Should Other Serie A Teams Try to Sign Luis Alberto?

It’s certainly not the first time Luis Alberto wants to leave Lazio, although he has never done it so publicly and so early. He’s not the greatest fit for Igor Tudor’s high-intensity scheme, where everybody will have to run a lot more than under Maurizio Sarri. Still, it’s hard to imagine they butted heads so soon and intensely to lead to his request.

It’d be stunning if the Biancocelesti complied with his demand to rescind his contract. They have no reason and no interest in doing so. They downplayed the case right away and also more recently through the words of Angelo Fabiani. The director suggested it was nothing more than a vent, but that’s optimistic.

The Seesawing Relationship Between Lazio and Luis Alberto

It won’t be easy to mend fences, especially if the root of the problem is simply his desire to move on, and perhaps head to Spain after several years abroad. The capital club probably wouldn’t mind offloading his salary. However, it doesn’t make much sense for them to just give away a player who agreed to a long-term contract not too long ago. That’s the case even though his weight on the balance sheets is almost null considering how long he’s been with them, Calcio e Finanza relays.

The most natural outcome is obviously another team acquiring Luis Alberto from Lazio in the summer. Setting a valuation for an aging but still pretty good player is a whole new can of worms. The brass has seemingly yet to get to the point where they are resigned to his departure. It’s only fair since they have a lot at stake in the upcoming matches. Moreover, they are still alive in the Coppa Italia. It’s not yet time for them to shift focus to the transfer market.

The Biancocelesti probably won’t stand in his way if he brings a side willing to shell out market value for him. They will clearly attempt to open a new cycle with younger, hungrier, less expensive, and more committed players. In that sense, re-upping with Mattia Zaccagni, whose wage requests were reasonable despite a down and injury-riddled year, after losing Felipe Anderson was smart. It quickly changed the tune from a dismantling to a retool. But the possible suitors for the Spaniard will surely try to twist their arm and take advantage of the situation. In typical fashion, it won’t be a quick affair, and things will get messy.

His Tactical Evolution

Alberto is a couple of years removed from his Lazio heyday but is still a valuable contributor. A few Serie A sides could use somebody like him. However, the field shrinks due to his age and salary, as he makes €4M annually. It takes those ambitious and sneakily well-equipped minnows out of contention. It’s probably too much even for Fiorentina and Atalanta, which aren’t shy when it comes to adding quality. Bologna are going like gangbusters on the pitch but are far off from the top echelon economically, even though their owner has the resources to lift them to another level in that respect.

The playmaker has progressively rounded out his game under Maurizio Sarri, becoming a full-fledged box-to-box despite not being the most dynamic player. He could prolong his career at a high level if he transitioned to less physically demanding roles. His technique, vision, and passing aren’t going away anytime soon. Doing the same thing as Hakan Calhanoglu and turning into a regista, or simply starring as a no.10, would keep him relevant and productive for the foreseeable future, and perhaps make him more consistent.

The Potential Landing Spots

Inter have a connection through Simone Inzaghi. However, they are stacked if they retain all their midfielders and merely add Piotr Zielinski. Milan would theoretically be a good fit philosophically. It’d be interesting to see him in the hole in their scheme. However, they are unlikely to invest in or really even sign veterans. Roma isn’t an option for obvious reasons.

Juventus have a lot of balls in the air in that position. They might have to bring in multiple starters, diluting their budget. But it’ll be a while before that’s sorted. The coaching call will shape their transfer market strategy. His wages wouldn’t be a problem for them, as they’d actually save compared to some of their current contributors. It’s a long shot but not entirely impossible.

Napoli would actually make a lot of sense, as Piotr Zielinski needs to be replaced with somebody of the same caliber. It’d be an outlier considering their MO, but this season shows that they can’t always go young and unproven with their additions. A negotiation between Aurelio De Laurentiis and Lazio president Claudio Lotito to come to terms on the valuation of Luis Alberto would be high entertainment.

The Biancocelesti must be hoping a Saudi team will come into the picture and bail them out, as they did with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. On the other hand, the buzz about the emerging lead is a lot less loud this year. The most likely outcome is the midfielder leaving Serie A altogether and perhaps heading to Spain after a long back-and-forth. But a few Italian sides shouldn’t outright discard such an opportunity without giving it some serious thought and at least exploring the terms.