Lazio began the season on the back of a rather uneventful summer mercato. The club had importantly achieved one of its main ambitions by keeping hold of the stars of last season’s Coppa Italia-winning heroics; Antonio Candreva, Federico Marchetti and Hernanes all remained in Rome.
However, the major objective in the summer was to sign a ‘vice-Klose’ to add a much-needed alternative up front, and the proposed capture of Turkish striker Burak Yilmaz spectacularly fell through on the final day of the window, leaving the club with limited striking options that has seen them struggle in the frequent absences of the German veteran.
The major signing of the summer was Argentine international Lucas Biglia, who arrived from Belgian champions Anderlecht. Biglia has proved himself a useful, though not yet integral, part of the squad, but his signing effectively brought more options into what was already the clubs strongest area, the midfield.
Some relative unknowns were also brought in; Diego Novaretti, Vinicius, Felipe Anderson and Brayan Perea are all slowly adjusting to their first season of European football, and haven’t provided the instantaneous impact that South Americans often bring to Serie A. Goalkeeper Etrit Berisha and Croatian defender Josip Elez were signed as backup and have rarely featured in the first team.
Therefore the summer objective of signing a ‘vice-Klose’ is even more essential in January, and additionally the defence will need some accomplished reinforcements, given their hitherto unconvincing performances.
Potential/Definite Ins
The pending return of Edy Reja is likely to influence Lazio’s January mercato, as ‘Zio Edy’ looks set to return to the club he coached for two and a half years before the arrival of Vladimir Petkovic.
As usual, all sorts of names have been connected with the Aquile, particularly surrounding the potential ‘vice-Klose’ candidate. The club, not for the first time, have been trailing Atalanta’s German Denis and the Argentine appears to be a major objective. The signing of Denis could prove to be a complicated affair however, as Atalanta have already set an asking price of €8 million for him.
Juventus’ Fabio Quagliarella and Alessandro Matri of Milan have also emerged as contenders, given that neither forward has found space in their side so far this season, something the Biancoceleste could take advantage of with a January bid.
Napoli’s Paolo Cannavaro has emerged as the leading target to reinforce the defence in the last few days. Giuseppe Biava and Andre Dias have been showing their age so far this season, and Cannavaro has found limited space in Rafa Benitez’s Napoli team. His good relationship with Reja has added weight to the possibility of a move occurring.
The only transfer that seems close to completion is the signing of Nantes winger Filip Djordjevic. The 26-year-old Serbian has been linked to the Biancoceleste since the summer, and will reportedly be offered a contract until 2019 worth €1.5 million per season.
Potential/Definite Outs
There are still no confirmed departures from the capital, but rumours have been circulating surrounding the possible exit of Sergio Floccari. A host of sides including Catania, Parma and Trabzonspor have been linked with the veteran striker and his departure seems imminent with his contract expiring in the summer. Lazio are reportedly looking for €3 million for the experienced forward.
Hernanes has again been at the centre of widespread speculation, although now the interest appears to be coming from within the peninsula, particularly from the Milan clubs. Milan were reportedly looking to offer cash and either Alessandro Matri or Giampaolo Pazzini in exchange for the Brazilian international, but he has recently spoken of his future in a lengthy interview for Sky Sports. The 28-year-old said that he “would like to write history with Lazio”, but that he does not “know what will happen in the future”. It still seems unlikely that the Brazilian would leave before the summer, but should a substantial offer arrive a deal may still be possible.
What needs to happen?
Without doubt, the Lazio faithful will not allow another transfer window to pass without quality additions to an underachieving squad. The absolute minimum requirement remains to bring in an established striker capable of finding the net on a regular basis, but given the abysmal performance from the defence so far this season some reinforcements in that area are almost as crucial at this juncture.
The fact that no summer arrival has really added a new dimension to the squad puts increased pressure on Claudio Lotito and Igli Tare to bring in some established names. Paolo Cannavaro would bring some good depth to the squad, but it is hard to see his arrival transforming a defence that has been woeful at times this season. Equally, it is difficult to imagine that the signing of Alessandro Matri would be enough to satisfy the fans’ concerns about the forward line.
This transfer window comes at an incredibly tense moment, as the fans will demand a successful mercato not only as a reaction to an underwhelming domestic campaign, but also to what can be considered the failures of the previous two transfer windows. Zio Edy could hardly have chosen a tenser time to arrive in the capital.
Follow Alasdair Mackenzie on Twitter: @olimpiacalcio
