Cittadella’s 2023 winter transfer window
On January 31, 2023 by Jake IovineDeadline day in Europe has ended which leaves Cittadella with five newcomers that signed with the Granata this January.
Coming into the transfer window, Cittadella were in 19th place in Serie B after four consecutive losses to end the year. Alarm bells were ringing as the club now stared at a deep relegation battle for the first time since being promoted to the second tier in 2016.
Sporting director Stefano Marchetti knew work had to be done, immediately bringing in veteran right back Alessandro Salvi. The 34 year old played for Cittadella for three years during 2015 and 2018, and made his return to Veneto to add much needed experience and quality in the back line.
With Salvi’s return, it was clear that the rumors of left back Tommaso Cassandro’s move to Lecce were all but done. After three seasons with the club, Cassandro signed with Serie A side Lecce for 400k euros.
On the departure side, Marchetti was able to sell some players who hadn’t been able to make an effect since the start of the season. Forward Giacomo Beretta was sold to Serie C side Foggia, while both Mamadou Tounkara and Davide Mazzocco moved to Avellino. Tounkara’s contract is on a temporary basis till the end of the season with Avellino having an option to buy.
With two forwards and a midfielder gone, Marchetti went out and acquired Tommy Maistrello, striker from Renate. On loan from Empoli, midfielder Giovanni Crociata played his first half of his campaign with Südtirol, but will now finish the season with the Granata. Napoli youngster Giuseppe Ambrosino also joined Cittadella on a loan till the end of the season.
The last transfer of the season happened in Reggio Calabria, where left back Federico Giraudo joined Cittadella on a year and a half loan from Reggina.
In total, Cittadella has brought in five new players and has released four players from their squad. An increase of experience and quality is what Marchetti and Cittadella hope for as they try to recover from a nightmare start to the season.