But Keita to Birmingham City isn’t getting much coverage, with Virtus Entella not being a hugely supported club, there’s not a great market for it.
Local radio station Aldebaran say Keita is flying to Birmingham to join the ‘court of Zola’ at St Andrew’s. Gianfranco Zola is probably the most interesting part about this transfer for the Italian media.
As has been claimed repeatedly, Birmingham City weren’t the only club interested. However, some of the claims of interest from elsewhere have always appeared very shaky and looked designed to hype the player up.
It’s now down to Keita to fulfil the manufactured expectations… once his Birmingham City transfer is made official.
