Players and groups. While waiting for market deals to become official (1 July) and for the geography of the 2024-25 Serie C to be made official (almost certainly already on 27 June, the day on which the new federal council was set), Pontedera continues in his preparatory work. And already a couple of elements, both born in 2005, have been… booked. These are two players from the Genoa Primavera that the new Granata coach Alessandro Agostini had with him in the season just ended. One is Simone Calvani, goalkeeper, brother of Gabriele (a year older), one of the biggest surprises of the Pontedera championship and who will return to the rossoblù club from which he arrived on loan last summer. The other is full-back Alessio Sarpa, 28 appearances and 3 goals with the Genoa Primavera. Sports director Moreno Zocchi has already reached an agreement on parole for the two players. Defender Lorenzo Gagliardi, born in 2004, should remain from Genoa, having made 4 appearances this year, for a total of 89 minutes, including one as a starter on the last day of the championship in Carrara. However, the confrontation with Marcos Espeche (39 years old on Tuesday) and Giacomo Benedetti (25), two players whose contracts are expiring that Pontedera would like to keep for next season, has been postponed to next week. There shouldn’t be any problems in reaching a new agreement, but until the players and director sit down at the table everything remains open. Same thing for goalkeeper Giuseppe Stancampiano (37), also out of contract and recovering from a cruciate injury.
Speaking of goalkeepers, in the role of trainer in place of Enzo Biato (60) there will, it is certain, be Michele Ribechini (53), who already occupied this position in Pontedera until the 2019-20 season and then moved to the Under 18 of Empoli. As regards the transfers chapter, the interests of other clubs, including some from Serie B, seem to be starting to arise for Matteo Guidi (20) and Simone Ianesi (22), who with great probability will no longer wear the granata shirt next year . Regarding the groups, the official exclusion of Ancona has opened up the possibility of inclusion for Milan Under 23 and it seems certain that at that point the distribution of the three second teams registered in C, one per group, will take place by draw. “Who would I prefer?” said Zocchi, “Atalanta and Juventus are strong as we know, so I would say that I would like Milan in the group. But only because it’s their first experience and I don’t know them”. “Certainly – concluded the Granata sports director – I know that the next group will also be as difficult as this year”.
Stefano Lemmi
