Lazio president Claudio Lotito has personally asked Maurizio Sarri to re-evaluate Dimitrije Kamenovic ahead of next season.
The 21-year-old Serbian defender was signed from Cukaricki last summer in a deal worth around €3 million, but wasn’t registered for the squad until the January transfer window after failing to impress Sarri at last summer’s pre-season training camp in Auronzo di Cadore. He made a single cameo appearance in the last game of the season against Hellas Verona.
As reported by Corriere dello Sport (via La Lazio Siamo Noi), Lotito believes that Kamenovic could become the next Aleksandar Kolarov and so he’s personally asked Sarri to reconsider the defender ahead of the 2022-23 season.
The Serbian defender will leave with his teammates for the pre-season training camp in Auronzo di Cadore and he’s hoping to impress as he looks to carve out a spot for himself in the squad. He has worked quietly this season in training, remaining professional as he looks to make the move to Rome work.
Apollo’s Thoughts
I’m personally willing to see what Kamenovic has to offer. He’s remained incredibly professional this season despite being frozen out of the squad straight after arriving, and he looked decent enough in the final match of the season against Verona, suggesting that he’s been learning well in training in Formello over the last year.
Considering that he’s contracted to Lazio until 2026, there is time to make things work for the 21-year-old Serbian and he could be a reliable backup option next season as he continues to grow.
One issue, however, is his non-EU status; registering Kamenovic for the squad takes up one of the two non-EU spots, and the other is filled by Felipe Anderson, which takes away some of Lazio’s flexibility as they look to overhaul their squad this summer.
