As the winter transfer window closed, Sassuolo’s CEO Giovanni Carnevali and Sporting Director Palmieri discussed the club’s transfer activities and future plans. The Serie B leaders made five significant signings – Bonifazi, Mazzitelli, Verdi, Skjellerup, and Velthuis – aiming to maintain their position at the top of the table.
Addressing rumours about star player Domenico Berardi, Carnevali stated, “We’ve been clear about Berardi. There were requests for him at the start of the season, but we were clear, also because few clubs can afford him. Today, what we want to do, together with him, is to start over. We’re trying to complete his journey to reach the end in the best way possible. A recovery, first of all from a physical aspect, which is happening. What was planned is being realized. This should be seen as something special, having a player like him who cares about contributing so that his team can return to Serie A. He deserves special praise, it shows the great bond that exists with the player.”
Carnevali also clarified the situation regarding the failed transfer of Palumbo: “I’ve had the opportunity to read many things, but it’s very simple. We spoke with the agent. Modena made an economic request, for them he’s rightfully a valuable player. We made another offer. But there was never a real negotiation. We have an excellent relationship with Modena, so when the offers are so far apart, we didn’t even start. There was never an agreement between us and the player.”
He further emphasized the club’s ambitions: “When agents start with any request but are immediately blocked because we’re not interested, this shows the will and strength of this club. The goal is to try to reach Serie A as soon as possible. We have quality players, but we also know the difficulties of Serie B that we’ll have to face from here to the end. All the other teams have strengthened. We know that we have something valuable in our coach that has already been demonstrated.”
Sporting Director Palmieri added his perspective on the transfer strategy: “There are no plan A or plan B, we work. We’re used to talking little and doing the facts, and so we did. We’ve signed players of substance. Sometimes we read things that leave us perplexed. Our top players have never been on the market, we’ve never considered any offer. If we’ve made operations, it’s because we realized we wanted to increase even more the number of players who could help us return to Serie A. The club has made great efforts since the beginning of the season, and this is a demonstration of wanting to do even more to achieve the goal. I think it was right and important to send our young players to gain experience.”
Regarding the possibility of a U23 team, Palmieri clarified: “We’ve focused only on the Serie B championship, it’s a discourse we haven’t hypothesized at all. The young players were with us until January, it was right to give them the opportunity to take a different path. They can grow even more.”
