Lazio president mocks Raspadori with Maradona jibe after transfer snub
Claudio Lotito launches scathing attack on Atletico Madrid forward after being rejected, comparing him unfavourably to Diego Maradona in bizarre rant.
Lazio president Claudio Lotito has thrown his toys out of the pram after being rejected by Atletico Madrid’s Giacomo Raspadori, who appears to be heading to city rivals Roma instead.
”Who does he think he is?”
During celebrations marking Lazio’s 126th anniversary, Lotito didn’t hold back when discussing players who’ve given his club the cold shoulder in the January window.
“We went after two players who didn’t want to come, what am I supposed to do?” Lotito began, before journalists pressed him specifically about Raspadori.
That’s when the Lazio bigwig really lost the plot: “But Raspadori, who is he? Maradona? He hasn’t played at Atletico, he didn’t play where he was before… We’ll see if our player is better than Raspadori.”
Talk about sour grapes! The bloke’s proper narked that Raspadori might be off to the other half of Rome instead.
Lazio’s transfer dealings
The capital club currently sit ninth in Serie A and have been busy in the January market:
- Outgoings: Taty Castellanos (West Ham) and Guendouzi (Fenerbahce)
- Incomings: Ratkov (from Salzburg) and Kenneth Taylor (from Ajax)
Despite the rejection, Lotito remains confident in the club’s recruitment strategy, boasting: “At Lazio there’s planning: we have a scouting department that almost nobody in Italy has.”
Well, that scouting department might need to work a bit harder if they’re getting knocked back by players they’re chasing. Not exactly the dog’s dinner when it comes to transfer pulling power, are they?
The Italian forward’s potential move to Roma isn’t completely sorted yet, but one thing’s crystal - he won’t be heading to Lazio after this public roasting from their president.