Cittadella’s quiet transfer window – should we be worried?

Other teams in Serie B are making good moves in the market. Yet, there hasn’t been much action for the Granata since the start of the new year.

January’s transfer window serves as an opportunity for teams to make adjustments half way through the season. For Cittadella though, not much needs some tweaking.

Thanks to an eight game unbeaten run in league play, Cittadella have clawed their way back into the top 8 mix. Through that time, head coach Edoardo Gorini’s side have shown great quality in the attacking third, with playmaker Mirko Antonucci having a fine season so far. On top of that, Enrico Baldini has surged under the spotlight.

Likewise, the midfield has provided a solid core for the first part of the campaign. Alessio Vita and Simone Branca have provided much needed stability after the summer departures of Federico Proia, Mario Gargiulo, and Manuel Iori.

After a rocky start in the opening matches, Cittadella’s defense have seemed to finally found a grip. Since November, the Granata‘s backline have only allowed 5 goals in the league. Captain Davide Adorni has helped tackled down early weaknesses shown in September and October, and now look to continue that form going into the second half of league play.

So that begs the question: do Cittadella need to spend time and money in the transfer window? Sporting director Stefano Marchetti doesn’t believe so.

“We will certainly not be the protagonists of the January market, while remaining vigilant about what’s happening.” Marchetti explained in an interview with Tuttosport. “We don’t want to run the risks of altering the technical-tactical balance built with Gorini, giving continuity to our guys who have done well so far is the priority.”

Marchetti has done brilliantly once again on building a well constructed team despite losing key pieces from the previous year. In addition, he’s added depth for majority of the positions on the pitch, allowing Gorini to make rotations and adjustments with ease.

Personally, I’m ok with this approach by Marchetti during January. I don’t see much fixing needed in the team at the moment. I think maybe one signing would be nice – particularly in defense – but keeping this team together is an important aspect on Cittadella’s ability. Shaking up positions could rattle the team chemistry, but adding an extra player brings extra support for those playing week in week out.

If you don’t like Marchetti’s ideas for January, there is hope still. As reported by Gazzetta dello Sport, Monopoli defender Matteo Arena could be on his way to Cittadella very soon. A 22 year old center back from Bari, Arena can also play as a center midfielder, which can also add depth for the center of the pitch.

A slow start to the transfer window: is there room for panic? Not at all. Trust Marchetti and what he’s doing. This is an important 5 month stretch for the club in their promotion hunt, and we finally restart next Saturday.