It’s been almost a month since the summer transfer window opened in Serie A and Lazio look far weaker than they did before, only picking up one player.
The Biancocelesti fly high in the 2022-23 season and finished second in the league table, securing a return to the Champions League; the best payout online casino Australia would have paid big time for this surprise finish.
It was an impressive step forward from Maurizio Sarri and his squad, suggesting that his project in the Italian capital was moving in the right direction. So when the Serie A season came to an end, enthusiasm was at an all-time high amongst Lazio fans and the hope was that four or five key reinforcements would arrive, ready to help the squad compete on multiple fronts in the coming campaign.
However, over six weeks after the end of the 2022-23 season, things feel entirely different. Lazio sold star midfielder Sergej Milinkovic – which wasn’t a surprise – to Saudi side Al-Hilal for around €42m total, a good price considering that he only had a year left on his contract in Rome.
His departure leaves a gaping hole in the Lazio squad and has removed an important card from Sarri’s deck in the capital, putting pressure on President Claudio Lotito to reinvest and find adequate reinforcements.
Despite this, only one player has signed for Lazio so far this summer – striker Valentin Castellanos from New York City, who has arrived for around €20m total, an expensive fee for the Roman club.
There’s less than a month now until the 2023-24 season kicks off for the Biancocelesti and the club still need to pick up one or two midfielders, a winger and a left back, a tall order for Lotito.
The media have linked Lazio to a long list of players in recent weeks, ranging from Domenico Berardi and Riccardo Orsolini to Piotr Zielinski and Lucas Torreira. None of these deals seem particularly close to completion.
The clock is now ticking in Rome. Considering the limited financial resources, the Biancocelesti need to work smart in the market and cannot afford to rush in the final weeks of the window, something that’s looking increasingly likely as August approaches.
Sarri is reportedly growing concerned regarding the lack of new players and this sentiment is shared amongst supporters, especially as talismanic striker Ciro Immobile is continually being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.
Can Lotito manage to bring in enough reinforcements to give Lazio enough tools to compete in both Serie A and the Champions League next season, or will the lack of strong signings leave the squad spread too thin to truly compete?
