For smaller clubs in the big leagues in Europe, it can be hard to build and then maintain a team. Once a smaller club overachieves, they are often ‘rewarded’ by seeing their star players sold on before they can benefit further. This is a common incident with European football as a whole, but few leagues reflect that problem quite as badly as Italian football. The smaller clubs on the peninsula tend to find themselves stripped and starting again, with the likes of Atalanta often likely to lose at least one star per transfer window. Another example of this comes from Sassuolo, who look likely to suffer a similar fate.
The club looks like it could lose quite a few of their key talents this summer. Indeed, the CEO, Giovanni Carnevali, was clear that sales would be likely. He even went as far as to speak about which of his star trio – Domenico Berardi, Gianluca Scamacca, and Giacomo Raspadori – would fit in with the biggest clubs in the Italian game.
Though there are reports that at least one will stay, the words of Carnevali will not exactly put much hope in the hands of Sassuolo supporters that the ‘big three’ will be back together in the coming year. The same goes for the likes of Davide Frattesi, who is being linked with a return to AS Roma.
What did Giovanni Carnevali say about Sassuolo selling star players?
Speaking about the situation surrounding his star trio in the summer, the Sassuolo CEO noted when speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport: “Juventus asked for Raspadori at the end of the 2021 summer transfer window, but there was no time to negotiate, so they signed Moise Kean,”
“I haven’t spoken to them recently, but I’ve heard rumours of their interest. If they call, we’ll be ready. I’ll say more: I am waiting for Juventus with open arms. I am on good terms with the club and the directors. But If they want Raspadori, they must spend.”
Interestingly, though, he was bullish about the concept of keeping some of his best players. Speaking about the situation, Carnevali added: “I wouldn’t sell anyone and Sassuolo have the economic strength to keep everyone. Our patron Giorgio Squinzi gave us guidelines that we’ve always followed. We have invested in young players balancing sporting and financial results. But when our players receive bigger offers it’s difficult to keep hold of them.”
When asked about where some of their players should go, Carnevali suggested that Raspadori would benefit himself most by making a move to Juventus. Adding to that, he said: “Giacomo is ideal for Juventus. He is ideal for playing behind a centre forward. He is good with both feet and is excellent in tight spaces.”
All three look to be in high demand, but there is also interest in Hamed Traore – mostly from the Premier League. Carnevali and Sassuolo, then, could be looking at the same fate as many other Italian clubs who fly too close to the sun. Hamed Traoré is continuing to prove his value, matching an interesting Serie A record held by Spurs new midfielder Dejan Kulusevski.
