Strong stuff from Donati

Massimo tells how he rates his m8 Huseklepp and how he left his heart at Celtic. Said he could never play against the Celts and loves the club so much he even has the crest tattood on his chest over his heart!

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sco...784/Massimo-Fans-will-adore-my-mate-Erik.html

 

Bhoycott that paper! Don't let everyone click on the link.

Fans will adore my mate Erik
By ROBERT GRIEVE
Published: Today
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MASSIMO DONATI had his dream deal at Celtic and lost it.
Now the Italian midfielder is urging his Norwegian pal Erik Huseklepp to grab his chance of signing for the Hoops.

Donati quit Celts in 2009 and returned home to join Bari, where he formed a friendship with Hoops target Huseklepp.

The frontman is on Neil Lennon's summer wish list and Donati is desperate to see his mate move to the SPL. The Italian, back in Scotland this week on holiday, said: "I visited Celtic Park to say hello to everyone and I while I was there I talked to Peter Lawwell.

"We had a good chat and he asked me about Huseklepp, because he knows I have played with him at Bari.

"I told him he was a good guy and a good player.

"I joked with him that if he was going to sign him then I wanted to be part of the package so I could return to Celtic.

"Erik is a player who would do well with Celtic.

"He is good with the ball and I would expect him to be a success in Scotland if Peter was to sign him.

"There were talks in January, I know that because Erik called me and asked what I thought.

"I told him if he had the chance to grab it because it's one of the best clubs in the world.

"Scottish football gets criticised but for me there are great qualities in the SPL.

"The fans are great and like to see players with good ability.

"At Celtic I played alongside Shunsuke Nakamura and the supporters loved him - it would be the same with Huseklepp.

"They are different players, of course, but Erik has plenty of qualities."

Donati, 30, is on the hunt for a new club. He is still contracted to Italian outfit Bari but they were relegated from Serie A and want to offload him.

He admits he would find it IMPOSSIBLE to play against first love Celtic.

He added: "I am looking for a new team because the last season for me was bad. There is now problems with the money at my club in Italy and a lot of the players are moving on.

"I don't know if Bari will be looking for a transfer fee for me but it looks certain I will leave.

"I just want to find a good club.

"I have returned to Scotland to visit friends and it's great to be back - I left my heart here when I left Celtic.

"For me it was the most enjoyable time of my life.

"When I went back to Italy I even got a Celtic tattoo - the club crest on my heart - and I think that shows how I feel.

"It would be a dream to go back and pull on that shirt again but I know it's not going to happen.

"I just need to find a good club but I don't think I could play against Celtic in the future.

"For me Scotland is Celtic. Who knows what the future holds for me but it's very hard for me to imagine playing for any other club in Scotland."

 

Get donati signed up!

 

Great guy, but, *. Not good enough for us.

 

Makes me proud to see the impact we have on people.

 

There's definitely a special feeling when, a player without a connection to Celtic, moves to us and then fall's in love with us. Makes me proud to see what our club does to these people.

 

Wouldn't have sold him when we did, looked like he'd finally settled and found his place in the team, we need a few older heads in the squad and he knows what the club's about, if we could get him in on the cheap I wouldn't mind him coming back.

 

I love the guy, i'd take him back in a minute.

 

in a perfect world we should bring him back , but we dont need any more centre mids

 

Think Donati would do well in the current team, but then again could you see him taking the centre mid spot from Kayal/Brown/Ledley/Ki? Don't think so, if he was to sign he'd definitely be a bit part player. Shame really. I remember when we first signed him, he was great in his first few games, so I got his name on the back of my hoops, after that he never got a game, I was well * off!

 

fuking love him

 

Is it just me or do Italians in general go nuts for Celtic when they play for us? Annoni, Di Canio and Donati all talk very similiar about us.

 

Good player when he was on his game but he didnt show it enough for me.
Hes been bitten by the celtic bug it seems, tattoo and all .

 

Donati was *, and havent got a clue about the other lad?

 

I would take him back - not based on sentiment or the fact that he has the badge on his chest but as stated by horseshoe, he was really coming onto a game and looking settled. If he's leaving Bari and available on a free I'd take him.

Also the fact that he has really taken the club to his heart also means that he actually would play for the jersey - not something you can say too often these days - and never heard from foreigners.

Thinking about the MF we have the following who can actually play in the first team;

Brown
Ledley
Kayal
Ki

And with Broony being preferred on the right and Juarez not listed above as likely to leave, we don't have a huge amount of CMs so 1 more wouldn't hurt - especially one who knows the club and the expectations levied.

An injury and / or suspension and we could be in trouble - we saw what happened last season when Kayal wasn't playing and then Ledley was out.

And what happens in Europe if we fancy playing 5 across the MF? How many of our current MF actually have CL or Europa league experience?

I believe that Donati would be worthy of a place in the squad and I would take him on a bosman in a moment.

I also believe that wages wouldn't be too much of an issue, especially as those drafted in already aren't going to be big earners; Matthews, Wilson, Wanyama. And if the ST arriving is Musona the wages are not going to be overly high.

We can also punt some of the deadwood as well - with the clearout already under way; Hinkel, Freddy, McGinn already away, along with McGowan and Carey, the wage bill is reducing and if those on loan who realistically have no way back at CP - O'Dea, Rasmussen, Thompson, potentially Hooiveld (although the big guy didn't get a chance to prove himself)

So yip a good keeper, a la Given, and a ST I think it's a goer.

Come on home Massimo!

Hail Hail

 

Would love the guy back, It appears he wants to come back so he wouldn't want loads of wages, could probs get him on the cheap.

 

Massimo

 

For a while the Donati-Broony CM looked great but the problem was neither of them really liked doing DM and Donati was not the best at tracking runners, tackling etc.

 

It's really nice to hear Massimo Donati talking that way about our club. That doesn't mean we should get all doe eyed about things and sign him though. Donati was a disappointment for most of his time at Celtic. Whether that was down to Donati himself or Gordon Strachan's unforgiving tactics is up for debate but he was a disappointment nonetheless.

I'd welcome Donati back to Parkhead anytime if he wants to come over and watch a match but I would not take him back as a player.

 

Played him at centre back and he turned out to be hard as nails