Bari, a defense to rebuild

The first poker of arrivals is almost defined, but it will only be an appetizer of the new red and white revolution. Bari will change its skin even more radically than in previous seasons: the number of arrivals could even exceed twenty if, as it seems, very little will remain of the already small group of owned players.

Four operations are on the home straight, then. Goalkeeper Michele Cerofolini will be acquired permanently from Frosinone (with whom his contract would have expired in 2026) and will sign a three-year contract, just as in the past few hours an agreement in principle was reached with Roma for Riccardo Pagano: a twenty-year-old mezzala, last season he played under the orders of the new coach Fabio Caserta in Catanzaro, but has now returned to the Giallorossi club: the Apulian club is trying to acquire him permanently, submitting him to a three-year contract with the option to renew for another season. Then, the double blow from Brescia: Matthias Verreth, a 27-year-old Belgian playmaker, will be tied to a two-year contract with the option to extend for another tournament, while defender Gabriele Calvani, 21, will return to Genoa who owns his contract, but will immediately be sent to the Galletti, again on loan. For both players, however, it will be necessary to wait until July 3, the date on which the Lombard club will also be formally excluded from the professional ranks, generating the release regime for registered players.

A brand new back line It is a very real possibility. First of all due to the lack of interpreters in the squad: currently Bari only has the second goalkeeper Marco Pissardo, the full-backs Pucino, Dorval and Tripaldelli, the centre-backs Vicari and Matino. But it cannot be ruled out that they will all be sold. Marco Pissardo, in fact, is being courted by Arezzo and is seriously considering a farewell that would allow him to return to the starting shirt. Tripaldelli has been an extra: it is obvious that he is looking for a position that can guarantee him greater continuity, just as Emmanuele Matino (returned from his loan at Cittadella) is not part of the future project. Francesco Vicari is coming off the most complex year in red and white: on the threshold of 31 years of age, he is seriously evaluating other opportunities. Raffaele Pucino has just renewed until 2026, however he has some admirers in C, ready to propose a longer commitment. Mehdi Dorval, finally: the 24-year-old Franco-Algerian is theoretically the most valuable piece of the Bari squad, therefore he cannot be "sold off" and at the moment there are no concrete offers. However, some Arab clubs, but especially Sassuolo and Cagliari are looking at him closely: the impression is that they will try to capitalize on the full-back's best season by generating a capital gain to reinvest.

We move to four And so, here is the strategy of a complete clean sweep taking shape. In defense, as many as eight new interpreters could arrive. A quota that would rise to ten also counting two goalkeepers. On the other hand, Caserta will change the tactical set-up: from the three-man module implemented by Moreno Longo, we will move to the four-man line that the Calabrian coach intends to design. A game system that requires decidedly different characteristics. In this sense, Calvani is an interesting prospect who brings exuberance and physicality, but a central pair of undoubted substance will be needed. In this sense, watch out for Matteo Lovato, a 25-year-old central with great potential, but coming off a few complicated seasons: in the last year he has not found the space he hoped for at Sassuolo who will not redeem him from Cagliari. It seems that Bari has started to ask for information from the new rossoblu ds (grand ex of the Galletti) Guido Angelozzi. Just as there is concrete interest in Marco Varnier, 27, coming off a convincing tournament at Juve Stabia that extended his contract until 2026. Bari, however, has begun a heated courtship for the central defender from Padua. Among the emerging players, however, sports directors Giuseppe Magalini and Valerio Di Cesare have repeatedly followed Antony Angileri, 24 years old from Monopoli, as well as Gabriele Pagliai, 23 years old from Picerno: for both of them there would be an attempt to purchase them outright.

There are many ideas on the outside lanes: full-backs who are skilled in the push phase, but equally decisive in marking, will be needed. Caserta would gladly welcome back both Tommaso Cassandro and Giacomo Quagliata. The first, 25 years old, right-footed cursor, played in his hometown Catanzaro, but is owned by Como: the chances of a good outcome of the dialogue are not low. The second, on the other hand, 25-year-old left-back, has already passed through Bari in 2018-19, when the Galletti played in Serie D: he too has just come from a good tournament in Calabria, and will return to Cremonese at the end of his loan, which owns him: an initial dialogue has apparently been set up. Leonardo Sernicola, a 27-year-old attacking full-back capable of performing on both lanes, will also return to the Grigiorossi: he won Serie A with Pisa, who, however, have not redeemed him at the moment. The chances of starting again from Serie B are high. The rebuilding, however, will not only concern the defense: also the midfield and attack will radically change face. However, Bari would not mind starting again at least with Andrea Favilli: the 28-year-old center forward has not dissolved the reservations on the proposal of a two-year agreement put forward for a few days now. However, the white smoke seems in the air.