LAZIO IN CRISIS: MAURIZIO SARRI SLAMS "DOWNGRADED" CLUB AS ROMAGNOLI PREPARES FOR AL-SADD MOVE
Maurizio Sarri fumes as Lazio draw with Lecce, admitting the club is "being downgraded." Romagnoli nears a move to Mancini’s Al-Sadd.
Maurizio Sarri looked pretty drained after Lazio’s goalless draw with Lecce. He didn’t hide his frustration, saying the club is “being downgraded” and isn’t heading in the right direction. “I promised I’d accept any compromise,” he admitted.
Both teams showed up at Stadio Via del Mare desperate for a result, but you could feel the nerves. The match dragged on with little to get excited about. Lecce actually created more chances—Ylber Ramadani came closest, smashing a shot off the underside of the bar—but at least they broke their losing streak with a point.
For Lazio, the only real silver lining? It’s their 11th clean sheet. Not much else for Sarri to celebrate tonight.
He spoke after the match, making it clear he’s sticking around for the fans. “I told the Lazio supporters I’d do anything this season, accept any compromise, because I made them a promise,” Sarri told Sky Sport Italia. “They’ve given me so much love, more than I could ever pay back. You just can’t understand what Lazio means from the outside. Once you’re here, it’s unconditional.”
When asked directly if Lazio are being downgraded, Sarri didn’t dodge: “So far, yes. We’ll see where we are at the end, but right now, yes. The club says they want to build a young squad, but it needs to be a good one. I don’t care how old a player is—if he’s good, that’s what matters.”
He tried to sum up the night: “The team did what it could after a tough week. We wasted so many passes in the first half and made things hard for ourselves. We were a bit better after the break, but then we just disappeared in the final third. That’s a problem we just can’t seem to fix.”
Lazio sold Taty Castellanos because he didn’t fit Sarri’s style, but tonight Sarri started Boulaye Dia up front instead of Tijjani Noslin or the new guy, Petar Ratkov. “I thought Dia did fine for the first 10-20 minutes, but then the service just wasn’t there, and that’s not his game. Ratkov looked a bit better compared to when he first arrived, and Taylor, too. Our strikers are struggling to finish, or maybe we’re not giving them the service they need. Honestly, it’s tough to judge.”
It’s been a tense week for the squad. Romagnoli started tonight, even though there are rumours he’s asked for a transfer to join Roberto Mancini’s Al-Sadd. After the final whistle, he went over to the away fans, shook hands with some ultras, and handed over his shirt. He looked emotional.
Sarri didn’t have any real answers on Romagnoli’s future. “I don’t know. I have no idea right now. We’ll know more when things calm down. Right now, it feels like no, but let’s see what happens in the next few days. Maybe I’ll be wrong. Let’s just wait and see.”
RADJA NAINGGOLAN SLAMS NAPOLI’S SCOTT MCTOMINAY AS "JUST AVERAGE" IN TV RANT
Radja Nainggolan has sparked controversy by calling Napoli's Scudetto winner Scott McTominay "average" in a scathing TV interview.
Scott McTominay’s journey from Manchester United to Napoli has been wild. He’s helped the club win a Scudetto, snagged a Ballon d’Or nomination, and his goal tally is impressive. But not everyone’s sold on him. Even with all those honours, one Serie A legend isn’t convinced. Radja Nainggolan slammed him as just “an average player".
After McTominay’s £26 million jump from Old Trafford in 2024, he took off. He won the Serie A MVP, clinched Napoli’s fourth Scudetto with a spectacular overhead goal against Cagliari, and made a big mark in Italy. Still, Nainggolan, never shy with an opinion, tore into him during a TV interview. Despite McTominay racking up 26 goals in 76 games and getting a Ballon d’Or nod, Nainggolan didn’t hold back. “I don’t like him,” he said on Sky Calcio Unplugged. “He gets his goals, 12, 13, 14 a season, but his general play? He doesn’t have the technique to move between the lines. He’s just average.”
And he wasn’t content to leave it at that. Nainggolan compared himself to today’s names, arguing he was better than both McTominay and Inter’s Hakan Calhanoglu at his best, though he admitted Nicolo Barella sits above him. “At my peak, I was better than McTominay and Calhanoglu, but Barella is on another level,” Nainggolan said. “He doesn’t always score a lot, but when he does, it matters, and you always feel his presence on the pitch. I like De Bruyne, too; he sees things nobody else does. He’s above me, and Modric...he’s always been world-class.”
Of course, Nainggolan’s take doesn’t really jibe with life in Naples. McTominay has become something of a hero there; his face is on murals around the city, the fans have dubbed him ‘McFratm’ (McBrother), and he helped Napoli win the Supercoppa Italiana in December 2025. Even if Inter seems ready to grab the Serie A crown back, McTominay’s reputation hasn’t dipped. His knack for scoring from midfield has been crucial for Conte’s side.
Nainggolan also touched on Belgium’s so-called “Golden Generation” and why they didn’t deliver a major trophy, despite stars like Lukaku, Hazard, and De Bruyne. He knows the team well, having made 30 appearances before retiring after he got left out of the 2018 World Cup squad. “We had Lukaku, Hazard, De Bruyne, and Courtois. Too many superstars, too many egos,” Nainggolan said. “Everyone wanted to be the star, to be the most important guy, and that just doesn’t work.” His take pretty much confirms what fans suspected: there was plenty of talent, but not enough unity.
MANCHESTER UNITED AND CHELSEA ENTER RACE FOR DISCOUNTED €50M-RATED RAFAEL LEãO
Discover why Rafael Leão’s value has plummeted at AC Milan and which Premier League clubs are leading the race to sign him.
Just a year ago, everyone was buzzing about Rafael Leao and his rumoured €120 million move to Chelsea. Fast forward to this summer’s transfer window, and it looks like AC Milan’s ready to let him go for nowhere near that amount. Manchester United, along with a few others, are circling, hoping to get him for much less.
Last week, Gazzetta dello Sport broke the news: Milan now values Leao at just €50 million. That’s a wild drop, especially since six months ago they slapped a €100 million price tag on him.
So what happened? Why did his value tank so quickly?
Perception plays a big part. Leao’s estimated transfer value hasn’t actually changed that much. FootballTransfers’ algorithm had him pegged at €72.5 million last July, and now he’s at €70.7 million. But Milan’s own estimate? That’s fallen off a cliff.
Last summer, Milan wanted €50 million above the algorithm’s number. Now, they’re ready to accept an offer that’s €20 million below it.
Leao once had everything going for him in Milan. In the 2021/22 season, he carried them to the Scudetto, racking up 11 goals and 10 assists. Clubs were fighting over him, and in 2023, Milan rewarded him with a hefty €7 million salary and a massive €175 million release clause. That’s when top European clubs started sniffing around for a record-breaking deal.
But the new contract didn’t spark another big season for Leao. In his next campaign, he scored 15 goals and managed 14 assists, but fans started to turn, especially after two weak outings against Roma in the Europa League.
Things haven’t improved since. Early in the 2024/25 season, Milan benched him for disciplinary reasons, and he seemed pretty unfazed, something that sparked more criticism. He’s had some public clashes with head coach Max Allegri, too. Despite still being Milan’s top scorer, he hasn’t scored in two months. And the fans? They’ve booed him at home games, most recently against Juventus and earlier against Udinese.
Now, Milan looks ready to move on. Leao’s raw talent is still obvious, but at San Siro, the excitement has faded. SciSports, the data analytics folks, show his performance is in “significant decline” based on their SciSkill rating. Still, they think he can bounce back.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan plans to hold off until the World Cup, hoping Leao puts on a big show for Portugal and builds hype again.
He’s still got admirers. Arsenal’s been keeping tabs on him, FootballTransfers said back in February. Chelsea, Liverpool, and United are all in the market for a left-sided attacker and would jump at the chance to grab a rejuvenated Leao.
Sure, the €120 million rumours are a thing of the past. But the old Leão, the top-class player, is still in there somewhere. He just needs the right club, coach, and a fresh start.
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