The president in a press conference: `It`s time to raise the bar. Contacted by 27 potential new partners, but we want serious projects.`
Cagliari wants to raise the bar again, but it aims to do so by starting with young players and the quiet work done in recent years. President Tommaso Giulini, before the start of the new season, explained the reasons behind the gamble of choosing Fabio Pisacane from the Primavera team for the bench, who will be supported by the experienced sporting director Guido Angelozzi, and the reasons for separating from former director Nereo Bonato and coach Davide Nicola despite last season`s Serie A survival.
Pisacane
Giulini spoke clearly about the significant technical revolution: “It was Pisacane`s moment; there are moments in life, and this was his. We couldn`t lose him. He has great hunger, we had to give him space. We believe in him for our growth path based on many young players. We are pairing him with an experienced director like Angelozzi, and we couldn`t have made a better choice. We contacted only one sporting director, and we are happy he immediately said yes. Bonato did not support this choice of Pisacane, which seemed like a gamble, but for us, it isn`t. So, it was right to separate because the ideas were not the same, but we must thank him for the excellent work done in recent years.”
Transfer Market
Giulini also broadly outlined Cagliari`s team construction, showing maximum confidence in the three players whose options were bought: Caprile, Adopo, and Piccoli: “We haven`t made such an investment, even with personal guarantees, since the post-Barella sale times. We didn`t buy them to resell them, though clearly, if an unmissable offer were to arrive, we couldn`t refuse, but the intention is to build with them trying to raise the bar. We will restart with some leaders like Deiola, Pavoletti, and Mina, who I believe is capable of playing on other stages. We reluctantly said goodbye to an important player like Viola and thanked Augello, Palomino, and Jankto, whose contracts expired.”
Future and Stadium
Giulini was very clear on the stadium issue and potential new partners leading the club: “There is some frustration with the increasingly long times for the stadium. Important steps forward have been made. We hope that by early July there will be some news, then hoping for the start of the construction process around Christmas. This dilation of times annoys me, and I don`t know if I will be the president of Cagliari when the new stadium is ready. We are working to have new partners, and the bitterness, perhaps in 4-5 years, of not being the president of the new stadium, affects me. But I want to be optimistic. Currently, 27 different entities have contacted us, but we only want to bring serious projects into Cagliari, which for now, for one reason or another, we have not found.”
Gigi Riva Trophy
Cagliari will also hold the first edition of the Gigi Riva Trophy this year: “On August 2nd, we will play the first Gigi Riva Trophy against Saint-Etienne, which was the first team challenged by the Scudetto-winning Cagliari team in the Champions League (European Cup). Each year there will be a different opponent, but this year it will be a two-day celebration and remembrance for our Legend. There will be a whole series of collateral events in the city, and we care deeply about this initiative. The trophy will be made by an emerging Sardinian sculptor.”
