This week ex-Napoli player Marco Donadel has joined the Montreal Impact in training as the MLS season winds down. The Italian is in Montreal visiting friend Marco Di Vaio and was presented the opportunity to train with the Impact. A report quickly surfaced in Football Italia where Donadel was quoted as saying, “Canada was a lifestyle choice, I wanted to try myself in a different and certainly interesting League”. However the Impact and Donadel were quick to refute these reports, stating nothing was official yet in terms of the player signing in Montreal and that the original story was exaggerated.
With Donadel out of contract after mutually ending his deal with Napoli, the Italian is no doubt looking for a new challenge, whether it be in the MLS or elsewhere. The Italian midfielder has played for an array of teams in Italy including: Leece, Parma, Sampdoria, Fiorentina, Verona, and Napoli.
What could Marco Donadel bring to the Impact?
Donadel would be an interesting proposition for Montreal. He would immediately bring a superior level of tactical awareness and added experience to the team. With question marks around who will be present in the midfield for Montreal next year, Donadel would add depth to the team in a position where it is needed. Although Calum Mallace has stepped in admirably since the departure of Hernán Bernardello, the Impact have not been able to find a long term solution to the Argentinian’s exit.
With an aging captain in Patrice Bernier (also out of contract at the end of the season) Donadel could provide some experience alongside Nacho Piatti. Donadel played for two seasons in Parma with Impact central defender Matteo Ferrari which would make the move to Montreal easier for him.
One of the downsides to this potential acquisition is the fact Donadel has been prone to injuries of late. The Impact have suffered through injury problems of their own over the course of the last two seasons with the likes of Nelson Rivas and Adrián López. The fact that Donadel has gone through his own injury problems could be enough to scare the team off.
What’s Next?
Due to the MLS transfer rules, Marco Donadel would not be able to join the Impact until February 2015. This would be just in time for the quarter finals of the CONCACAF Champions League, an important competition for the Impact to progress in. If the deal does not pan out, Montreal Impact Owner has just acquired Bologna FC with New York Lawyer Joe Tacopina and could potentially offer Donadel an opportunity with the Serie B side.
At the end of his first season in Montreal, Marco Di Vaio claimed he had a list of players who were interested in making the move to the MLS and potentially Montreal. With Di Vaio’s departure at the end of the season perhaps these players on his “list” will slowly start to make the move, starting with Marco Donadel.
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