It has been a summer of great changes throughout the Italian peninsula. It’s suffice to mention that five of the Top seven Serie A sides have appointed a new manager during the off-season. And yet, no Italian team went through a radical change as profound as the one witnessed on the blue side of the capital. Although Lazio had a relatively quiet transfer session, the arrival of Maurizio Sarri was an absolute game changer from a tactical perspective. But whether it’s for the better or the worse, it remains to be seen.
Nonetheless, we’ll have a closer look at the business conducted by president Claudio Lotito and his right-hand man Igli Tare throughout the summer.
Departures
During this transfer session, Lazio fans bade farewell to longtime serving veterans Senad Lulic and Marco Parolo whose presence will surely be missed at the Formello training ground. However, the most significant departure might be Joaquin Correa who followed Simone Inzaghi to Inter.
Other noticeable names on the exit list include injury-time assassin Felipe Caicedo and struggling left-back Mohamed Fares. Both men sealed loan moves to Genoa.
Arrivals
The off-season saw the return of Felipe Anderson who was a fan favorite in the Italian capital, but endured a tough spell at West Ham United. Toma Basic will reinforce the midfield while Dimitrije Kamenovic arrives to bolster the left-back spot.
Elseid Hysaj has been reunited with Sarri for the third time in his career after seeing out his contract at Napoli, while 2010 World Cup winner Pedro completed a shock switch from Roma, and his 16-year-old compatriot Luka Romero arrives from Mallorca. Mattia Zaccagni‘s deadline day switch from Hellas Verona ended the Biancocelesti’s summer market… Unless a certain defender were to arrive as a free agent.
Best Coup
Anderson’s return and Hysaj’s arrival have thus far proven to be positive additions to the squad, but Mattia Zaccagni could be the best coup of the transfer session for Lazio. The talented Italian is coming off a breakthrough season at Verona, and his ability to play either as a winger or an attacking midfielder identifies him as the missing piece in Sarri’s tactical scheme.
Worst Blow
Although the leadership of Lulic and Parolo will be missed, Joaquin Correa is undeniably the biggest asset that the Aquile lost this summer. The Argentina international developed into a wonderful supporting striker, and is currently enjoying the best moment of his career between his marvelous Inter debut and his exploits on the international level.
Missed Chance
The transfer saga of Filip Kostic between Eintracht Frankfurt and Lazio marred by the “Email-gate” was surely one of the strangest stories of this transfer session. However, Zaccagni’s arrival made up for this missed opportunity.
On the other hand, one would feel that the capital side needed a young alternative for the aging Lucas Leiva in the Regista role, and Lucas Torreira would have been the right profile, but he ended up joining Fiorentina instead.
Final Rating
With Sarri’s arrival and the shift from 3-5-2 to 4-3-3, one would have expected Lazio to conduct more transfers in order to build a squad suitable for the new tactician’s unique sporting philosophy. Nonetheless, it appears that the currently-present players are willing to follow the coach’s ideas, and the early signs have been very positive thus far.
So despite the minimal changes, the Eagles appear to be a transformed side, but the lack of quality depth in the middle of the park could hurt them on the long-run.
Rating: 6.5