Siena coach Gigi Simoni is hoping midfielder Rodrigo Taddei will not be sold.
Siena coach Gigi Simoni is hoping controversial midfielder Rodrigo Taddei will not be sold in the New Year.Taddei has been at loggerheads with the club since the summer and has been excluded from Simoni's plans for much of the season.
But he was drafted in from the cold at the weekend for his first Serie A appearance of the campaign in the 1-0 defeat to Udinese.
The Brazilian has regularly been linked with Roma and he has been tipped to move to the Eternal City when the transfer window reopens in January.
Simoni, though, feels the 24-year-old can be a key player in Siena's battle for survival and wants Taddei to stay at the club.
"For seven months, Taddei has not been playing," commented Simoni.
"I hope I don't lose him either in January or in the summer. In January, we need a few forwards."
Siena's slender defeat at Udinese kept the club locked in the relegation zone but Simoni took great heart from his struggling side's display.
He added: "Being unlucky is a grave handicap. We had a second half in which we deserved better luck.
"We complain a little also, about the refereeing. We were penalised in certain situations and decisions. We lost but we gave trouble to a good team like Udinese."
In contrast to Siena, Udinese are enjoying a fantastic season, with the 1-0 victory keeping them in third spot in Serie A.
Udinese coach Luciano Spalletti (pictured) is delighted with his team's form and hopes the club can remain in the UEFA Champions League berths.
Spalletti commented: "We believe in our possibilities and our potential.
"It's clear that below us there are big teams and it will be difficult to keep them below us but we will try to do it."
