Marked for Patrick Nuamah
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom21 Jun 2027
The scrutiny sharpens at Catanzaro
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Catanzaro is running low.
Squad21 Jun 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Catanzaro may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad21 Jun 2027
At 21, Patrick Nuamah is already the best thing here
An average of 7.25 in a first team he is several years too young for. Catanzaro have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad21 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Catanzaro this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market21 Jun 2027
Christian Marietta has left for Carrarese in a $720.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Squad21 Jun 2027
The medical room confirms 78 days on the sidelines for Mario Villa, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market21 Jun 2027
Experience through the door at Catanzaro
Nicola Valente arrives at 35 with nothing left to prove and plenty left to pass on. Legs are a young man's currency; knowing where to stand never ages.
Market21 Jun 2027
The name of Jacopo Petriccione keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Catanzaro say nothing, which says plenty.
Loan watch21 Jun 2027
32 appearances at Mantova and the goals keep coming. Catanzaro are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market7 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Market7 Jun 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad7 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sassuolo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market7 Jun 2027
Basel are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Sassuolo will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market7 Jun 2027
Add another name to the list: Racing Club have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Samuele Mulattieri. The answer from Sassuolo has not changed — yet.
Squad7 Jun 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Loan watch7 Jun 2027
36 appearances away from home and 7 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.
Loan watch7 Jun 2027
30 appearances away from home and 7 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.
Boardroom7 Jun 2027
Sassuolo pull $2.0M back off the table
The money that was there in the summer is not there now. Nobody upstairs calls this a change of ambition, and everybody downstairs reads it as one.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom24 May 2027
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Catanzaro
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Squad24 May 2027
He is 21, he is averaging 7.25, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
Squad24 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Catanzaro this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad10 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sassuolo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings10 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad10 May 2027
The manager makes an example of Josh Doig
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match8 May 2027
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad10 May 2027
A season average of 7.38 with 7 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Loan watch10 May 2027
36 appearances at Bari and the goals keep coming. Sassuolo are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.
Loan watch10 May 2027
30 appearances at Gubbio and the goals keep coming. Sassuolo are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.
Market10 May 2027
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Armand Laurienté’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Player ratings10 May 2027
Shots: 6. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
Defensive actions: 44, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad26 Apr 2027
There were 13 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Boardroom26 Apr 2027
The scrutiny sharpens at Catanzaro
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Catanzaro is running low.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
Defensive actions: 32, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad26 Apr 2027
He is 21, he is averaging 7.25, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 24 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad26 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Catanzaro this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad26 Apr 2027
31 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad19 Apr 2027
Gabriele Alesi: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Catanzaro have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match17 Apr 2027
No end in sight to Catanzaro's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Catanzaro has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad19 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Catanzaro this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market19 Apr 2027
Only the photograph left for Mario Paura
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Mario Paura will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Catanzaro the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.15, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
Marked 8.00 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad19 Apr 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad19 Apr 2027
5 goals and a season average of 7.29 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Boardroom19 Apr 2027
87% of the income goes out in wages at Catanzaro
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 27. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market12 Apr 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Catanzaro is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Mirko Pigliacelli was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match10 Apr 2027
Beaten 2‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad12 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Simone Pontisso, and the manager let it.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
Marked 8.73 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.37, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.13, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Loan watch12 Apr 2027
25 appearances away from home and 10 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom5 Apr 2027
Martino Bianco has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Catanzaro can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Squad5 Apr 2027
A season average of 7.08 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Catanzaro know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad5 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Catanzaro this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad5 Apr 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match3 Apr 2027
0‑1 to Reggiana, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad5 Apr 2027
The award goes to Patrick Nuamah, and nobody around here is inclined to argue with the choice.
Loan watch5 Apr 2027
The goals keep arriving from Mattia Liberali’s exile
9 goals in 24 games at Forli — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Catanzaro updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
Shots: 9. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad5 Apr 2027
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad5 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sassuolo this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match3 Apr 2027
Lecce left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad5 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Armand Laurienté, and the manager let it.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
A performance of 8.91 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Alieu Fadera is in the form of his life
A season average of 7.20 with 6 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
A mark of 4.10 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
Market5 Apr 2027
The name of Andrea Pinamonti keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sassuolo say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom29 Mar 2027
The scrutiny sharpens at Catanzaro
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Catanzaro is running low.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Kyrie Pierre: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Catanzaro have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad29 Mar 2027
A season average of 7.22 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Catanzaro know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Mirko Pigliacelli was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match27 Mar 2027
1‑2 to Spezia, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad29 Mar 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Marked 8.86 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Shots: 10, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 12. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
Defensive actions: 28. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Market22 Mar 2027
Mario Paura has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Catanzaro they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad22 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Catanzaro this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.36, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.15, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.30, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Boardroom22 Mar 2027
99% of the income goes out in wages at Catanzaro
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Rémi Oudin gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 29 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Catanzaro have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad8 Mar 2027
A season average of 7.06 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Catanzaro know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Pietro Iemmello commits to Catanzaro for another 2 years.
Squad8 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Catanzaro this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Marked 8.29 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.02, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 18 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match27 Feb 2027
16 matches without a win for Catanzaro
The run now stands at 16, and the questions being asked around Catanzaro are no longer polite ones.
Boardroom1 Mar 2027
Pressure builds in the Catanzaro boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market1 Mar 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Player ratings1 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Mirko Pigliacelli was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad1 Mar 2027
A season average of 7.12 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Catanzaro know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad1 Mar 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match27 Feb 2027
Carrarese left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad1 Mar 2027
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match30 Jan 2027
No end in sight to Catanzaro's wait for a win
12 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Catanzaro has to find a result from somewhere.
Player ratings1 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 26. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Mirko Pigliacelli was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad1 Feb 2027
At 21, Patrick Nuamah is already the best thing here
An average of 7.12 in a first team he is several years too young for. Catanzaro have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad1 Feb 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match30 Jan 2027
0‑1 to Pescara, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad1 Feb 2027
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
Player ratings1 Feb 2027
Shots: 9. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match2 Jan 2027
The wait goes on for Catanzaro
8 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market4 Jan 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Catanzaro, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market4 Jan 2027
Catanzaro say no — this time
The offer from Crotone for Tancredi Vella was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Mirko Pigliacelli was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad4 Jan 2027
At 21, Patrick Nuamah is already the best thing here
An average of 7.10 in a first team he is several years too young for. Catanzaro have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
Marked 8.94 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Market4 Jan 2027
Add another name to the list: Sambenedettese have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Edoardo Borrelli. The answer from Catanzaro has not changed — yet.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
A performance of 8.13 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad7 Dec 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Catanzaro may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad7 Dec 2026
At 20, Patrick Nuamah is already the best thing here
An average of 7.08 in a first team he is several years too young for. Catanzaro have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Simone Pontisso was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match4 Nov 2026
Catanzaro march on in the cup
Padova are out and Catanzaro go through, 1‑0 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.
Match7 Nov 2026
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 13 matches without defeat is a foundation Catanzaro did not have in the autumn.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 28. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad9 Nov 2026
He is 20, he is averaging 7.06, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Mirko Pigliacelli was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Marked 9.02 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.39, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.34, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad9 Nov 2026
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Mirko Pigliacelli knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match17 Oct 2026
Still nobody has beaten Catanzaro
The unbeaten run reaches 9. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Catanzaro may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad19 Oct 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Catanzaro this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.33, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match17 Oct 2026
Three points for Catanzaro, 2‑1 the final word against Carrarese in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Marked 8.67 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Nicolò Brighenti, and the manager let it.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Marco D'Alessandro trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market31 Aug 2026
Ervin Bashi hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Catanzaro can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 25. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Mirko Pigliacelli was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad31 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Filippo Pittarello, and the manager let it.
Market31 Aug 2026
Everyone has stopped pretending: Forli will make the call about Mattia Liberali this week. Catanzaro have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
Match29 Aug 2026
A 1‑1 draw with Frosinone leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.