From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match17 Oct 2026
Nobody wants to play Udinese right now
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
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 Udinese this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Giulio Vinciati is 19, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Match17 Oct 2026
Cremonese made Udinese work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Marked 8.26. Players have careers without a single afternoon like this in them, and he has just had one in front of everybody at Udinese.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
“We earned that. I asked them for a reaction and I got one, and now I want the same again on Saturday.” Nicolò Bianco on a 1‑0 afternoon that pleased him more than he was prepared to show.
The dugout19 Oct 2026
Hassane Kamara dropped after a run of poor form
The one version of being left out a player cannot argue with, and the one he takes worst. Somebody else has been better and the team sheet says so, in public, every week until it changes.
Squad19 Oct 2026
At 19 he was the best of everybody his age in the division for one weekend. Nobody should build a career on it and everybody quietly does.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
Two goals and a mark of 8.30 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
No sign of nerves from Lazar Jovanović at 19 — 8.46
The hardest thing about being 19 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Lazar Jovanović did not need any: 8.46, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Nicolò Zaniolo 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 Oct 2026
Three points for Udinese, 3‑1 the final word against Genoa in a contest settled by the finer margins.
The terraces12 Oct 2026
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 19-year-old it feels ownership of. Lazar Jovanović has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Words at Udinese training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Oier Zarraga is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Oier Zarraga
“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.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Udinese are still strangers to each other
6 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“We earned that. I asked them for a reaction and I got one, and now I want the same again on Saturday.” Nicolò Bianco on a 3‑1 afternoon that pleased him more than he was prepared to show.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad5 Oct 2026
Words exchanged at Udinese
Nicolò Zaniolo and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Match3 Oct 2026
It finished 2‑1, and it was Keinan Davis’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Udinese.
The terraces5 Oct 2026
He is 23 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
A performance of 8.47 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad5 Oct 2026
A row about effort at Udinese
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Oier Zarraga was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Marked 8.14 — 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.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Maduka Okoye wants out of the spotlight
The ambition story running the other way, and the one nobody tells: a footballer asking for a smaller stage, fewer cameras and a crowd that does not turn. It is not weakness and it is very rarely reported as anything else.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Nicolò Bianco kept it short after the 2‑1 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Lazar Jovanović, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match26 Sep 2026
Chastening afternoon for Udinese
A 0‑4 beating by Lecce was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Keinan Davis beats them one at a time
Successful dribbles: 23. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Squad28 Sep 2026
A falling-out at Udinese
Nicolò Zaniolo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
“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.
Boardroom28 Sep 2026
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
The manager has not finished forgetting Oumar Solet's mistake
Publicly it is behind everybody. It is not behind the man who picks the team, and the only place that shows is a team sheet. He will get another chance; he will get it in a match that matters less.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑4 Nicolò Bianco left the room before anybody could ask which.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Oumar Solet wants out of the spotlight
The ambition story running the other way, and the one nobody tells: a footballer asking for a smaller stage, fewer cameras and a crowd that does not turn. It is not weakness and it is very rarely reported as anything else.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
Somebody else is better right now than Hassane Kamara
The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Sep 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 Udinese this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Giulio Vinciati is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 19 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Keinan Davis beats them one at a time
Successful dribbles: 19. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
Match19 Sep 2026
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Nicolò Zaniolo. 1‑0 against Parma, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
A performance of 8.13 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Christian Kabasele, and the manager let it.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
The view from the dugout
“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Nicolò Bianco, on a 1‑0 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
Hassane Kamara dropped after a run of poor form
The one version of being left out a player cannot argue with, and the one he takes worst. Somebody else has been better and the team sheet says so, in public, every week until it changes.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Udinese, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match12 Sep 2026
4 matches without a win for Udinese
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Udinese are no longer polite ones.
Transfer targets14 Sep 2026
The clock did what Spezia would not, and ended it. Supporters who watched the countdown will spend the next window doing it again.
Match12 Sep 2026
4 matches without a goal for Udinese
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 4 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Match12 Sep 2026
0‑1 to AC Milan, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad14 Sep 2026
100 games in this shirt, through managers and relegations and everything else. Service like it is disappearing from the game and the crowd knows what it is watching.
The dugout14 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jakub Piotrowski, and the manager let it.
The dugout14 Sep 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑1, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Udinese are still strangers to each other
6 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
The dugout14 Sep 2026
There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market7 Sep 2026
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Udinese have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Transfer targets7 Sep 2026
Fee done, terms next for Sergio Kalaj
Udinese and Spezia have settled on $2.1M. The rest belongs to the player and his agent, and a supporter who has watched one of these before knows not to buy the shirt yet.
Transfer targets7 Sep 2026
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Deadline passes with 11 signed and 2 gone
That is the business done at Udinese until the window opens again. Whether it was enough will be answered on Saturdays rather than in a column, and the first Saturday is close.
Market7 Sep 2026
“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.
Match5 Sep 2026
3 matches without a goal for Udinese
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 3 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Match5 Sep 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad7 Sep 2026
200 games in the shirt. Nobody sets out to build a record like that; it happens to a certain kind of player at a certain kind of club, and this town knows what it has.
The dugout7 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Hassane Kamara, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market31 Aug 2026
The chase for Edoardo Pieragnolo ended with $7.1M changing hands and Sassuolo out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.
Squad31 Aug 2026
A falling-out at Udinese
Nicolò Zaniolo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
The dugout31 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Alex Ramku
“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.
Squad31 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Lennon Miller commits to Udinese for another 5 years.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Alex Ramku has had enough of the bench
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Udinese will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
The dugout31 Aug 2026
There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.
Market31 Aug 2026
Santa Clara are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Udinese will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
The dugout31 Aug 2026
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Nicolò Bianco was not hiding it after 0‑0, and nobody in the Udinese dressing room was either.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market24 Aug 2026
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Millwall waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Udinese is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Market24 Aug 2026
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
The deal with Sassuolo is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Venezia have kept their man, and Udinese go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad24 Aug 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 Udinese this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Marked 7.21. Ask anyone leaving the ground what settled it and you will get one name, which is the only award that has ever really counted.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
The form table has caught Luigi Caputo
Somebody else has been better, the manager has said so with a team sheet, and there is no argument to be had. He will get the shirt back the only way it can be got back.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Nicolò Bianco was not hiding it after 0‑0, and nobody in the Udinese dressing room was either.
Boardroom24 Aug 2026
Udinese say no to the training-ground money
The plan went upstairs and came back down. Nothing about that will make a headline anywhere else, and everybody who works at the training ground will remember it for years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
Fee done, terms next for Raúl Rangel
Udinese and Guadalajara have settled on $7.0M. The rest belongs to the player and his agent, and a supporter who has watched one of these before knows not to buy the shirt yet.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Atalanta have kept their man, and Udinese go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
Lecce wanted more than $3.8M and the board would not go there. Walked away, for now, which in a transfer window means until somebody blinks.
Market17 Aug 2026
The name of Keinan Davis has come up in conversations Udinese were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Market17 Aug 2026
Cesena pay $2.9M, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Nicolò Zaniolo 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.
Market17 Aug 2026
Picerno pay $150.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Squad17 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Giovanni Di Franco commits to Udinese for another 3 years.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
Maduka Okoye 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
Steady
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
No deal for Diego Porcel at that price
Udinese offered $6.0M; Argentinos Juniors said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Market10 Aug 2026
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Idrissa Guèye had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Udinese have gone to Lecce with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Mërgim Vojvoda and Udinese agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad10 Aug 2026
A falling-out at Udinese
Nicolò Zaniolo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Udinese asked and Como said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Market10 Aug 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Daniele Mancini has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market10 Aug 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Luigi Cipriani has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market10 Aug 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Nicolò Mazza has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
The offer went to Argentinos Juniors this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
Market3 Aug 2026
Gil Vicente come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Udinese did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market3 Aug 2026
“I have ambitions, and I would like the club to share them.” Nobody has asked to leave and nobody has been shown the door — but a player chooses that sentence carefully, and a boardroom hears it exactly as it was meant.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Oumar Solet and Udinese agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 Aug 2026
A falling-out at Udinese
Oumar Solet and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Market3 Aug 2026
49 months and counting on Oumar Solet
Still no offer on the table, and Oumar Solet’s deal keeps shrinking. In boardroom language, silence this long stops being an oversight and starts being an answer.