Journalist Vittori: “Davide Frattesi Has Certainly Been an Excellent Signing” | OneFootball

Lazio began the season with a restricted transfer market; they were unable to strengthen a squad that, under Baroni, had come close to reaching Europe but ultimately failed to qualify. Nevertheless, they did reach the Coppa Italia final, meaning Sarri did an excellent job, especially considering the numerous off-pitch difficulties the club faced during the season. The January transfer window effectively weakened the team through the departures of Taty Castellanos and Guendouzi. As for the signing of Taylor, however, Lazio was a team that lacked a focal-point center-forward. Yet, despite that, I repeat, they enjoyed a miraculous run in the Coppa Italia. At the end of the season, they parted ways with Maurizio Sarri, a split with the club itself, because, while Sarri made it very clear that he was deeply attached to the fans and the Lazio environment, his relationship with the club had truly hit rock bottom. Throughout the year, and particularly involving President Lotito, we saw statements issued against Sarri when he complained about referees, and we heard private phone calls in which the President attacked the coach, citing reasons that were actually personal in nature regarding Guendouzi, who left Lazio for financial reasons, certainly not because he lacked a positive relationship with Sarri; quite the opposite, from what I know. The relationship with Sarri was extremely close, and Guendouzi came to Lazio exclusively because of Maurizio Sarri’s presence. Things eventually led to a parting of ways; Gennaro Gattuso had long been a target—even back in the Inzaghi era. In fact, you might recall that during a very peculiar match, a 3-3 draw between Lazio and Atalanta, there were rumors of a possible sacking; that was the season that culminated in a Scudetto challenge, before Covid unfortunately intervened, and in that scenario, Gennaro Gattuso was the front-runner to take over had Inzaghi been dismissed. An agreement was finally reached, and Gattuso arrived at Lazio, a club clearly still facing financial difficulties, being the only one forced to operate with a net-zero transfer balance. Gattuso, fresh from the World Cup qualifying elimination against Bosnia, a personal failure he himself acknowledged,began this new adventure amidst widespread skepticism and, above all, a raging fan protest; the 30,000 fans who gathered at the Flaminio Stadium on July 2nd were a striking example of this. Why? Because after 22 years, people are fed up with broken promises and, most of all, the way the club treats an incredible.

The defense has undergone a major overhaul; Lazio lost key defensive figures, though Provedel, the starting goalkeeper, was a notable departure, the club quickly plugged that gap. As you mentioned, there was a lot of activity regarding center-backs: Gila left for Milan. To rebuild, as you noted, they signed Doekhi and Sutalo, partly because Romagnoli’s departure is highly likely. A deal with Al-Ahli seemed done, but geopolitical issues stalled the move; he is now expected to join Atalanta, where Maurizio Sarri, a huge admirer of Alessio Romagnoli is in charge. Consequently, Lazio had to rebuild their backline. Provstgaard is coming off last season as a rising star of the Biancocelesti defense; Doekhi played alongside him in the opening match and the Coppa Italia game, though Sutalo might end up being the starter. As for the full-backs, Tavares appeared to be on his way out but now seems likely to stay; however, the recurring problem is always the same: wages. Lacking significant revenue, Lazio needs to cut costs. Consequently, the club needs to offload its highest earners; this is clearly having a massive impact on the transfer market and is a problem the club is struggling to solve. With the market effectively frozen for the summer of 2025 and the next window not opening until January 2026, combined with the need to generate capital gains to avoid overloading the “expanded labor cost indicator”, the situation is critical. If there is no significant financial influx, which seems to be the case, given the lack of major activity in recent windows, and the indicator isn’t improved by January, they would face a continued transfer freeze. The club is mired in a revenue and liquidity crisis that obviously cannot be resolved without an injection of funds from the majority shareholder.

Davide Frattesi has certainly been an excellent signing, firstly due to the player’s undeniable quality, already demonstrated on opening day in Bologna where he proved decisive; and secondly because he, along with the last-minute acquisition of Pinamonti, offers some breathing room after a stagnant summer where the club had only signed free agents. Of course, the deal structures are quite creative: Frattesi arrived on loan with an option to buy—we’ll see if Lazio exercises that option next summer, while Pinamonti was signed on a permanent deal for a nominal fee of 3.5 million, plus various bonuses. Naturally, the agent behind both operations is Giuseppe Riso. Facing significant difficulties in making signings, Lazio turned to Riso, one of Italy’s top agents, to orchestrate these deals. It makes me wonder why this wasn’t done sooner, why not in January, for instance, when the team was still contending for European qualification in the league and was still in the running for the Coppa Italia, a campaign that eventually took them to the final? I repeat: Lazio is a club in a severe financial crisis regarding both liquidity and revenue, yet the transfer market is also about having ideas. For years, Lazio lacked ideas; in this final phase of the transfer window, however, they came up with a plan, specifically, turning to Beppe Riso, that has yielded results, making Lazio a more competitive team than before, especially with the addition of Frattesi. But the Pinamonti signing also brings goals and quality, while Frattesi adds those surging runs into the box, as we already saw in Bologna.and brings genuine, top-tier value to the squad.

Last year, the Lazio forwards scored only 7 goals combined in the league; Pinamonti attained 9 goals on his own. So, clearly, while he might not be a superstar, he still offers something significant compared to the various centre-forwards who rotated through the squad last season. He represents a safe bet, not an elite one, perhaps, but certainly an upgrade over the current options. I consider this a very positive move, especially given the extremely low cost. Early in his career, Pinamonti looked like a future sensation. I remember the 2019 U-20 World Cup semi-final; Italy had Scamacca and Pinamonti up front, and both were seen as destined for greatness. Pinamonti’s career didn’t quite live up to that early promise, but he remains a reliable player, someone who is undoubtedly important for Lazio’s current level. Of course, if we look back at the likes of Ciro Immobile, Miroslav Klose, Crespo, or Vieri, it’s clear Pinamonti doesn’t come close to that tier. But that was a different Lazio; even the more recent Lazio sides were competing for the Champions League or at least the Europa League. This current Lazio side is fighting, miraculously to reach the Conference League or simply to stay in the middle of the table, so I believe Pinamonti is a good signing.

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