Why Lazio Are Reluctant to Reinstate Pellegrini in Serie A List
Lazio manager Gennaro Gattuso is keen to reintroduce Luca Pellegrini back to the fold, but the club directors have other considerations.
The Background
At the start of the season, the left-back was left out of the Serie A squad list alongside Patric, who has since been sold to Al-Ittifaq. The club opted to leave a few slots available for potential new arrivals, but only Diogo Leite joined afterwards. Therefore, Lazio have two available spots on the list, and Gattuso would like to fill one by reinstating Pellegrini.
Gennaro Gattuso Wants Luca Pellegrini Reinstated
The 27-year-old might be Lazio’s third-choice left-back behind the reinvigorated Nuno Tavares and summer signing Alfonso Pedraza, but Gattuso doesn’t want to leave a senior player out of the squad. Hence why he made sure to field him in the two international-break friendlies against Arezzo and Juve Stabia.
According to Il Corriere dello Sport, Pellegrini is anxiously awaiting the final decision, which should arrive before Sunday’s game against his former employers, Juventus. The Aquile will travel to Turin on Saturday, so the decision should be revealed, either explicitly or implicitly, beforehand.
Why Lazio Prefer to Keep Pellegrini Out of the Squad
Il Messaggero reveals that the Lazio directors still have their reservations on the matter, as they remain reluctant to add the Roman full-back to the squad. As the source explains, Pellegrini earns a yearly net salary of €1.9 million, while every five appearances (even for a minute) unlock a bonus of €100,000, with the maximum set at €500,000.
Pellegrini Set for Inevitable Exit
The Roman newspaper claims that the Lazio hierarchy might prefer to keep the player out of the squad to avoid paying additional costs, especially with the club risking another transfer ban. In any case, Pellegrini is unlikely to dwell at Formello for too long, as his contract will expire at the end of the season, while a January departure could be on the cards.
