Lazio President Claudio Lotito offered his support for his goalkeeper Ivan Provedel who has been under great scrutiny following an underwhelming start to the new campaign.
The 30-year-old has been the club’s first choice between the posts since making the move from Spezia in the summer of 2022. His impressive displays over the past few years have been earning him recurring call-ups for the Italian national team, albeit he has yet to make his international debut.
However, the Pordenone native looked uncharacteristically shaky in his team’s early outings this season, especially against Udinese and Milan. This prompted talk of a potential change in Marco Baroni’s hierarchy, with Christos Mandas usurping Provedel for a starting place. The young Greek put up convincing displays last season while the Italian was injured.
Lotito Voices Support to Provedel
Nevertheless, Baroni denied the theory in his recent press conference, and the club’s Sporting Director Angelo Fabiani did likewise.
Moreover, Il Messaggero (via Calciomercato) reveals that Provedel has even received the backing of Lazio President Lotito. The two men were spotted in a restaurant together in recent days, with the patron addressing the custodian with the following:
Now you have to be fully concentrated. Remember, Lazio always comes first.
As the source notes, Provedel has already shown signs of improvement in his latest outing against Hellas Verona. Despite conceding yet another early goal, he played an important role in the team’s 2-1 victory.