Sarri Reveals Why Lazio Sold Castellanos, Discusses Squad Emergency

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The Laziali

·4 January 2026

Sarri Reveals Why Lazio Sold Castellanos, Discusses Squad Emergency

Lazio head coach Maurizio Sarri had many topics to address following his side’s 0-2 defeat at the hands of Napoli.

Lazio Suffer 0-2 Home Defeat to Napoli

The Biancocelesti fell short against the Italian champions, who scored twice in the first half through Leonardo Spinazzola and Amir Rrahmani. The Partenopei were able to maintain their two-goal advantage throughout a fiery second half that witnessed the dismissals of Tijjani Noslin, Adam Marusic and Pasquale Mazzocchi.

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Maurizio Sarri Explains Why Lazio Lost to Napoli

In his post-match comments (via Il Messaggero), Sarri admitted that his men were disorganized at the back, while referring to Napoli as the strongest team in the country.

Our tentative first half made things easier for them, but Napoli are the strongest team in the league and their wing-backs attacking the space behind you put everyone in trouble. The technical gap is evident, but we also contributed to it ourselves. Defensively we were a case of ‘wanting to but not being able to’: we looked set to press, then dropped deep out of fear and lost our duels. The only real moment when we were in the game was at the start of the second half.

Sarri Won’t Point the Finger at Referees Following Napoli Defeat

The former Napoli and Juventus manager had been vocal about the injustices suffered by Lazio this season, but this time, he refused to blame refereeing mistakes for his team’s defeat against his old employers, even though the visitors’ second goal came from a dubious free-kick.

We are the second team in Serie A for the number of fouls committed. Numbers that don’t really add up. This was discussed last night in the technical meeting: referees must not become an alibi. If what we’ve suffered are mistakes, they remain so. If there’s something different, there’s nothing we can do about it. At the end we picked up two avoidable red cards for the next match. From the second matchday of the league we’ve been without six or seven players

Why Lazio Sold Taty Castellanos to West Ham

The 66-year-old was naturally asked about the club’s activity on the market, beginning with Taty Castellanos, who is finalizing his transfer to West Ham United. The manager insisted that the Argentine was happy to depart.

Castellanos was inclined to leave, keeping him would have been counterproductive. We knew it could happen, perhaps we should have been more prepared.

Player Ratings: Lazio 0-2 Napoli – Noslin & Marusic Add to Sarri’s Selection Woes

Sarri delegated the market questions to Lazio’s sporting director, Angelo Fabiani, while revealing a request he made to the management.

The sporting director is the one who should speak about the market; I mentioned a few names to clarify the characteristics of the players I wanted. Everything else depends on the club. I asked the club for strong players, because signing ones of the same level as those we already have would make no sense.

Lorenzo Insigne Not a Priority for Sarri

The Tuscan tactician reiterated that a reunion with Lorenzo Insigne is not a priority at the moment, as Lazio must first bolster other roles.

The role of Zaccagni’s understudy is the least of our problems; it’s not our priority, at least not mine. An open transfer window is a difficulty for everyone; managing players becomes harder. That’s why all coaches ask for a shorter window. Also because, in the end, 70% of deals are done in the final hours: whether it’s a 30-day window or a two-month one, it’s the same thing.

Lazio Have a Selection Crisis Ahead of Fiorentina Clash

With Castellanos sold, Boulaye Dia participating in AFCON, and Noslin suspended, Lazio won’t have a single first-team striker available for Wednesday’s clash against Fiorentina. Sarri was asked if Matteo Cancellieri could be the solution, as well as a possible collaboration between his two Registas, Nicolo Rovella and Danilo Cataldi.

I never wanted Cancellieri as a striker; we only tried him there as an experiment. In an emergency, Cataldi and Rovella can play together, but by neither of them has the qualities of a box-to-box midfielder. I see them better as Registas, in a normal situation.