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| Tare e Lolito in tribune in a Lazio match (archive) |
Claudio Lotito, the president of Lazio, explained to "Corriere dello Sport" the farewell of Igli Tare, the historic sporting director of the capital club who left at the end of last season.
"I didn't give up on him, but he left on his own and I'm sorry. He was an extraordinary person, on a personal and human level.
Lotito talked about his relationship with Tare, emphasizing that he was not the one who left, but it was the former sports director who decided to leave. He highlighted the strong personal and professional bond that united them for eighteen years and expressed his regret for his departure.
Regarding the transfer of Milinkovic-Savic, the president explained that he offered the player a contract renewal with a very high salary. However, the player's agent presented an offer from Saudi Arabia that guaranteed an even higher salary. Lotito revealed that the player himself confided in him about being in search of a new experience. Despite the financially tempting offer, the president stated that he was willing to make Milinkovic-Savic do "many laps on the Formello pitch" if necessary. In the end, the offer increased from 15 to 40 million euros, but Lotito stressed that it would have been the same for him even if the offer had been zero, demonstrating his willingness to retain the player.
Talking about the transfer market, Lotito stated that he has a clear idea and asked Maurizio Sarri to indicate the positions to cover and the tactical needs. He emphasized his role in selecting players and talked about the scouting department in Formello, dedicated to identifying talents. Lotito revealed that a significant investment was made to acquire Valentín Castellanos and confirmed that Sarri requested a defensive midfielder, a defender, a winger, and a central midfielder, not necessarily limited to a left-back. The president claimed to have all the names of players who meet the coach's demands already in mind.
Lotito concluded the interview with an observation about the situation of Italian football, stating that there is no shortage of players, but competent presidents. He showed determination to move forward with Lazio's project, demonstrating a clear understanding of the team's needs and market choices.