Nima Tavallaey was joined by Il Messaggero’s Lazio Correspondent Valerio Marcangeli to take a deep dive into the club’s Summer Transfer Window on Episode 347 of The Italian Football Podcast.
Luis Alberto Issues
Losing Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was already a big blow, and Laziali were forced to hold their breath in recent times due to the absence of Luis Alberto against Aston Villa. Various reports came out, with many stating that he had even been placed on the market by Claudio Lotito.
Luis Alberto is a very magical player but at the same time, he is very crazy. Lazio and Luis Alberto found an agreement over the past few months for a new contract but there was a problem with a bonus that Claudio Lotito did not pay.
In addition, there was also some clauses that were not correct in the new contract – this is why he stopped training on multiple occasions and did not travel to England to play Aston Villa.
This is not the first time that this has happened – Luis Alberto has lashed out on social media and on the pitch on various occasions, facing fines and repercussions every time…
He is a very particular character. Two years ago, he wanted to return to Spain. He didn’t like Sarri at first and his situation when the coach arrived.
However, he then became a very important player in the manager’s system and decided to commit long-term with Lazio after adjusting.
This Summer, there was also a big offer from Saudi Arabia. Laziali saw their beloved Serbian star take one of these offers and leave Rome; however, the Spaniard has declined the potential move, outlining his desire to remain with the Biancocelesti. However, it now seems that he is using this mega-offer as leverage over Lotito.
Despite the statement from Luis Alberto’s Agency whereby they say they have not heard from lotito or the club, lazio have come out and said that the documents are in his hands.
Since this outburst, things have calmed down and Luis Alberto has returned to training and played the next friendly against Girona in Spain. However, there has still been no official communication about the player’s new contract, and he was reportedly forced to pay a fine.
The fun faxt is that Luis Alberto seems to be a more loyal player to Lazio than Sergej.