Udinese forward Antonio Di Natale has spoken of his belief that the Udine side can challenge for the Serie A title despite the sale this summer of midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah and right-back Mauricio Isla to Serie A champions Juventus.
While Udinese fans were upset with the sales, Di Natale believes that the squad of players still at the club are good enough to compete this season. Speaking of his ambitions for the upcoming Serie A season, Di Natale told Sky Sports Italia:
“We hope to do well this year too, although we start from scratch.”
“The Pozzo family has been in charge of Udinese for many years and always got results.”
Udinese have also not been idle in the transfer market; they recently brought in a total of seven new players to the club, including the likes of talented Brazilian midfielder Maicosuel and uncompromising defender Daniele Mori.
This has led to a sense of renewed optimism for Di Natale, who is of the opinion that the new signings would be able to ensure the club’s competitiveness in the league.
“It’s a shame for the players who are leaving, but Udinese know what to do and we’ve brought in some talented lads,” he added.
“They should be able to settle so we can have a good campaign.”
The former Empoli player also declared Juventus as the favourites to retain their title, though he predicted it to be a tighter title race this time round with more teams challenging for the coveted prize.
“Juventus are the favourites for the Scudetto race, as they have an extra gear compared to Inter, Milan and I’d also add Napoli after a good transfer strategy.
“Don’t forget Juve have that something more with Asamoah and Isla now. I think it’s going to be an open season. I would include Roma, us and Lazio, who every year fight to the end with us. I hope as always it ends with us in front.”