On the beach at Formentera, where he is on vacation with family, he’s not reading the papers. But he gets the digest from colleagues, the half of Serie A that has punctually made camp on the golden shores of this Baleari island.
“It’s as if you were at Dall’Ara, or San Siro, or any other stadium in Italy”, jokes Pagliuca on the phone. “You don’t even have the sense of leaving your worries elsewhere. So, whether you want it or not, you always end up talking about soccer.”

The news that Bologna will have Beppegol at its service for another year, obviously, arrived quickly, as soon as Signori let go of his reservations. And it’s news that fills him with satisfaction.
“I had hoped, and I had said so publicly, that Beppe would be able to return,” says Pagliuca. “The fact that it happened is a most wonderful thing for all of Bologna. Signori is a key player, not only for what he does on the field, with his goals, but also for the weight he carries with the team. He is one of the reference points for the young players. Now I know I won’t be the only “elder” in the group…”

“The most important thing,” continues Pagliuca, “Is that Signori stay free of injuries that have hampered him so much in the last two seasons. If he’s well, he’s still a striker capable of taking us to another level. And we saw that in the second round, when his important goals kept us in Serie A comfortably.”

The certainty of having Signori will also work as an adhesive between the team and the fans, two worlds that were at risk of traveling far from each other.
“Without Signori the detachment would be more noticeable,” admits Pagliuca. “The fact that he has stayed in the end I think will calm the waters a bit in the relationship between the team and the people of Bologna.”

The Bologna keeper has no hesitation regarding the possibility that old misunderstandings between the captain and Guidolin could reflect on future dealings.
“I am convinced that if Beppe has decided to stay, it’s because in his heart he has buried the animosity. If there were still things that bothered him, he would have made another decision.”

As far as the Bologna that will be, Pagliuca obviously is unable to read the stars.
“It’s really a team that is yet to be born. But I’m not worried. For the last several seasons it has been like this – the teams are made up towards the end of the market. And I’m sure that in this the management will make good choices. We already know we can count on Beppe. The rest will follow.”