Football Season Guide

Sampdoria expected to obtain more from the past campaign, especially considering how well they performed during the first part, when they also managed to offer themselves the eventual winners of the Scudetto, Juventus. In the end, they finished in the 10th place, just like the previous season, just 6 points away from the European spots. Coach Marco Giampaolo, who enjoys the favours of the pundits although his sides regularly end up running out of breath in springtime, was confirmed at the helm of the team. During the summer, he saw the departure of at least 4 main regulars. First of all, Emiliano Viviano, whose past seasons were affected by injuries, left for Sporting CP. His place in goals should be taken by Emil Audero, arrived on loan from Juventus, who had a great season at Venezia in Serie B. In the back four, Gianmarco Ferrari returned to Sassuolo as his loan came to an end while Ivan Strinic will not be missed at left-back as he had ended up without being considered, with Vasco Regini and Nicola Murru prevailing. Omar Colley from Racing Genk could thus become a protagonist in the heart of the defence together with the young Joachim Andersen, while Junior Tavares, Alex Ferrari and Lorenco Simic should only add some depth to the squad. Lucas Torreira, their mastermind in the middle of the park in the past campaign, was let go to Arsenal for plenty of cash and, so, the keys of the midfield could be given to one between Karol Linetty and Dennis Praet, although a new signing is expected in that fundamental department. Jakub Jankto, on the other hand, arriving on loan from Udinese, could find relevant playing time, especially in more attacking-minded roles. Sampdoria suffered one major loss also up-front as Duvan Zapata, who provided both goals and muscles, left for Atalanta. The newly-arrived Grégoire Defrel, in need of a redemption from the past troubled season at Roma, does not represent a proper alternative for the Colombian. Especially considering that Fabio Quagliarella, their top scorer in the past season, is ageing and also quite injury-prone.