Enrico Passarella, Author at The Cult of Calcio

Leonardo did not mince words toward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who accused PSG to be lacking discipline in his book: "It is not even worthy to respond."

Leonardo Hits Back at Ibrahimovic for Previous PSG Slander

March 3, 2022 Enrico Passarella AC Milan, Calciomercato, Italian Football, PSG, Serie A, Transfer Market

Leonardo did not mince words toward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who accused PSG to be lacking discipline in his book Adrenalina: “It is not even worthy to respond to such accusation. There must be a reason why every player that leaves us can not stop talking about us afterward. Everybody wants to come here.”

José Mourinho has shipped Felix Afena-Gyan back to the Primavera after five months with the first team for disciplinary reasons.

José Mourinho Disciplines Youngster for Untimely Night out

March 3, 2022 Enrico Passarella Italian Football, Roma, Serie A, Serie A 2021-2022

José Mourinho has shipped Felix Afena-Gyan back to the Primavera after five months with the first team for disciplinary reasons. The youngster missed the Spezia game because of a hip contusion and was spotted at a nightclub until early hours afterward. The starlet will have to win back the trust of the coach in training.

Franck Kessié is nearing a move to Barcelona, but it is not a done deal just yet. The Blaugrana are clearly in pole position.

Barcelona Getting Increasingly Close to Signing Kessié

March 3, 2022 Enrico Passarella Barcelona, Calciomercato, Italian Football, Serie A, Transfer Market

Franck Kessié is nearing a move to Barcelona, but it is not a done deal just yet. The Blaugrana are in pole position to capture the Ivorian powerhouse on a Bosman move. They have submitted their official proposal and are waiting for his answer, Coach Xavi has been a major proponent of the addition and personally reached out to the player.

Julian Weigl has started to fare well in the last few months at Benfica and has drawn the attention of Milan and Roma, which need a midfielder.

Roma and Milan Tracking Rejuvenated German Midfielder

March 3, 2022 Enrico Passarella AC Milan, Calciomercato, Italian Football, Roma, Serie A, Transfer Market

Julian Weigl has started to fare well in the last few months at Benfica and has drawn the attention of Milan and Roma. Both teams will likely look to sign a reliable midfielder in the summer. The 26-year-old has returned to the level of his best stretches at Borussia Dortmund when he was a hot prospect.

American entrepreneur Stephen Pagliuca purchased half of the holding that controls Atalanta last week: “We had been eyeing Serie A for years."

New Atalanta Co-Owner Stephen Pagliuca Preaches Continuity

March 3, 2022 Enrico Passarella Atalanta, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2021-2022

American entrepreneur Stephen Pagliuca purchased half of the holding that controls Atalanta last week: “We had been eyeing Serie A for years. I met the Percassi five or six months ago. I quickly realized that we shared the same passion and vision for sports. It is a winning model because it has a strong foundation and culture."

Nedim Bajrami will be a hot commodity in the summer following a strong first season in Serie A, and Sassuolo and Lazio have shown the most interest.

Sassuolo and Lazio Slated to Compete for Empoli Playmaker

March 2, 2022 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Empoli, Italian Football, Lazio, Sassuolo, Serie A, Transfer Market

Nedim Bajrami will be a hot commodity in the summer following a strong first season in Serie A, and Sassuolo and Lazio have shown the most interest thus far. The Neroverdi tried to get him in January already, but Empoli put up strong resistance. He has fully broken out in the last few months after a relatively slow start.

Fabio Cannavaro is gearing up for his first European gig: “I have been coaching for six years at this point. I have to make the right call."

Cannavaro Reveals Premier League Inquiries and His Dream Job

March 2, 2022 Enrico Passarella everton, Italy, Napoli, Serie A, The Azzurri, World Cup

Fabio Cannavaro is gearing up for his first European gig: “I have been coaching for six years at this point. Chinese football seems low-level to many people, but I managed Guangzhou Evergrande, which won a lot. I have to make the right choice as it pertains to my next team. I am not in a rush, though."

It is no secret that Lazio and veteran defender Francesco Acerbi have fallen through and Monza have emerged as serious suitors.

Inter Monitoring Talks Between Lazio and Veteran Defender

March 2, 2022 Enrico Passarella AC Milan, Calciomercato, Hellas Verona, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Lazio, Serie A, Serie A 2021-2022, Transfer Market

Francesco Acerbi has not made up with the Lazio fans following an incident in December, which could very well impact his future. The Biancocelesti have coped well during his lengthy injury-related absence. Maurizio Sarri has fielded a more dynamic defense while he was out. The Biancocelesti are headed for a massive defensive overhaul.

Juventus are at risk of being referred due to allegedly illicit capital gains. However, some of the bigger deals are no longer under scrutiny.

Juventus Position in Capital Gains Probe Becomes Lighter

March 2, 2022 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Empoli, Genoa, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Juventus, Parma, Pescara, Sampdoria, Serie A, Transfer Market

Juventus are at risk of being referred due to allegedly illicit capital gains in the last few years. However, some of the bigger deals are no longer part of the investigation following an early report by the federal prosecutors. The swaps involving Miralem Pjanic and Arthur and Joao Cancelo and Danilo have been expunged.

Young Genoa wingback Andrea Cambiaso has emerged on the radars of multiple Italian heavyweights, with Juventus leading Inter and Atalanta in the race.

Inter, Napoli and Juventus All Vying to Sign Genoa Starlet

March 2, 2022 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Genoa, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Juventus, Napoli, Serie A, Transfer Market

Andrea Cambiaso is set to be one of the hottest names of the summer, as a few big teams are already competing to acquire him from Genoa. Inter were the first ones to tangibly approach him, but Juventus and Napoli have expressed strong interest as well. He suffered a knee injury in the most recent game, but it is not too severe.

Inter went scoreless again in the Coppa Italia Derby, prolonging their scoring drought. They have not hit the net in five matches and 403 total minutes.

Inter in the Midst of Rare Negative Streak and Scoring Slump

March 2, 2022 Enrico Passarella Inter Milan, Italian Football, Serie A, Serie A 2021-2022

Inter went scoreless again in the Coppa Italia Derby, prolonging their scoring drought. They have not hit the net in five matches and 403 total minutes. Their last goal dates back to February 12th, when Edin Dzeko equalized the Napoli clash. They have failed to find the target against Sassuolo, Genoa, and Liverpool too.

Tammy Abraham has been steadily improving since joining Roma, even though it took him a while to adjust to Serie A after the €40M move.

Abraham Could Break Some Records in First Season at Roma

March 1, 2022 Enrico Passarella Calciomercato, Italian Football, Roma, Serie A, Serie A 2021-2022, Transfer Market

Tammy Abraham has been steadily improving since joining Roma, even though it took him a while to adjust to Serie A. He has been climbing the charts in a couple of statistics. While he did not have his greatest performance against Spezia, he decided the match at the buzzer with a penalty kick.

Author: Enrico Passarella