Looking forward to the upcoming campaign, Udinese will be hoping to better their 16th place finish in Serie A last term, their worst season since they were relegated in the 1993-94 season.
It doesn’t seem that long ago since the club were finishing third and fourth in the table, but they are a long way from that now.
In the last 19 years, the Zebrette have built up a bit of reputation for a lack of consistency, finishing below tenth on seven occasions but also finishing in the top five six times.
Andrea Stramaccioni was ousted as coach back in June and since then they’ve replaced him with former Atalanta boss Stefano Colantuono.
As well as a new tactician, there has been a lot of changes to the squad, with key player Allan being sold to Napoli earlier in the summer the most notable.
But, heading in to the new season there is sure to be a degree of optimism amongst Udinese fans as they hope that a new man at the helm will bring a refreshing style of football to the Stadio Friuli. With the main aim to get back to the top half of the table.
Transfers
There has been a lot of action in the transfer window from the Friuli club, in both bringing in and selling players. Unfortunately, the most notable changes to the squad though have been the departures.
Attacking midfielder Roberto Pereyra has been sold to Juventus permanently for a fee of around €14 million, after impressing at the Juventus Stadium last term.
Another big dent in the midfield has come from the sale of all-action ball winner Allan. The Brazilian attracted a lot of interest from top Serie A clubs after a stand-out season and was eventually bought by Napoli for roughly €11.5 million.
Two more players that the Zebrette loaned out last season have also been sold. Luis Muriel and Dusan Basta have been bought by Sampdoria and Lazio respectively, as both performed well to secure their clubs high finishes in the Serie A table.
With Naldo moving on to Sporting Clube de Lisbon and Douglas Santos going to Brazil with Atletico Mineiro, it makes for a busy summer for Udinese.
But, they have made some signings of their own, despite not shelling out much for what they have generated through sales.
Ivan Piris, who was on loan from Uruguayan side Club Deportivo Maldonado last season, has moved to the club permanently for a fee in the region of €3 million.
One of the best signings made is the loan deal of Napoli’s Duvan Zapata. Usually playing a bit-part role for the Partenopei, the Colombian is sure to boost the ranks in attack and offer competition for the likes of Antonio Di Natale and Cyril Thereau.
Manuel Iturra has arrived from Granada on a free transfer to offer a cheap replacement to Allan but whether he can do the same job remains to be seen.
Other additions include Ali Adnan from Turkish outfit Rizespor and Gaspar Iniguez from Argentinos.
The Coach
After five years at the helm of Atalanta, Colantuono was sacked by La Dea last term and has replaced Andrea Stramaccioni who was fired by Udinese in June.
Despite a disappointing season with the Lombardian outfit, Colantuono guided Atalanta to promotion in the 2010-11 season and went on to establish them as a mid-table side in the division in recent years.
As well as this, the 52-year-old carries with him a lot of experience after being boss at Torino and Palermo in his 14 years as being a coach.
Colantuono is just the kind of man that Udinese need to bring them back on to their feet so they can strive in the top half again, like they did just a few years ago.
Season Expectations
After a thoroughly disappointing season, Udinese players and fans will be hoping for a much better return this term.
There have been a lot of changes to the team, both incoming and outgoing and not to mention a new coach so it might be expected for them to have a stumbling start as they try to create a team chemistry.
Another argument is whether the Bianconeri have brought in players worthy of replacing the players that they’ve sold. Allan and Pereyra will leave big shoes to fill and not to mention Basta and Muriel.
Fans will be hopeful of a much better outing from the side this campaign but surely they must spend more of the money they have earned on strengthening their side if they want to improve on last year.
Prediction
Judging from Udinese’s trends in the last years it is almost impossible to guess where they will end up at the end of the season.
Apart from Di Natale, it is difficult to see where the driving force is going to come from for the Zebrette especially with a small squad of 26.
Looking at the squad, not many names scream flair and new signings just seem like cheap replacements for players they’ve sold, instead of bettering their team.
But, with a good tactician at the helm anything is possible and if they are organised, Udinese could be a lot higher this season. Though, you can’t help thinking they need to reinforce their squad a bit more if they want that improved finish in the table.
Expected finish: 13th (NB: this is not necessarily Jack Portley’s opinion but the average of our editors’ predictions.)
