Lazio have hinted towards the appointment of coach Maurizio Sarri and the signing of free agents Elseid Hysaj and Nikola Maksimovic today.
As seen in a press release on Lazio’s official website, the Biancocelesti spoke highly of the two expiring Napoli defenders, who have been heavily linked to the Roman club in recent weeks.
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The two players are said to be explicit requests from Sarri, who has been in talks with Lazio recently as the club’s priority choice to replace Simone Inzaghi, who left to join Inter.
The release of the statement seems to have been a mistake by the Roman club, as it has not yet been officially advertised on any of their social media accounts.
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This implies that a total agreement with Sarri has been reached and that everything has been fully finalised ahead of an official announcement later this evening or tomorrow.
Below you can read the press release in full:
Every commander has his trustworthy soldiers, for deontology, for spirit of self-denial, but certainly also for the experiences lived together, for the battles on the field. Nikola Maksimovic and Elseid Hysaj have been part of Sarri’s militia for a long time, a coach in the sights of the Biancocelesti.
The Albanian full-back, class 94, is the most loyal over time: from his time at Empoli, in the 12-13 season, to the 17-18 Champions League. He has made a total of 243 appearances between cups and championships. The Serbian centre-back, born in 1991, protected the coach’s Azzurri line in the 16-17 and 17-18 seasons. Not a permanent starter but a player who is ready to say yes: he made 16 appearances with injuries and setbacks that prevented him from being used on a permanent basis.
They know the team’s movements and timing, they have achieved numbers and established a very reliable departmental performance: in Sarri’s three years under the Vesuvius, the Azzurri goal was the second strongest in the 15-16 championship with 32 goals conceded, the third in Serie A in the following two seasons with 39 and 29 goals respectively.
The three seasons also featured another faithful already at Formello: Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina. Combining respectable defensive numbers in a context of offensive and proactive play was the winning strategy of Sarrismo applied to top-level football.
The contribution of charismatic and technical leaders like Albiol and Koulibaly cannot be overlooked, but the contribution of wingmen and trainees like Maksimovic and Hysaj can become decisive in facilitating the learning of the Biancocelesti top players.
You run, sweat and study for an idea. An idea, a strategy that can make a strong team more fearsome, because it is new, unpredictable and does not know its limits.”