Enrico Passarella, Author at The Cult of Calcio

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is poised to stay at Napoli for years to come, even though the suitors are flocking, given his stellar impact with Serie A.

Napoli Already Planning to Offer New Contract to Star

December 22, 2022 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Italian Football, Napoli, Serie A, Transfer Market

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is poised to stay at Napoli for years to come, even though the suitors are flocking given his stellar impact with Serie A. Even though the attacker is tied to them with a long-term contract, he’s already due for a pay bump, also to keep wealthy teams at bay.

The Milan management is considering intervening in January since Mike Maignan and Divock Origi could miss significant time.

Milan Mulling Short-Term Fixes in Light of Absences

December 22, 2022 Enrico Passarella AC Milan, Calciomercato, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023, Transfer Market

While Mike Maignan has been out for a while and might not be back soon, Divock Origi got hurt in practice recently. Both players will be assessed later this week. If they were to miss significant time, the Milan management would consider intervening in January, taking a flier on cheap replacements.

Gianluca Vialli has been hospitalized at a London clinic as he continues his bout against pancreatic cancer. He was recently visited by his elderly mother.

Italy Legend Vialli Hospitalized While Battling Cancer

December 22, 2022 Enrico Passarella Italy, Juventus, Sampdoria, Serie A, The Azzurri

Gianluca Vialli has been hospitalized at a London clinic as he continues his bout against pancreatic cancer. He was recently visited by his elderly mother, Maria Teresa, his brother Nino, and his close friend former footballer Massimo Mauro, among others. His family members headed back to Italy for Christmas.

Gaetano Castrovilli returned on the pitch in Wednesday’s friendly versus Lugano eight months after suffering multiple knee injuries.

Fiorentina Welcomes Back Castrovilli After Major Injury

December 22, 2022 Enrico Passarella Fiorentina, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023

Gaetano Castrovilli returned on the pitch in Wednesday’s friendly versus Lugano eight months after suffering multiple knee injuries. The inventive midfielder came off the bench with 15 minutes to go and rounded out the 6-1 score with a little lob over the goalkeeper. He shared his thoughts with the press afterward.

If Didier Deschamps stays at the helm of the French national team, Zinedine Zidane will resume being an option for Juventus.

Zidane Possibly Back in the Fold for the Juventus Bench

December 22, 2022 Enrico Passarella France, Italian Football, Juventus, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023

If Didier Deschamps stays at the helm of the French national team, Zinedine Zidane will resume being an option for Juventus after waiting for Les Bleus’ job to open up in recent years. The Bianconeri already pursued the legend in the past. But Massimiliano Allegri is firmly at the wheel right now.

Ismael Bennacer surprised Milan by changing agents right in the homestretch of the negotiation to extend his contract, but it shouldn't change things much.

Milan Resume Progressing on Deal with Midfield Linchpin

December 21, 2022 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023, Transfer Market

Ismael Bennacer surprised Milan by changing agents right in the homestretch of the negotiation to extend his contract. However, it may not jeopardize a positive outcome. The midfield has several deep-pocketed suitors, but the Rossoneri are optimistic he’ll re-up sooner rather than later, perhaps even before the January window.

Mourinho called Taylor a ‘f**king disgrace’ and swore at him, before Roma supporters displayed similar discontent at Budapest Airport the following day.

Mourinho Could Consider Taking Portugal Job Later on

December 21, 2022 Enrico Passarella Italian Football, Portugal, Roma, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023

Roma are on retreat in Portugal, more precisely at Albufeira, as the federation is courting José Mourinho to succeed Fernando Santos on the bench of the national team. The Special One has extensively refused to address the rumors in the last few days, avoiding talking to the press.

Inter are monitoring several goalkeepers whose contracts are up at the end of the season. Samir Handanovic and Alex Cordaz are in the same situation.

Inter Add More Goalkeepers to Shortlist for the Future

December 21, 2022 Enrico Passarella Boca Juniors, Borussia Moenchengladbach, Calciomercato, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Serie A, Transfer Market

Inter are monitoring several goalkeepers whose contracts are up at the end of the season. Samir Handanovic and Alex Cordaz are in the same situation, and so André Onana is the only one tied to them long-term. They face competition for Yann Sommer, while other targets figure to be more attainable.

Mike Maignan hasn’t overcome his calf injury, and he’ll most likely have to miss further matches in January. The goalkeeper has yet to train fully.

Maignan Struggling with Rehab, Milan Ponder Remedy

December 21, 2022 Enrico Passarella AC Milan, Atalanta, Calciomercato, Italian Football, Serie A, Transfer Market

Mike Maignan hasn’t overcome his calf injury, and he’ll likely have to miss further matches in January. The goalkeeper hasn’t gone into full training during their Dubai retreat. He’ll take additional tests to assess the situation once the team is back in Italy. Milan could try to move up Sportiello's arrival.

Salernitana have reached agreement with Guillermo Ochoa, who will join on a free after terminating his contract with Club America.

Salernitana Come to Terms with Mexico World Cup Hero

December 21, 2022 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Italian Football, Salernitana, Serie A, Transfer Market

Salernitana have reached agreement with Guillermo Ochoa, who will join on a free after terminating his contract with Club America. The Granata were looking for a reliable goalie since their starter Luigi Sepe will miss some time in January due to a calf strain. He'll ink a short-term contract.

Inter president Steven Zhang offered rare public remarks to motivate the squad ahead of the Serie A restart during the team’s Christmas Party.

Zhang Pumps Up Inter Ahead of Second Half of the Season

December 21, 2022 Enrico Passarella Inter Milan, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023

Inter president Steven Zhang offered rare public remarks to motivate the squad ahead of the Serie A restart during the Christmas Party: "I promise the fans that we’ll do anything to turn things around and win. We want to lift many trophies in 2023. That has always been our goal."

$FIFA foresee registering record profits thanks to the World Cup, but only a fraction of them will trickle down to the teams, Serie A ones included.$

Juventus Top Serie A in Earnings from Qatari World Cup

December 20, 2022 Enrico Passarella AC Milan, Atalanta, Bologna, Inter Milan, Juventus, Lazio, Napoli, Roma, Salernitana, Sampdoria, Sassuolo, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023, Spezia, Udinese, World Cup

FIFA foresee registering record profits thanks to the recently concluded World Cup, but only a fraction of them will trickle down to the teams, Serie A ones included. The federation raked in $7.5B in the four-year cycle that culminated in Qatar. They expect to smash the €10B threshold in the next one.

Author: Enrico Passarella