18/12/2024 15:53
Save the soldier Matteo Prati it is not a necessity of the moment, but rather an obligation for the future. After the 4-0 defeat in Italian Cup against the Juventus the midfielder born in 2003 has returned to being a very present topic on the table Cagliari. A subdued performance and below expectations, because after six consecutive games on the bench without even a minute played we expected a burst of pride that could cause difficulty Davide Nicola in the choices that will come. Instead, not only due to one’s own demerits, the opportunity to show off was lost between the lack of personality shown and the negative peak of the missed goal at the end which, although useless for the purposes of the result, could have at least made half smile the almost twenty-one year old ex Spal.
Parabola
Prati ended up in limbo, a player stuck halfway between the hell of a career that hasn’t yet taken flight and the paradise of a bright future that’s taken for granted. It is not by these details that we judge a player sang Francesco De Gregoriin the case of the Ravenna player not with the fear of taking a penalty kick, but with a match Italian Cup which further lowered the hype with which it arrived Sardinia in the summer of 2023. Because the current season should have been that of consecration or, at least, a decisive step forward. The premises seemed to be able to follow the path traced in words, with the starting shirt in the first three matchdays and the keys to the midfield firmly in hand. Then the foul of Patrick Dorgu which put him out of action at the end of the first half Lecce and the descent in the hierarchies, interrupted only by a shirt in the first eleven against the Bologna at the end of October after a cameo at the end of the race Udine a week before. The general picture speaks of just five appearances in the championship plus the two in Italian Cup and 237 minutes in Serie A which place him in the last positions in the entire squad available to Nicola. Only the three reserve attackers are worse than him in terms of usage – in descending order Gianluca Lapadula, Leonardo Pavoletti e Kingstone Mutawan – beyond Mattia Felici e Mateusz Wieteskacon l’ex Feralpisalò who could soon surpass him after the injury of Names of Hope. Without counting Jakub Janktoout of the project and not even called up for the cup away match against Juventus and still stuck at zero minutes in the season. A situation at odds with expectations and premises and which has cast the first doubts on the investment to snatch it from Spal in the summer of 2023 and on his stay in the rossoblù in the next January transfer window.
Future
However, there are two details in addition to the money put on the table – 5 million plus 2 in bonuses – to buy him from the club Ferrara and beat the competition Palermo. The first goes back to the push and pull before the Cagliari won the race by overtaking the rosanero and bringing him in Sardinia. When the president Tommaso Giulini he didn’t abandon the match and raised the stakes to guarantee his performances, confirming this in practice Follow was such a passion of his that his purchase became almost a question of principle. The second is the age of the man from Ravenna, twenty-one years old on December 28th, which still makes him a prospect for the future rather than a certainty for the present. But even more indicative is that, regardless of personal data, Follow is in its second season in Serie A after just half a year in the cadetry, an aspect that goes beyond the years and enters into a broader discussion on experience. Finally, there is a bonus track on the album starring the ex Spal: very regular and recently also captain of the Under 21 team, a paradox given the difficulties in finding space in the Cagliari. Although, it should be remembered, often those who are a fundamental player among the Italians do not automatically become players who have their say even in the top flight. Age, therefore, and investment, most obviously the endorsement of the president Giulini who wanted him personally: factors that make his farewell unlikely without first having tried the path of affirmation in the rossoblù. Although from the parts of Romaboth the Giallorossi and Biancoceleste side, there has been no shortage of rumors of a double interest in him. There Lazio come vice Rovellaespecially due to the list problems and the need to insert an under as there are no places for players over 23 years old. There Roma of his former coach Claudio Ranieri who had convincedly endorsed the purchase, also through dialogues with his first technician Spal, Daniele De Rossi. And, for June, also the Torinowhich from rumors close to the Granata environment sees in Follow the future replacement for Ricci in the event of transfer of the latter. One thing appears certain: the Cagliari he doesn’t want to go below 10 million euros for his transfer, assuming that there is a glimmer of opportunity for his exit. A figure currently high compared to what was seen on the pitch and which should ward off a possible farewell. With the duty to Nicola to make him grow and not put him aside, despite the competition and a performance against Juventus not exactly convincing.
Matteo Zizola
