Enrico Passarella, Author at The Cult of Calcio

Federico Chiesa ruptured his ACL last January, and nine months later, his return is still up in the air. Coach Massimiliano Allegri has hinted at it.

Chiesa Return from Knee Injury Delayed by Small Setback

September 12, 2022 Enrico Passarella Italian Football, Juventus, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023

Federico Chiesa ruptured his ACL last January, and nine months later, his return is still up in the air. Coach Massimiliano Allegri has hinted at it a few times. While it’s apparent he won’t be back in full force before 2023, there’s a chance he will feature before the World Cup.

The Zhang family might have changed their mind about the sale of Inter and reportedly tasked Goldman Sachs with finding a buyer.

Suning Rumored to Have Started Process for Inter Sale

September 12, 2022 Enrico Passarella Inter Milan, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023

The Zhang family might have changed their mind about the sale of Inter and reportedly tasked Goldman Sachs with finding a buyer. The chatter emerged before the weekend and hasn’t been promptly dismissed by Inter sources, unlike other instances. The Suning conglomerate has a €1.2B valuation of the Nerazzurri.

Brighton are in search of a new coach after Chelsea poached Graham Potter and and they reached out to Roberto De Zerbi to fill their opening.

De Zerbi in Early Talks with Brighton to Replace Potter

September 12, 2022 Enrico Passarella Bologna, Italian Football, Premier League, Serie A

Brighton are in search of a new coach after Chelsea poached Graham Potter by activating his release clause, and they reached out to Roberto De Zerbi to fill their opening. The gaffer is currently a free agent after terminating his contract with Shakhtar Donetsk due to the war.

The death of Queen Elizabeth II has forced UEFA to reschedule the match between Rangers and Napoli by one day due to public order reasons.

Rangers-Napoli Postponed Following Passing of The Queen

September 12, 2022 Enrico Passarella Champions League, Italian Football, Napoli, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023

The death of Queen Elizabeth II has forced UEFA to reschedule the match between Rangers and Napoli by one day. The second European tilt of the Azzurri will take place Wednesday and not Tuesday as planned. In addition, the Italian fans have been banned from attending.

Napoli director Cristiano Giuntoli spilled the beans on how the Khvicha Kvaratskhelia deal came to be over multiple windows.

Napoli Chief Recounts Lengthy Pursuit of Kvaratskhelia

September 9, 2022 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Italian Football, Juventus, Napoli, Roma, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023, Transfer Market

Napoli director Cristiano Giuntoli spilled the beans on how the Khvicha Kvaratskhelia deal came to be, corroborating what had been indicated by other people involved in the negotiation: "The first time I noticed him was on tape during the lockdown. He was 19, but the quality of his feet was already noticeable."

Yesterday was a sneaky big day for Roma but, despite their attempts, Matias Vina, William Bianda, and Ante Coric are still in town.

Roma Director Pinto Slams Pariahs That Refused to Leave

September 9, 2022 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Italian Football, Roma, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023, Transfer Market

Yesterday was a sneaky big day for Roma, which tried to cut down their squad by arranging deals with Turkish sides, but they could not pull off any exit, and Matias Vina, William Bianda, and Ante Coric are still in town. Director Tiago Pinto attacked the last two, who have been frozen out.

Napoli Star Thigh Injury More Serious than Anticipated

September 9, 2022 Enrico Passarella Italian Football, Napoli, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023

Victor Osimhen has been diagnosed with a grade two biceps femoris strain in the right thigh following his early exit in the Liverpool game. He will sit out the next three matches before the international break. But his absence might extend even further. Napoli will face Spezia, Ranger Glasgow, and Milan next.

Former Juventus director and now Tottenham exec Fabio Paratici commented on Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski’s success following their transfers.

Tottenham Exec Talks Juventus Deals and His Former Team

September 9, 2022 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Italian Football, Juventus, Premier League, Serie A, Tottenham, Transfer Market

Former Juventus director and now Tottenham exec Fabio Paratici commented on Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski’s success in London following their transfers from the Bianconeri. The official also shared his thoughts about the early stong showings by the Spurs and the magnitude of the club he's overseeing.

Roma are poised to win the race to onboard Ola Solbakken after a tipsy-turvy duel with Napoli, which appeared to be in the lead in previous months.

Roma Tipped to Best Napoli to Capture Bodo/Glimt Star

September 9, 2022 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Italian Football, Napoli, Roma, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023, Transfer Market

Roma are poised to win the race to onboard Ola Solbakken after a tipsy-turvy duel with Napoli, which appeared to be in the lead in previous months. Neither club convinced Bodo/Glimt to sell him during the summer. They didn’t want to spend much considering his contractual situation.

Coming off the pandemic, the economic landscape in Serie A is improving, as it has registered a record in terms of investments in jersey sponsorships.

Juventus Widely Top Serie A in Jersey Sponsorships

September 9, 2022 Enrico Passarella AC Milan, Fiorentina, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Lazio, Roma, Sassuolo, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023

Coming off the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic landscape in the Italian league is quickly improving. Serie A has registered a record in terms of investments in jersey sponsorships. The 200M threshold has been smashed for the first time, and a kit is worth €10,65M on average.

Florenzi was subject to a severe injury to the biceps femoris of his left hamstring, forcing surgery. Thankfully, the postoperative result turned positive.

Milan Extend Backup Contract, Lose Fullback for Months

September 8, 2022 Enrico Passarella AC Milan, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023

Milan have taken care of one of their most precious backups but will have to make do without another one for a long time due to injury. Rade Krunic has extended his contract until 2025, while the full extent of the injury suffered by Alessandro Florenzi was announced.

André Onana was one of the few bright spots for Inter in the loss against Bayern Munich, but that wasn’t enough for him to completely supplant Samir Handanovic.

Onana Passes Test but Handanovic Will Be Back on Goal

September 8, 2022 Enrico Passarella Inter Milan, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2022-2023

André Onana was one of the few bright spots for Inter in the loss against Bayern Munich, but that wasn’t enough for him to completely supplant Samir Handanovic, at least for the time being. The Cameroonian goalkeeper answered the bell multiple times and couldn’t do much more on the two goals.

Author: Enrico Passarella